EXPOSITION XIII. JOHN XVII. 1-5. These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. IF we except the few words which Jesus addressed to his followers in the garden, those which we have considered in the preceding chapter are the last he uttered, during his day of humiliation, to the few who continued faithful to him. And how sweet the parting word which he left upon their memory and their heart! how calculated to make them associate their victory over all their enemies, with the sufferings of their Divine Master-"Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Surely it would live in their recollections, as a most precious remembrance of him they loved, and keep alive in their hearts the conviction that they owed all to his humiliation. It was not Christ glorified, but Christ suffering, that overcameit was not Christ wielding the omnipotence of the Godhead-but as the Son of man, the seed of the woman, who gained a perfect victory for them. And thus they would have their adoring wonder called forth for what he had obtained for them in his day of trouble, and be led to look forward with assured confidence to the fulfilment of his promises in the day of glory-" If when they were enemies they were reconciled to God, by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, they shall be saved by his life." How deeply interesting must this scene have been, when our Lord thus closed his parting address, and then offered up the precious and comprehensive prayer in the chapter before us. We can conceive the disciples gathered round their Master, with hearts full of love, and countenances beaming with admiration-we can conceive the personal respect and affection which they inwardly felt towards him deepening every moment, as he unfolded more and more before them the sacred truths on which he dwelt-we can well conceive, as more clear impressions were conveyed to their hearts of the character and mission of him who was in the midst of them, that, mingling with the lively emotions they felt towards him, there would be the gradual developing in their hearts of that holy reverence which was due to him, who though "in the days of his flesh," was still "God, blessed for ever and ever." Thus were they then gathered round him, every eye rivetted on him, every ear fixedly attentive, every heart glowing with love, and bowing down with submission and godly fear-and "Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven." What a delightful view is presented to our contemplation here. All the eyes of his followers resting on their Master, he "lifting up his eyes to heaven." It is the Church in the attitude and spirit of prayer-it is the servants in the house, with the "Son over his own house," approaching to the throne of grace—it is the children with their elder brother, speaking to their heavenly Father-it is from such union as we behold here, that the prayers of God's saints ascend up as incense, and fill the courts of heaven-it is when the prevailing Intercessor and Advocate, drawing all regards to himself, as the Lamb of God, bears these away on the mighty wings of his own perfect work, to the footstool of God's throne;-when he says, "Behold I and the children whom thou hast given me,' then the prayer of the church reaches the heaven of heavens, and then from his dwelling-place on high, God bows down willingly to hear, and graciously to bless. How beautifully does the declaration of our Lord in Matthew xviii. 19, 20, accord with this! "If two of you," he says, "shall agree on earth as touching any thing they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For," he adds, "where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Even as he was on the occasion before us personally in the midst of his people, and uttering the language of prayer with them, and for them; so is he ever spiritually present with his people, who meet together in his name; not to hear their prayers, but to present them to his Father-not to accept their prayers himself, but to make them acceptable before God; so that their voice shall never rise alone before the throne of God, but, mingling with his own, become, as the "noise of many waters," in its power, and as the "still small voice at Horeb," in its sweetness and its love. But let us further remark, before entering on the consideration of the words of this prayer of our Lord, which he offered up, in the midst of his followers, how important is the lesson given to us here. He had just been engaged ૨ in teaching, now he is engaged in prayer he had just been sowing the seed, and now he is by prayer watering the seed sown. What an example have we here for pastors and for people in the church of God. The watchmen of Zion have done but half their work, when they stand up before the people, and deliver the glorious message with which they are charged. They need the still voice, as well as the loud one;-the still voice for heaven, and the loud voice for earth-the voice of prayer as well as the voice of love. Oh for more effect to the preaching of the cross, by the prayer of the cross. And the people likewise use but half their privilege when they only listen to the word, and neglect to seal its instruction on their hearts by prayer. Alas how many sermons fall lifelessly and ineffectually on the heart, when unhallowed by the spirit of devotion! The word upon the heart is like the rain upon the ground, it maketh it soft; but it needs the sun of prayer to draw forth its fertility, to make it as a "field which the Lord hath blessed," to cause it "to rejoice and blossom as the rose." How remarkably does our blessed Lord commence his prayer in the chapter before us"Father, the hour is come." The hour of his agony and travail had at length arrived; the hour of Satan's power, and the hour of the Saviour's sorrow-the hour of a world's darkest ingratitude, and of the Redeemer's deepest love-the hour of suffering, and the hour of joy-the hour of death, and the hour of life-the hour of conflict, and the hour of triumph. And yet at such an hour as this, what holy calmness and serenity characterize every expression of his prayer ; and still as his people were the chief objects of his teaching, so now they are the chief objects of his supplication. The approach of the hour had never banished them from his mind; its arrival found him still the same-unmindful of his own sufferings, but bearing their minutest feelings on his heart and lips before his heavenly Father. And think of this, beloved, that you and I are each of us personally interested in these supplications, if we are truly the children of God. If we are heirs of the kingdom, then it was for us, as well as for the disciples immediately around him, that he uttered this prayer. We occupied his thoughts, we engaged his affections, we absorbed all the emotions of his soul, on the eve of his tremendous sufferings. Surely this reflection ought to cause our cold hearts to glow with the fire of love. "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." Oh that we appropriated more to ourselves the strength and the comfort of such an assurance as this. Oh that we might realize more of the love with which Christ bore us in his heart before our heavenly Father, and be constrained to love him more ;-never to have his image displaced from our souls; but whether our path lead us through the shade or the sunshine, to have our life hid with him, our affections set on him, our eyes directed towards him, and our hearts ever engaged in remembrance of him. And then how interesting is the consideration that this prayer of our Lord is a pattern and type as it were, of his intercession now. Do we desire to know the mind of our Advocate as he stands before the throne of God, pleading our cause? Then we may discern that mind here. Do we wish to see the incense which our great High Priest presents to God in heaven, with the prayers of all saints? Then we may behold it here. In this prayer we have the blessed intimation of that fulness of love, that readiness to hear and deliver, that richness of consolation, that assurance |