We continue our study of the Gospel of John. The Apostle writes of the prayer Jesus was praying to Abba Father just before He, and His Disciples left the Passover Celebration. Jesus said to the Father:
“I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do. And now Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.” John 17: 4-5
Before Jesus came to earth, He was One with the Father. The Word says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him, nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. That light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1: 1-5
In the Heavens, Jesus had sat on the throne at the right hand of the Father, whom Jesus said is “the only true God” (John 17:3). Father, He had made Jesus One with Him. Father had given Jesus glory by creating everything that was made through Him. Everything! That of course includes the creation of mankind. Father said, “Let ‘us’ make mankind in ‘our’ image, in our likeness so that they may rule…” Genesis 1:26 But when Jesus stepped off the throne to become ‘Son of God, Son of Man’, He gave up His position on the throne to become fully man, as well as fully God. He had to take a position of the flesh in order to become the Messiah for mankind. He became perfect man In order to shed His sinless, blameless blood for our sins, and redemption on a cross for all to see. The time was about to come when Jesus would be brought back to the throne – brought back in glory as One with God. But now He would also be Body, Soul, and Spirit in order to be our Intercessor, our Friend, and our King of kings on a throne of Grace.
Jesus was telling the Disciples, and is telling us as we read the Word today, He was sent with a Mission. He had been given a job to do, as each of us have. He said, “I am finishing the work you gave Me to do.” He knew He would bring glory to God as He did. Let it be so for us as we do the work given, using the gifts given to each. May each day, we bring glory to God as we do the work we are given to do – that work is simply to “Love one another.”