It’s not very often that I can say that my watching a movie is actually preparation for writing a sermon. However, this week, that’s exactly what I did in order to get a sense of the tone and feel for the moment that we have here. You see, we have come to the part of John’s gospel that contains the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus praying to God in the Garden of Gethsemane at the Mount of Olives. This also happens to be the first scene from the film The Passion of the Christ that came out back in 2004. Now, The Passion uses some pieces from all four gospel accounts to compile its depiction of this event, but I think that it captures the essence of the moment beautifully. It’s dark; Jesus and the disciples have just recently finished eating in the upper room and walked across Jerusalem. Jesus has been giving the disciples some final instructions as to how they are to continue on after he has left them. We’re told in other gospel accounts that Jesus then charges the disciples to stay awake and keep watch as he withdrawals himself for a time of solemn prayer. What I love about the way that The Passion portrays this scene is the agony that it shows our Savior being under. This isn’t some moment in time where Jesus is cool, calm, and collected. We often think of Jesus as never really showing emotion, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ve seen in John’s gospel already that he gets angry, he gets hungry, and he weeps when he is saddened.
Here in our text, Christ is well aware of what is to come and it scares him. It scares him to the point in which he is brought to tears. The type of pain that he is feeling is that which we see in people who upon receiving bad news their legs can barely support their weight. The fear that grips him about what is to come shakes him to his core. However, as scared as he might be, there is also a sense of joy that he feels because his time of being reunited with his Father in heaven is drawing evermore closer. And as he cries out in the Garden to the Father, he is looking up to the heavens as he speaks directly to God about not only what is to happen to him in the near future, but also for those whom he loves and those whom he is leaving behind. Jesus’ great prayer here can be seen as a prayer of three parts, the first of which we will examine here today. Jesus prays first for himself, then he prays for his disciples, and finally for the Church. Now, we will look at the words of this prayer for his disciples and his Church in the coming weeks, but for today I want to focus upon Jesus’ prayer for himself.
He begins by making a short, yet impactful statement, “Father, the hour has come.” First, he calls him Father, an intimate title describing the relationship between these two persons of the Trinity. Second, Christ states that his hour has come. He doesn’t ask if his hour has come, but acknowledges that it has indeed come. As we have carefully walked our way through John’s gospel, we have continuously seen Jesus state to those around him that his hour has not yet come. During all the miracles, the parables, the teachings, Christ’s hour of his greatest work had not yet come. This moment, what is now before him, is what it’s all about. It’s all been leading up to this moment right here. The plan of the Triune God from all eternity was at hand, the hour had come.
He continues his crying out, saying, “glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.” Christ is not praying that he will be glorified as to bring glory to himself, but that he will be glorified so that God himself will bring about greater glory to Himself, to God. It’s the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2 when he writes, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” When the Son is exalted and honored, the Father will be honored and glorified as well. Christ knows that he must be first lifted up on the cross before he can be lifted up in the sight of angels. The Son of Man must be lifted up on the cross before he can be raised up so that all will bow before him and confess that he is Lord.
“Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.” This statement brings up something that is one of the most highly debated topics or issues within the Christian faith. What does Christ mean when he speaks of all whom the Father has given him? Does he mean the world, the disciples, who does he mean? It’s often confusing to many people who are either outside of or new to the Christian faith when they start surveying the landscape and they see so many different options? The question often arises, “If we’re all worshiping the same God and we’re all working from the same book (the Bible), then why are there so many differences as to the way that we go about doing so and the things that we believe?” I understand that point and I do value the validity of that statement to some extent. When I have been asked that question, my response is geared towards emphasizing that the differences that exist between different denominations are because of differences in how each group interprets the Bible. Typically, these differences are fairly substantial in their meaning, and it leaves no place to go except for an agree-to-disagree mentality. Now, ultimately our salvation doesn’t depend on our understanding and that’s a good thing. I’m fully aware that when I get to heaven I may find out that I was wrong about a lot of things, but lucky for me it’s my faith and not my knowledge that matters.
