Jesus’ Farewell Prayer: Part 1, Jesus’ Relationship with the Father

Text: John 17

This passage in John 17 contains Jesus’ longest recorded prayer.  Jesus made this prayer in sight of His coming death on the cross.  In this first part, we will look at six things this prayer teaches us about Jesus’ relationship with the Father.

1. The Father and the Son have an eternal relationship.  This is made clear in verses 5 and 24.  The Father and the Son shared a love and a glory before the world existed.

2. The Father loves the Son.  See verses 23, 24, and 26.  This is a boundless, eternal, perfect love.  Love begins with God the Father.  Because we are made in His image, we can also know love.  The love God the Father has for the Son is the same love that He has for us.  We can be brought into this love relationship thr0ugh union with Christ.  Note that this was prayed with the cross in view; this great love is even in view of the wrath to be poured out upon the Son by the Father on the cross.

3.  The Father and the Son are in unity.  They are one.  See verses 11, 21, and 22.

4.  The Father has sent the Son on a particular mission.  (v. 3, 4, 8, 21, 23)  The Father initiated and sustains His work.  Jesus was totally obedient to His Father.  Even the content of His teaching was received directly from His Father.

5.  The Father has given a people to the Son.  (v. 6, 9, 24)  The Father has selected certain souls out of the world have given them to the Son.  This is important to Jesus.  See also John 6:37 and John 10.  Jesus keeps referring to this gift from the Father – it is especially important because it is a gift from Someone He loves so dearly.

6.  The Father and the Son glorify each other.  (v. 1, 4, 5, 22, 24)  What is “glory”?    It is manifested excellence.  Even the cross, with its humiliation and scorn, was a glorious thing.  Jesus displayed the love and mercy and grace of God clearly in His death.  We see in Philippians 2:8-11 that Jesus humbled himself in obedience to suffer and die on the cross, and it was for this reason that the Father glorified Him highly.  And then, in verse 11 of that passage we see that the glory is returned to the Father.