OCTOBER 28, 2018/November 4, 2018
THE GREAT HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER (PART I)
INTRODUCTION:
1. This chapter is a prayer; it is the Lord’s Prayer, the Lord Christ’s prayer. There was one which is commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer” which was meant to teach us how to pray, but it was not His own prayer, because he needed not to pray for forgiveness of sins. (Matt. 6:9-13) This prayer was properly and peculiarly His, and suited Him only as mediator, and is an example of his intercession; and yet it is of great use to us for instruction and encouragement in prayer.
2. The words of prediction and comfort of the preceding chapter were spoken by our Lord to his disciples on the way to Gethsemane. But somewhere along the way, perhaps on the margin of Kidron, just before passing into the scene of His awful conflict, He turned His speech from the disciples to God the Father. Though this prayer was addressed to the Father, it was within earshot of the disciples. How moving His words must have been, and perhaps even more so upon later reflection.
3. This, which is properly “The Lord’s Prayer” is our Lord’s only recorded intercessory prayer, out of the many that proceeded from His lips. Brief prayers are here and there recorded (See Matt. 11:25; John 11:42, 43; 12:28) but nothing to parallel this, which is known as The Great High Priestly Prayer.
4. The prayer divides naturally into two parts: First, Christ’s prayer for Himself which is brief but wonderful and unfathomably deep. (Verses 1-5) Secondly, Christ’s prayer for His disciples, which includes the eleven and all that were given to Him by the Father in the eternal covenant of redemption. (Verses 6-26)
5. In this lesson we will consider, first, the circumstances of the prayer (Verse 1), and secondly, Christ’s prayer for Himself. (Verses 2, 3)
I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PRAYER. (VERSE 1)
A. THE TIME WHEN HE PRAYED THIS PRAYER.
1. It was after His farewell discourse. “These words spake Jesus, and…”
a) It was a prayer after the sermon.
b) When He had spoken from God to them, He turned His eyes upward and spoke to God for them. (Ez. 37:4, 9)
c) This prayer was clearly heard by the eleven.
2. It was a preface to His sacrifice which was now about to be offered.
a) It specifies the favor and blessing that His sacrifice was designed to purchase.
b) He thus prayed as a priest now about to offer sacrifice by virtue of which all prayers are to be made.
3. It was a prayer that was a specimen of His intercession which He ever lives to make for us within the veil.
B. THE OUTWARD EXPRESSION OF THE PRAYER.
1. Just as He did before the tomb of Lazarus, He removed His eyes from the people around Him, and “lifted up his eyes to heaven” (Ch. 11:41)
2. This gesture was not necessary for His own sake, but He was pleased to sanctify it to those for whom it is useful and proper, in that, it symbolizes the lifting up of the soul in prayer to God. (Psa. 25:11)
3. We must ever be mindful that the throne of God is in heaven, and our help comes from on high, where our Lord has ascended. (Psa. 121:1, 2; 23:1, 2)
C. THE PRESSING NECESSITY OF THE PRAYER.
1. The appointed hour for which He was sent into the world was come. “Father, the hour is come.”
2. The “hour” here named is the hour determined in God’s eternal counsels for the sacrifice of Christ, and the final accomplishment of the atonement.
3. That time, which had been promised by God, and expected by saints ever since Adam’s fall, had at length arrived, and the Seed of the woman was actually about to bruise the serpent’s head, by dying as man’s Substitute and Redeemer. Up to this night, “the hour was not yet come” (John 7:30; 8:20), and Christ’s enemies were powerless to hurt Him, but now the hour had come, and the Sacrifice was ready.
a) Augustine says of this that “time did not force Christ to die, but Christ chose a time to die.”
b) “Let us remember, though in a far lower sense, that believers are all immortal ‘til their hour is come; ‘til then they are safe, and cannot be harmed by death.” – J. C. Ryle
II. CHRIST PRAYS FOR HIMSELF. (VERSES 1b-5)
A. HE PRAYS TO GOD THE FATHER. “He lifted up His eyes and said, Father.”
1. Six times in this prayer our Lord uses the title ‘Father.’
2. It is wonderful to know that our great Savior and Redeemer has entitled us who have the Spirit of adoption to also cry, “Abba Father.” (Gal. 4:4-6; Rom. 8:14-16)
3. As our Savior and Elder Brother here prays for us, so He taught us also to pray. (Matt. 6:9)
B. HE PRAYS TO BE GLORIFIED IN ORDER TO HIS GLORIFYING GOD. “Father, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee.”
