1 Samuel 19-21 | Luke 11:29-54
“Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world.” John 17:24
Near the end of the Last Supper, Jesus turned His attention away from the disciples around Him and focused on the vertical relationship. Turning to God, Jesus prayed, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. 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 17:1-5).
Jesus’s prayer before He was led to the cross is commonly known as “The High Priestly Prayer.” One word to draw our attention to in this prayer is “glory.” In the Greek, the word for “glory” is doxa, and in the Hebrew, the word is kavod. Doxa primarily refers to the glory and majesty of God, encompassing His divine nature, attributes, and the honour due to Him while kavod often refers to the weightiness and honour of God's presence.
Before the world began in a pre-existent eternity, Jesus had kavod with God. He dwelt in the infinite glory with God because He is co-equal with God. Jesus was laden with abundance and infinitely worthy. Yet, He came to this earth in the form of a man to give up His life for us. Why? Jesus reveals in His prayer: “Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world” (John 17:24). Do we realize what Jesus was saying in His prayer? In His impending death, Jesus was not leaving us alone. He was praying for us to be with Him and to see His glory, the infinite glory that the Father gave Him before the creation of the world. Do we understand the magnitude of what Jesus prayed?
In the Old Testament, Moses asked God, “Now show me Your glory” and God responded, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you… But you cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.” (Exodus 33:18-20). In Jesus’s prayer, He is giving us what Moses longed for—the fullness, the weight, the abundance and the substance of His glory. Take a moment to let this truth sink in us: Jesus stooped down into our darkness and brought us into God’s glory when we place our faith in Him.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank You for stepping down into darkness and grafting me into the glory of God. I place my faith in You.