Wednesday in the Word...John 17:1-5...The Spanish Flu of 1918

Just over 100 years ago, the Spanish flu of 1918 hit our nation.  The churches were asked to not meet for a month.  On the first Sunday back, the Reverend J. Francis Grimke preached a powerful sermon and said,

"The fact that the churches were places of religious gatherings, and the others not, would not affect in the least the health question involved.  If avoiding crowds lessens the danger of being infected, it was wise to take the precaution and not needlessly run in danger, and expect God to protect us."

We can take comfort to know that God's church was not halted by the virus of 1918 and it will not be halted by the virus of 2019.  But we do know the God who can halt the virus.  Let's all pray for this to happen.

Onto our Wednesday in the Word,...

I've titled this "The 'real' Lord's Prayer" because in Matthew and Luke, Jesus is teaching His disciples how to properly pray and is sometimes called the "Our Father."  The prayer in John chapter 17 is Jesus actually praying to His Father and is usually divided into 3 sections.  The first we will cover this morning which is Jesus praying for Himself.  The second is Jesus praying for His disciples and the third is Jesus praying for all believers.  Let's take a look this morning at this first section in John chapter 17 and verses 1 through 5, which read,

v.1, 2 - Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life."

Jesus has been speaking to His disciples about His going away; that they would scatter; and that there would be suffering in this world for being a follower of Him. Now Jesus lifts His eyes to heaven and addresses the Father just like He instructed His disciples to do in the typical "Lord's Prayer."   A difference here between Jesus and us is that He is speaking to His Father but at the same time is God.  

The hour that has come is the completion of the plan of salvation.  The hour has come for Jesus to be turned over to the Jews and Gentiles to proceed to an old rugged cross.  This act of obedience by Jesus to the will of the Father is a way to glorify both the Son and the Father.  Both Jesus and God are intertwined along with the Holy Spirit with the offering of salvation to those who believe.  

Reflecting on John 3:16 and overlaying verse 2, "For God so loved the world,..." with "...You gave Him authority over all flesh" and "...whosever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" with "...to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life" brings consistency within John's gospel.  Those of this world who receive eternal life from Jesus' sacrifice to be with God are those who believe in Jesus.  As always, the word "believe" is offered with the deepest type of commitment applied to it.

v.3 - "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

Those who have eternal life know the Father and the Son.  They know God as the only true God.  They know that God sent His Son Jesus to seek and save the lost.  They know God and His salvation plan through Jesus.  Eternal life is to know intimately God as the only true God and His Son that He has sent.  I think Jesus is giving us a picture that is much larger than thinking of eternal life as equal to just heaven.  It is more than that.  Heaven is something created by God but eternal life is a saving relationship with God, provided by God, through the giving of His very Son.  The Apostle John would say this again in so many words in 1 John chapter 5 and verse 20 which reads,

And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.  This is the true God and eternal life.

We understand who the true God is through Jesus who has given that understanding to us because He came from the Father.  This intimate relationship with Jesus is tied to how we are "in" Christ Jesus who is the real thing, the Messiah.  This Christ Jesus is God and eternal life is known through Him and by Him.

v.4 - "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do."

I just referenced these words this Sunday in my sermon with Isaiah chapter 55 and verses 10 and 11, which read,

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;..."

Stop there and get the big picture.  Rain and snow come down but they will eventually go back up through the process of evaporation.  In the meantime, the rain and snow do a great work on the earth before they return to the heavens.  Okay, now keep going on.

"...so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

Just as the rain and snow came down so did the Word of God.  The Word is Jesus who came for a time and then to return to the right hand of the Father.  While He was here what a great work was done on the earth.  He accomplished what He was sent to do.  I think I have a new cross reference to add to my Bible.

v.5 - "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

So much theology in this little verse.  Jesus and the Father will be glorified together again.  This designated time of being sent to the earth for the purpose of providing the perfect lamb of sacrifice for our sins would conclude with Jesus' words on the cross, "It is finished."  Jesus would ascend into heaven from whence He came.  But also, Jesus declares that He was with the Father not just a short time prior to His coming as the Babe in the manager but before the world was even created.  The Apostle John states this over and over again throughout his gospel, letters and revelation.  Don't ever limit Jesus to just His time on this earth and a waiting period by His Father's side in heaven before He comes again.  You need to see Jesus as with God in the beginning, prior the creation of the world.  Jesus is God as the Holy Spirit is God and therefore wherever God is, it includes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  

This "on purpose" mission was coming to a close and Jesus (God) was going to be resuming His place in heaven until His next move of coming again.  The Holy Spirit (God) would now come to reside in His believers to guide and comfort until the end of all things.  God before us (creation); God with us (Jesus); God for us (the cross); God seeking us (salvation); God indwelling us (the Holy Spirit); God developing us (the Bible and His church); and God providing us (eternal life).  

It seems that Jesus' prayer to the Father is to state again these final steps He would take to secure our security in His provided salvation so He may return to His Father's side.  I think I do this too at times.  I pray to the Father about what I am going to do which He has already told me to do.  Sometimes I do need to say it again to Him in prayer.

Adam