1. Ryle writes, “The meaning of this sentence must be this: Give glory to Thy Son, by carrying Him through the
cross and the grave, to a triumphant completion of the work He came to do, and by placing Him at Thy right hand, and highly exalting Him above every name that is named. Do this in order that He may glorify Thee and Thy attributes. Do this that He may bring fresh glory to Thy holiness, and justice, and mercy, and faithfulness, and prove to the world that Thou art a just God, a holy God, a merciful God, and a God that keepeth His word. My vicarious death and My resurrection will prove this and bring glory to Thee. Finish the mighty work. Glorify Me, and in so doing glorify Thyself. Finish Thy work, not least of which Thy Son may glorify Thee by bringing many redeemed souls to heaven, to the glory of Thy grace.”
2. Nothing brings such glory to God as the completion of the redeeming work of Christ, by His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. Christ seems to be calling upon God to let His death now take place, that He through death may be taken up to glory, and that therein the justice, holiness, mercy, and faithfulness of the Father may be glorified and exhibited to all creation, and that many would be saved to the glory of His Divine wisdom and power.
C. HE PLEADS THAT HE SHOULD GLORIFY THE FATHER ACCORDING TO THE COMMISSION GIVEN HIM. (VERSES 2, 3) He would have the Father to glorify the Son in the execution of the commission to the specific ends for which He had given Him universal power.
1. The origin of His power. “Thou hast given him power.”
a) Man, in his fallen state could only be recovered by being brought under a new type of government which required a special commission, which was given to the Son along with the power to perform.
b) He received this power from God, to whom all power belongs. This power was given to the Son as the sole arbitrator of the grand alliance between God and man.
2. The extent of the power was universal. “Thou hast given Him power over all flesh.”
a) Over all mankind. He has power over the world of spirits, as well (I Pet. 3:22) but being now mediating between God and man, He here pleads His power over all flesh.
b) Over fallen mankind. “Flesh” (Gen. 6:3) Over this sinful race the Lord Jesus has all power, and all judgment is His, the power to bind or loose, acquit or condemn; power to forgive sin.
3. The grand intention and design of this power. “That He should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given Him.”
a) The grand and unfailing design of this power which is given to Christ our Redeemer, is that He should give eternal life to all of the Elect.
b) All are invited to come, but it is a certainty that all who were given to Christ by the Father shall come. (John 6:37)
c) If any would like to know if they are of the Elect, they can know by whether or not they are willing to receive Him and submit to His Lordship. (Matt. 11:28-30’ Rev. 22:17; Luke 9:23)
4. A further explanation as to this gift of eternal life, what it is. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (Verse 3)
a) This verse is given by our Lord as a description of a saved soul. The secret of possessing eternal life consists simply in this: in having a right saving knowledge of the one true God, and of Jesus Christ, whom He had sent to save sinners.
b) The knowledge He means is knowledge which swells in the heart. A true saint is one who “knows the Lord.”This is that knowledge which is renewed in the new creation. (Col. 3:10; also Eph. 4:23, 24)
c) The Christian faith shows us the way to heaven, first, by directing us to God as the Author and Felicity of our being, for Christ died to bring us to God. Secondly, by directing us to Jesus Christ, as the Mediator between God and man.
D. HE PRAYS TO BE GLORIFIED IN CONSIDERATION OF HIS HAVING GLORIFIED THE FATHER. (VERSES 4, 5)
1. Christ reflects on His earthly life and the work that He was sent to do with complete satisfaction. (Verse 4)\
a) He had glorified the Father. To this the Father had Himself audibly borne witness. (Ch. 12:28)
b) He had finished the work that He was given to do. Though He had not yet gone through the last part, that of being made perfect through suffering, yet, says He, “I have finished the work.” This manner of speaking is found also in Verses 11, 12.
2. Christ expects with confidence the joy set before Him. (Verse 5)
a) The glory that He asks for is glory with God. “Glorify thou me with thine own self.”
b) It is the glory that He had with Him from eternity. “…with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
c) This was a most proper evidence of the Father’s full approval of His work, plus, there was an equity in it. “I have glorified thee,…glorify thou me.”
d) We must come to realize by this plea of our Lord, that only those who glorify God on earth will be glorified with Him in heaven. Glorifying God on earth begins with coming to know God through faith in Jesus Christ, whom He has sent, and then, following on to know the Lord by walking even as He walked. (Hos. 6:3a; I John 2:3-6)
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