A good question can be the key that opens the door of understanding to the Word of God. I recently experienced this myself.
I’m a member of Broadway Christian Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We are currently doing a 12-week study entitled “Steadfast Worship.” Lesson 3 is about “God the Son” and the passage we examined is John 17, in which we get a glorious glimpse into the prayer life of Jesus. Just hours before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed to His Father and we are privileged to know exactly what He requested.
Amanda Campati, our church’s Administrator, wrote questions about this passage for our small groups to reflect on and discuss. Here is Question #1:
How would you describe the relationship between God the Father and God the Son in this text?
I love this question. It caused me to dive deeply into this passage in a way I would not have thought of otherwise. This is an excellent example of how an insightful question can be the catalyst for deeper study of the Word. Thank you, Lord . . . and thank you, Amanda!
The following comments are my thoughts in response to this question.
There is no other relationship like the one that exists between God the Father and God the Son. It is the most unique relationship in the universe, and it has always existed – from eternity past, the Father and the Son have loved each other in a perfect union of joyful fellowship. We have much to learn from this relationship. Here are five life-changing truths to ponder when we think of Jesus and his heavenly Father.
1-This is a relationship of mutual glorification. It is a relationship that is focused on and exists for the glory of God.
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” (v. 1)
Jesus tells the Father (as if He needed to be reminded!) that “the hour has come.” What hour? The hour of Jesus’ death. And what is the purpose of Jesus’ death? That God be glorified, for Jesus’ first petition is that God the Father and God the Son would both be glorified through the coming of this hour.
In the death of Christ, the Father glorifies the Son so that the Son may glorify the Father. In other words, one purpose (or arguably, the primary purpose) of Jesus’ death is the Father’s glorification of the Son, and through the Son’s glorification, the glorification of the Father. Through the crucifixion, the Father honors the Son and the Son honors the Father. It’s not a case of “either/or” but “both/and” – hence the phrase “mutual glorification.”
“I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” (v. 4)
Jesus has already glorified the Father by living a perfect life for 30+ years. Within a few hours, the ultimate display of His holy obedience will be displayed on the cross. Everything Jesus did was an act of loving submission to His Father’s will. “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). In a few hours He would say that this work “is finished” (John 19:30). And what was the purpose and result of the Son’s work on earth? The glory of the Father.
“I have given them the glory that you gave me” (v. 22)
Jesus is fully God, and therefore, from eternity past, has always been God. At the same time, in some mind-bending way that is beyond my comprehension, Jesus refers to His glory as a gift from the Father to him. Even more amazing is that this divine glory that the Father gave to the Son has, in turn, been passed on from the Son to us. Paul echoes this incredible truth in Romans 8:30, for “those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
“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.” (v. 24)
John Piper wrote a book, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, because the primary purpose of the Christian life, both now and forever, is to see and savor the glory of God in Christ Jesus. What will heaven be like? We don’t go to heaven primarily to “have a good time,” enjoying all the earthly things that make us happy now. Jesus said that we are going to heaven to “be with me” and “to see my glory.” Let that take your breath away! Heaven will be an experience of eternal and infinite joy beyond our wildest dreams – all because we will be in the presence of Jesus and His glory.
2-This is a relationship of submission, obedience, and authority.
“You sent me into the world” (v. 18)
Note how often Jesus mentions that He was “sent” to earth by the Father – five times! (v. 3, 18, 21, 23, 25). Jesus came to earth because the Father sent him. Did Jesus want to come? Of course. But He also came because he willingly submitted to His Father’s will. He obeyed the Father’s command to “go,” because Jesus demonstrated perfect respect for His Father’s authority.
Furthermore, the Father gave the Son work to do, and He did it with joy and to perfection, as indicated in John 17:4.
3-This is a relationship of unity and oneness.
“We are one . . . you in me” (v. 22-23)
We may not be that surprised to hear Jesus say to the Father, “we are one” (v. 22). We’ve heard that from his lips before. “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). But let’s not let the familiarity of this statement lessen our amazement at its truth. This is a mind-boggling reality. Here we enter the mystery that is the Trinity – one God in three Persons, who have existed in perfect harmony from all eternity. The eternal Son Jesus came to earth and took on human flesh, without ceasing to be God! And while He was here, He continued to experience unbroken fellowship with His Father. Again, let it take your breath away!
4-This is a relationship of love and giving.
“You loved me before the creation of the world.” (v. 24, 26)
The Father and the Son have had a love relationship forever. Long before God spoke the universe into existence, they were experiencing perfect love.
A loving person is compelled to give. Such is the case here. To demonstrate His love for His Son, the Father gave the church to the Son. We are God’s love gift to Jesus. Surely that takes your breath away!
Note the repeated references to this truth:
Jesus refers to recipients of eternal life as “those you have given him” (v. 2)
Jesus has revealed the Father to “those whom you gave me out of the world” (v. 6)
Jesus told the Father, “you gave them to me” (v. 6)
Jesus said, “I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours” (v. 9)
Jesus prayed, “I want those you have given me to be with me where I am” (v. 24)
“For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them” (v. 8)
Jesus saw the Father as the source of the words He spoke, “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken” (John 12:49). All the words that Jesus spoke were a gift from the Father to the Son.
5-This is a relationship of intimacy.
“I know you.” (v. 25)
Jesus’ knowledge of the Father, and the Father’s knowledge of Jesus, is perfect. That is why Jesus said that “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son” (Matthew 11:27).
At the same time, all believers know God, for “this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). We should strive for a deeper knowledge of God in this life, and by the grace of God, we can experience greater intimacy because Jesus has made the Father known to us. “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John 17:26).
How to Apply These 5 Truths
- Since the Father and the Son have a relationship of mutual glorification, my primary goal in life should be to glorify the Father and the Son. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). I have known that verse for years, but seeing it realized in the relationship between Jesus and His Father gives it a whole new meaning. If Jesus died and finished the Father’s work for the glory of the Father, and if the Father glorifies the Son through His crucifixion, this motivates me to take my focus on God’s glory to another level.
- Jesus’ coming to earth was an act of willing submission to the Father’s authority. This relationship of loving obedience motivates me to obey my Father. If Jesus obeyed the Father, so must I.
- Since the Father and Son have a relationship of unbreakable unity, I, too, can strive for unity in all my relationships, both vertical and horizontal. Their perfect harmony is an example for me to follow.
- Their relationship of love and giving is also the model and pattern for all my relationships. The gift of the church, from the Father to the Son, came at great cost to both Father and Son. Likewise, genuine love for others should be costly for me. To love people will, at times, be hard and even painful. It is a call to suffering for the good of others. It was for the Father and the Son, so why should it be any different for me?
- The level of intimacy between the Father and Son is humanly impossible to attain (at least in this life). And rightly so. They have a perfect relationship! Yet we can still have a life-giving and soul-satisfying connection to the Father, through the Son, that is beyond human understanding. I cannot know God flawlessly, but I can know Him intimately, because Jesus has chosen to reveal the Father to me, and He has given me His Spirit who draws me ever closer. A close relationship with God is the supernatural work of the Trinity. It begins in this life and will be consummated to perfection in the next.
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