John 17 - His One Motivation (#1)
John 17:1-3
By Bunni Pounds
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him, And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17:1-3
Everything throughout the Word of God is about to climax here with this one phrase – Glorify Your Son. From the time of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden, God had a plan to redeem the earth. The plan was called JESUS. The end of the story in the book of Revelation centers around the angels, the Redeemed, and the four living creatures worshipping one person – JESUS.
The hour had come for Jesus. This was the moment that history had been waiting on.
With all of history converging on the final hours of Jesus' life; the revelation that He was about to suffer and give up His life for the world was hitting Him. And yet, He had only one motivation that pulsated through His mind: "It is all worth it if these people get to know Me. If I can have My bride, then all My suffering and all the pain will be so worth it. I will get to know them, and they will get to know Me."
Jesus knew the hour had come. He felt the authority of the Father being given to Him. It was time for the Son to be glorified.
In Matthew 28:18 (after the resurrection), He said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth..." This was His moment of glorification after His death, burial, and resurrection.
Here in John 17:2, Jesus prays, "You have given Him (meaning Himself) authority over all flesh that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him."
Jesus had laid aside His power and authority to come to the earth in the form of a baby, to walk this humble earth as a man, and to show us how to function in human flesh, yet by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was now time for the ultimate lesson on His WHY. What would compel Him to give up all His power and authority for this simple life in human flesh?
Jesus’ reason was simple. He wanted His creation, His people, to know His Father and to know Himself. This sacrifice was birthed out of LOVE.
"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
It wasn't just about living forever. Jesus wanted His people to live eternally, but He also wanted His people to live forever WITH HIM.
He had a personal motive—the same motive that caused the ELOHIM (the Godhead) to create man in the first place, as seen in Genesis 1:26, "Let US make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..."
The motivation behind everything was for us to be WITH Him, for us to KNOW Him.
So, at the beginning of everything it was about His love for you and me, and at the end of everything it was about His love for you and me.
When I sit and think about the reality of Jesus' love for me, how He came to the earth and went to the cross for one reason—to KNOW ME—that revelation brings me to my knees. It makes the world stop. My human and natural life doesn't seem as important as it once was.
When I really meditate on that truth, it makes me want to stop and listen. It makes me want to turn the TV off and spend time consuming His words. It makes thirty minutes in worship seem like nothing, and two hours in His presence seem like a short time.
When I really GET it, my life slows down, and I find peace resting in the only thing that really matters: fulfilling the real motivation of His heart to KNOW me.
In our modern world, life is busy. We feel like we must accomplish a million things. We must be the best in our career track. We must make sure our kids get the best education and have the best sports programs in town. We must have the best Instagram posts or best YouTube channel. We want our lives to matter someway somehow. We want a legacy and a reason for living. We want to make sure we are noticed.
Then these words hit us “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (Jesus is praying here but speaking about himself).
In one of my latest seasons (running for Congress), I watched God hold my heart in His big, mighty hands and keep it from falling apart during suffering, persecution, slander, lies, incredible pressure, and fears. I learned to rest in His presence, and when it was all over, and it didn’t turn out like I thought it would; He reminded me again that the joy and peace I was experiencing in the journey was “knowing Him” in the midst of it all.
In the end, walking with him day by day and learning about Him during this great adventure was the greatest gift of the whole experience. Life can be filled with so much more joy and peace when we realize that ultimately the REASON, we exist is to KNOW JESUS every day. If we don’t walk with Him in the here and now, we will miss the whole purpose for which we were created, and the purpose of His death, burial and resurrection.
I want to live my life every day thanking Jesus for giving up everything to redeem me and giving me eternal life. I don’t want eternal life to just start when I see Him face to face in heaven, but to start now, here in my office, my home, and my heart.
We were His ONE motivation for giving it all. I pray that we know His love today – deep in our souls – and return it to Him through our simple cries and our affections.
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