The study of the things of God is called theology, θεος (Theos) being the Greek word for God. Now, there are many different types of theologies that exist, because after all, theology is simply man’s study of God’s word, and we never fully agree on anything. One of the major theologies that exists is Reformed theology, which holds to the teachings of the Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century. This theology can be summarized by using the word TULIP. This is an acrostic representing five points or doctrines that we hold to be true. The middle letter (L) stands for Limited Atonement. This is a doctrine that states that Christ’s death, while sufficient for all, is effective only for those that are counted among the elect. Now that word elect, a title that comes directly from the Bible, is what causes many to deny this point of Calvinism. Many struggle with the notion that it is God that has chosen those whom He will save for two reasons: first, because they cannot imagine that God wouldn’t chose everyone, and second, because they think that it takes away the act of choosing or rejecting Christ. In response to these concerns, first, despite what we may want to think, hell is real. There are those who will spend eternity in hell, and it’s not just for criminals. For us to think that it isn’t fair for God to include everyone would render faith in Him obsolete. After all, if all sins were pardoned, then even the sin of unbelief would be forgiven. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the current pope recently made headlines when he said that even atheists can be saved by their doing good works. However, we know from Scripture, that nothing apart from saving faith in Christ can save us. Secondly, if it were left entirely up to our choosing or reject, then couldn’t everyone reject Christ, and render God’s plan of salvation worthless. This would seem to fly in the face of the omnipotence or all-powerful nature of God.
The Reformed view sees things differently. We see it as that this was the plan all along. God decreed that He would save a certain number of people out of fallen humanity, the elect. He sent His Son into the world to accomplish the redemption that was part of this plan for the elect. God knows who is to be saved and who isn’t. If we don’t view it this way, then we are saying that God doesn’t know. We’re saying that God is trying to save as many as He can, thus implying that God doesn’t have the power to save everyone. It would seem that such a view puts a limit on the number of people whom God can save, and it would seem to make it as if we have the ability to overcome God. Personally, I don’t see what the problem is with believing that God draws all of those whom He has called to Him in His own time. Put it this way, if someone were to walk up to me and want to know if they are among the elect, it would be a very simple process of determination. Are you a believer? If the answer is yes, then Christ died for you. Now, this has to be an authentic yes that comes from your heart and not just your mouth. This has to be a yes that shapes every aspect of your life, and not just something that you mindlessly recite or act out. If you answer no, then I would say that I don’t know whether or not you are among the elect. You may not be a believer yet? The time may simply not have come yet when God calls you to Himself. The bottom line is this: that if you trust in Christ alone for salvation from the just punishment that is due to you for your sins, then you can rest assured that Christ died for you. And remember, the fair thing is that we all receive punishment and condemnation. Our salvation is a result of the love and mercy that God so lovingly bestows upon those whom the Bible refers to as the elect. That’s ultimately what Christ is saying here about those that the Father has given to him. He’s saying that the work that he is soon to accomplish is to be done in order to grant eternal life to all those who follow Christ and truly believe in him as their Lord and Savior.
Christ concludes the portion of his prayer that is for himself by saying, “And this is the eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on the earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” In other words, “Father it’s all about to be over; the plan that has been from the very beginning is about to reach its completion. I have no plans on stopping; give me the strength to see this through to the end. Give me the strength to go to the cross and have my blood shed and my body broken for the remission of sins of all those whom you have given to me. Father, I am ready to once again be united with you in heaven, just as I have been since before the earth was created.”
Christ sits this very day with the Father in heaven. He sits at His right hand. As I mentioned earlier, it’s not about our understanding. It’s not about our being right or our being wrong in terms of how salvation is granted. What truly matters is our knowing who is granted that salvation. What truly matters is our knowing and believing that Christ is the Son of God who came to this earth and fulfilled the plan of salvation that God had laid out for him. What matters is our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Friends, it’s important for us to know what we believe, but it’s of much greater importance to know in whom we believe: Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, the Ruler of all Nations, the Son of Man, Our Savior. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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