Pastor Pat Edwards 3/26/2006
Grace Baptist Church in Bountiful, Utah

1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

After Jesus assures the disciples he has overcome the world and they can have peace despite trouble he looks to heaven and begins praying. His words sound like a prayer that is going to heaven yet coming from heaven. It sounds like things are all done and yet it sounds like there is much to do. It’s obviously a prayer that’s offered from both the eternal and temporary perspective. Jesus agrees with the Father the time has come for him to be glorified.

Then Jesus goes on to pray; 4I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. That’s an interesting statement for two reasons: First, the most significant task - his death on the cross - is yet to be accomplished. But apparently from Jesus’ perspective it’s so close it’s as good as done. And it may also be that he has done everything asked of him by the Father. He is about to stop controlling the action and let the action control him. The rest of the story depends on the activity of others. From now on he’s along for the ride. Second, it’s an interesting statement because there is so much more he could have done, more preaching, more miracles, more confrontation with evil. But Jesus knows what’s important, what’s essential, all the specific elements of his assignment. That assignment is to reveal God and take upon himself the penalty of our sin so we might be pardoned. Everything else is secondary; miracles or preaching may help accomplish the assignment but they’re not essential for the success of the mission. And he could have spent every hour of every day during his entire life healing people and never come to the end of that one task. Or he could have just spoken the word and healed everybody throughout the world but to what purpose? The vast majority would never know it was God and his compassion that healed them. No, his work was a series of never-ending tasks, it was to reveal God to his creation and to offer the one sacrifice that breaks the power of sin and makes possible a new life with God.

Do we know our assignments? We should. They are clearly spelled out in scripture and easily boiled down into two commandments. "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."MT.22.36-40

The problem is that it’s so easy to be distracted by all the other stuff of life. So I need to continually ask some basic questions. First, will this help me love God and love those around me as I should? Or more simply, will it help me be a disciple? Am I caught up in an unending stream of urgent tasks that keep me from the important ones? Are the decisions I make really motivated by love of others or love of self? The temptation can be something as ordinary as how I spend my Saturday afternoon. Do I consider my wife or my children or others who need me in making that decision? There are certainly times I need to take a nap and relax on Saturday afternoon but most people don’t have a problem with too much selflessness; they have a problem with too much selfishness. We buy what we want regardless of how it affects the family finances or our giving to the Lord. We struggle with letting the love of Jesus motivate us rather than love of self. And these temptations confront us everyday. So it’s always a good practice to question what motivates us? What determines the choices we make?

The second group of questions: how am I doing in the major roles of life? In my case, first as a husband and father. You understand those roles precede the role of pastor because how I treat my family either qualifies or disqualifies me to serve as a pastor. Am I a loving son and faithful friend? Am I a true brother in the Lord to all of you and a faithful witness to the lost? Am I a good neighbor and loyal citizen? These are all roles that God has given me in life and if I’m fulfilling them I’m going to be pretty busy with just those assignments from the Lord. Those are the priorities he has given me and I need to get them right. It won’t matter to the Lord or my family if I win Best Salesperson in the Region or Teacher of the Year if I fail as a father. My wife won’t care if I win some preaching award if I’m not there for her. A final thought - if all of us fulfilled the basic roles God has assigned us we wouldn’t need super-saints and billion-dollar programs to save our world from all its problems.

A special truth we need to recognize is Jesus’ prayer for glory is a prayer for the cross. Sometimes our assignment may include suffering in one of its various forms. That’s why Jesus tells us we need to take up our cross and follow him; we need to practice sacrificial love to bless others. Those we honor most are often those who have triumphed despite great obstacles or great suffering, who have carried a cross and by doing so blessed others.

It is the cross that causes us to glorify the Lord for the cross is the ultimate proof of the Lord’s love, mercy and grace. No one can give more than their very life for another. So when Jesus prays, 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began, he knows that glory will only come through his death on the cross.

The next word Jesus speaks describes the appropriate response of the disciples. 6"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7Now they know that every-thing you have given me comes from you. 8For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. The word from Jesus was obeyed because it was accepted and believed. At this point in the disciples’ journey there are still parts of the word that need to be implemented but those parts are sitting there ready and waiting to be applied at the right time. We know they still didn’t understand the whole picture despite all his teaching but as far as Jesus is concerned they are right where they need to be. They haven’t reached their ultimate destination but they’re progressing along the road because they believed his word. And believing led to acceptance and acceptance led to obedience. But belief and acceptance and obedience are not limited to one-time acts. They need to be practiced continually throughout this life.

During this after-dinner talk the apostles have come to understand much more of Jesus’ message but it will be another day before they realize what he was telling them about the cross and three more days before they understand resurrection. And they’ll spend the rest of their lives believing, accepting and obeying truth that only comes with time and experience.

Isn’t that the way it is in your life? The constant discovery of how God’s truth applies and is obeyed today? If you’re his disciple Jesus has you right where he wants you today but tomorrow is another story. The fact that you’re not at tomorrow today doesn’t bother him in the least just as it didn’t bother him that the disciples didn’t have it all together before his passion. He knew they would get it together when they needed to and that’s what’s important.

So what are the lessons we learn from the first half of Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper? Like Jesus we need to know and remember our purpose and which tasks are essential and which are secondary. We need to know and remember our abilities and our limitations. We need to know and remember that glory comes through sacrifice. We need to know and rejoice that our God has given us everything we need to remain close to him and obedient to him. Let us pray.