With Dale Ratzlaff
John 17:24-26
Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
Jesus is now through praying for His men. Just a few hours separate Him from the horrors of the cross. Soon He will be through with His earthly pilgrimage and will again be with the Father. Yet with all these significant events facing Him, Jesus still has His men on His mind. Here we see the deep love of Jesus.
The first expression of this passage is best understood as translated in the King James Version.
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am (Joh 17:24 KJV).
The same word for will is used in Matthew 26:39.
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will (Mt. 26:39).
It is true that θέλω may sometimes be translated as “desire” as some Bibles render it. However, in this context, as most commentaries maintain ( Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, p. 736; R.C.H. Lenski, New Testament Commentary, John, p. 1165; Marcus Rainsford, Our Lord Prays for His Own, Thoughts on John 17, p. 427), it should be considered as “will.” It represents an action of the will. Jesus has willed that His men (and women) be where He is. He is not trying to convince the Father to do something the Father does not want to do for they always agree. Rather, He is expressing this will for our sakes.
“Father, I will”; this manner of addressing God is peculiar to Christ. We find no parallel to it in any of the recorded prayers of Old or New Testament saints. Indeed we must feel conscious that such language uttered by a mere creature would be entirely unbecoming, if not absolutely irreverent and profane ( Rainsford, p. 428).
Look carefully at this verse again.
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am (Joh 17:24 KJV).
Jesus has already stated that He, as well as the disciples, were not of the world.
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world (Jn. 17:16).
Jesus sees things that are not (now) as though they already were. He wills that they be with him where He is. We are reminded of earlier statements in John.
In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also (Jn. 14:2-3).
We should inquire as to what kind of place our Lord wills for us. Will it be one where our earthly, sensual desires will be satisfied to the full? Will it be like the “Mohammedan heaven?” Will this place be where the carnal pleasures of lust, appetite, music, and dancing are filled to the full? Will this place where we will gather with the Lord be something like sitting on a wispy cloud strumming a harp forever and a day?
The attraction of the Christian heaven is Christ, Himself.
When Paul was facing the possibility of death, he stated,
But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better (Phil. 1:23).
To the dying thief on the neighboring cross that dark Friday afternoon, Jesus said,
Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise (Lk. 23:43).
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. (2 Cor. 5:6-9).
Some years ago, when I was studying man’s condition in death, the above verses, as well as several others, played an important part in building my new understanding. Jesus willed that we are to be with Him where He is. This fit into the new paradigm of truth. An understanding of this truth—when we are absent from the body we are at home with the Lord—helps us live “the eternal kind of life.” We don’t have to look forward to eternal life. It is a possession that we have here and now.
One reason Jesus wants us to be with Him where He is is so we may see the glory He had with the Father before His incarnation.
So that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
Beholding the glory of Christ is more than just a visual experience of seeing brightness. It is a life-changing, transforming event.
When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory (Col 3:4).
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18).
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is (1 Jn. 3:2).
The last part of Jesus’ prayer is woven together with themes that cannot be broken yet are distinct.
O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
Here we find the eternality and the coexistence of the Father and the Son. Here we find the perfect righteousness of the Father. Here we see the importance of the incarnation and the mission of Christ to reveal to us the eternal love of God. Here we find the final goal of salvation history:
So that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
The word “righteousness” in the quote “O righteous Father” may also be translated, “O just Father.” Let us consider what having a “just” Father in heaven means.
It was pure mercy in God to provide a Savior when man had sinned; it was pure mercy in God to promise that Saviour; it was pure mercy in God to send Him; but, having provided, having promised, having sent Him to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, and having accepted His offering and raised Him from the dead, it is no mere mercy in God to give the benefit to those sinners who believe on Him,—it is justice to Christ, though it is mercy to them. Now, the Lord here rests our salvation upon the faithful promise of the faithful Promiser ( Marcus Rainsford, Our Lord Prays for His Own, Thoughts on John 17, P. 441).
In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago (Tit. 1:2).
Application
- Jesus has willed that we be with Him in glory. It is an accomplished fact waiting its fulfillment.
- We can enjoy “the eternal kind of life” now knowing that we are secure “in Christ” and He has willed that we will be with Him.
- We can look forward to the transformation that is to take place when we behold Christ!
- Because the Father is just as well as righteous, He must accept believers who place their faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice, death, and resurrection. It is justice toward Christ, it is mercy toward us.
Prayer,
Father, I thank you for prompting the Apostle John through the Holy Spirit to record this last prayer of Jesus for His men. Thank you that I can have the assurance that I will be with Christ where He is. Thank you that I have the assurance of eternal life and do not have to wait for either death or the Second Coming of Christ for that assurance. Thank you that when I behold Christ in the fullness of Glory that I will be changed into that glory. I rest my assurance in your promise to Christ that we will all be together in love.
In Jesus name.
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