Text; John 17: 1-5
Title: The crucifixion of Christ – An answer to prayer
Introduction
If you were to look at the events leading up to the crucifixion of Christ from a human point of view it would be natural for any of us to pray that such things would never be done to another human being especially someone as nice as Jesus.
Yet we find in John 17:1-5 that these events were all done in answer to prayer and not the prayer of some anti- Christian but rather the prayer of Jesus Christ himself.
“Father the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (V1-5)
How then is the crucifixion of Christ an answer to prayer?
Well what was the prayer of Jesus? The prayer of Jesus was simply this…“Father the time has come. Glorify your Son.” (V1)
Now it’s important to recognize that the Father had glorified the Son lots of times already.
•The Father glorified the Son at His birth
•The Father glorified the Son at His Baptism
•The Father glorified the Son as He preached, taught and healed people
•The Father glorified the Son on the Mount of Transfiguration
In fact we are told in verse 5 that the Father has been glorifying the Son from before the world began.
But the truth is that God best glorifies Christ at His crucifixion.
“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will 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.” (Phil. 2:8-11)
The reason that God best glorifies Christ at His crucifixion is because it is here we best see Christ for who he really is… The Savior of the World!
“Look the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…”
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. And not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)
So therefore all the events surrounding the crucifixion of Christ were not authorized by the High Priest Caiaphas or by the Roman Governor Pontus Pilot. Instead all the events were authorized by Christ himself. They were an answer to his prayer. For verse 2 tells us; “For you granted him authority over all people.” In other words Jesus is saying; people can only do to me what I allow them to do.
“Put your sword back in its place…Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Matthew 26:52-54)
The crucifixion of Christ was not some demonic plot in order to kill Jesus but instead it was a divine plan to save us from our sins.
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies it produces many seeds.” (John 12:23-24)
We can say a lot of nice things about Jesus and it is good to do so but the nicest thing we can say about Jesus is that he is the savior of the world.
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
The crucifixion of Christ is an answer to prayer for two more reasons besides best glorifying the Son.
1.The crucifixion of Christ is an answer to prayer because it also best glorifies the Father
“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you.” (v1)
Prior to his crucifixion Christ had already brought the Father glory. In verse 4 we read “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”
But again just as the crucifixion best glorifies the Son it also best glorifies the Father.
In some people’s minds the crucifixion of Christ makes the Father out to be the “bad guy.” What father would let their son go through something like this?
There may also be in some minds the belief that Jesus died on the cross so that God might love us…
The reality is that Christ died on the cross because God loves us.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…”
“God demonstrated his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)
There are 2 things that are most glorified about the Father in the crucifixion of Christ.
1.The Holiness of God the Father
2.The Love of God the Father
If we want to see a picture of just how holy and loving God is it is the cross of Christ
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa. 53:4-6)
2.The crucifixion of Christ is an answer to prayer lastly because it now makes it possible for anyone to have eternal life.” (v2-3)
“For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
These two verses answer for us any questions we may have about what eternal life is and how one gets to have eternal life?
First of all Jesus says that eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus Christ.
Notice that Jesus does not say eternal life is knowing about God and/or knowing about Jesus Christ.
There is an eternal difference between just knowing about God and Jesus Christ and knowing God and Jesus Christ.
Lots of people know about God and Jesus Christ but do not yet have eternal life
So eternal life is knowing God. Eternal life is a personal relationship with God and you can’t know God without also knowing Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
“I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”(John 14:6)
To know the Father we must have the help of the Son and to know the Son we must have the help of the Father.
“For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.” (v2)
The Son gives us to the Father and the Father gives us to the Son
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…” (John 6:44)
How do you know when God is drawing you?
Do you believe you are a sinner? Then God is drawing you.
Do you believe Jesus is the only Savior of the world? Then God is drawing you.
Do you believe Jesus died on the Cross for your sins? Then God is drawing you?
Today is the day for you to respond to God’s drawing by receiving God’s free gift of eternal life.
