7th Sunday 0f Easter
“Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, (Part 1)”
Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 24, 2020
Submitted to the church website and presented verbally at PCCC
Scripture: John 17:1-5
John 17:1-5 NKJV Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, (2) as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. (3) And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (4) I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. (5) And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Summary: In prayer we yield our lives and circumstances to the Lord and trust Him to act in His time and in His way.”
Introduction:
Just as we demonstrate loyalty to the ideals our nation’s flag represents, as Christians, we demonstrate loyalty to the ideals of another flag: the Christian flag. It has stood the test, beginning with the lives of the disciples. It still waves in the face of wars, persecution and indifference.
Just as our nation’s flag is a symbol of our strength, the Christian flag reminds us of our strength which is found in Jesus Christ. He undergirds us, protects us, empowers us to minister in His name. We’re told in the book of Hebrews:
Hebrews 7:25 NKJV Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
John 17 records Jesus’ prayer which took place shortly before His betrayal, arrest, trials, scourging and subsequent crucifixion. What we call the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4) technically speaking, isn’t really “The Lord’s Prayer.” It was not a prayer Jesus uttered directed toward God the Father but was meant to be a template or guide for the disciples to follow when they asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us [how] to pray.” John 17 gives us an actual, detailed prayer spoken by Jesus (our Intercessor) directed to God the Father. So, in every way, we could rightly call this prayer in John 17 “The Lord’s Prayer.” However, most Bibles with subject divisions or headings refer to this chapter as, “Christ’s High Priestly Prayer”.
Jesus prayed often. But even though Jesus prayed often to His heavenly Father, only a few of His prayers were ever recorded verbatim (e.g., Matthew 14:23; Luke 5:16). John 17 has the distinction of being one of these verbatim prayers. It’s also the longest of Jesus’ prayers. So, in this chapter we catch a glimpse of the intimate relationship which existed between God the Father and God the Son since before the creation of the world.
In many ways, Jesus’ prayer marks a turning point with the finality of His earthly ministry and the beginning of what would become His ministry of intercession on behalf of all believers. An example of this intercession can be found in Hebrews 7:25:
Hebrews 7:24-25 NKJV But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. (25) Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them [those who come to God through Jesus Christ].
St. John Chrysostom (349-407 A.D.), the fourth century archbishop of Constantinople, who people called “Golden tongue” because of his public speaking skills, once referred to this prayer as “the greatest prayer ever conceived.” It’s been widely speculated that Clement of Alexandria, a fifth century church patriarch, was the first person to call this “The High Priestly Prayer”. And he did it because, in this prayer, Jesus presents Himself as our “Great High Priest” who divinely intercedes for believers of every age; past, present, and future – from the disciples to modern-day believers.
In this prayer, Jesus prayed for Himself, for His disciples, and for His church. According to many Bible scholars, this prayer can be understood best by dividing it into three parts:
1. Initially Jesus prays for Himself (vv. 1-5).
2. He then turns His attention to His disciples (vv. 6-19).
3. Jesus concludes by praying on behalf of all who would place their faith in Him (vv. 20-26).
So, for the next three weeks I want us to study Jesus’ high priestly prayer to gain further insights as to Jesus’ work as our intercessor and how we, as believers, should pray. In this first segment (vv. 1-5) we discover the intimacy between God the Father and God the Son. Secondly, we become aware of the transference of divine authority from the Father to His Son. Finally, we bare witness to the completion of the Son’s work for those who God gave to the Son.
I want to cover the first section of this prayer (vv. 1-5) this morning.
First, we catch a glimpse of the intimacy between God the Father and God the Son.
Before time began, before the creation of the world, the first words in the book of Genesis tell us:
Genesis 1:1 NKJV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
But, in the works of creation God revealed Himself as three distinct Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; three in one.
Genesis 1:26a NKJV Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…”
In the first chapter in Genesis God unveils Himself as three distinct entities – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three share equally in all of the divine attributes we ascribe to God. So we see the plural form of the word for God “elohim” where we read: “And God said: ‘Let us make man in our image’” [Genesis 1:26, above].
Never before, and never again, would there be a separation between the Persons of the Trinity as would occur at the time when Christ took upon Himself the sins of those He came to save. When Jesus took all our sins upon Himself, it caused God the Father to recoil in disgust. Jesus Christ, for a moment in time, incurred the full wrath of the Father’s fury!
No one knows exactly where Jesus and the disciples were when He prayed this wonderful intercessory prayer. Some Bible commentators lump chapters 14, 15, 16, and 17 as taking place in the Upper Room. These commentators offer John 18:1 as proof:
John 18:1 NKJV When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.
Other commentators believe Jesus and the disciples were traveling toward the Garden of Gethsemane. Richard Phillips writes:
“…since John 14:31 records Jesus as calling the disciples to rise and depart, and since the parable of the vine in John 15:1–11 suggests the background imagery of the temple with its decorative vine [the door of the temple was decorated with carved grape vines], it seems more likely that Jesus was now crossing the Kidron Valley and preparing to enter the garden of Gethsemane. There, He knew, Judas would come with soldiers to betray Him. We can imagine Jesus as He stood on the very bank of the Kidron brook, about to take the fateful steps to the other side. He has concluded His vital instructions in His final sermon to the disciples, ending with a reminder that they would experience tribulation in the world (16:33). But now Jesus has His own tribulation to face: the hour of His cross. In this crisis, Jesus reveals the attitude of His heart by lifting “up His eyes to heaven” and praying to the Father (17:1).
I tend to go with the second option. So, Jesus, who was fully aware of what was about to take place, led His disciples (except Judas Iscariot, who left to arrange his betrayal of Jesus) down from the Upper Room, through the streets of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley, and then up the sloping hills to the Mount of Olives.
It was during this trip leading down towards the Kidron Valley when Jesus began this prayer in full view of and within earshot of His eleven followers. He began by lifting up His eyes towards heaven saying: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.”
These first words speak volumes as to the work and Person of Jesus the Christ who was so intimately acquainted with His heavenly Father that He dared call Him, “Abba!” meaning “Father.” The term “Abba” was a term of special intimacy. It would be like one of our children calling “daddy!” So, by addressing the Father in this manner, Jesus not only indicated the utmost respect and reverence towards His Father, but He also conveyed an unmistakable intimacy with the Father
The hour was now upon Him [vs. 1], which simply meant that the perpetrators of this horrible crime [putting Jesus to death] had weaved their evil web of deceit and were now going to put their plan into action. In their own minds these evil conspirators believed their plan was of their own doing. But in reality, God’s plan of redemption had been conceived before the very foundation of the world. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could turn back the hands of time. Neither the Father, nor Son, nor the Holy Spirit would allow anyone or anything to alter the course of “redemptive history.”
I suppose some people might look upon Jesus’ initial words as being “self-attesting”; a form of “self-aggrandizement,” meant to bring glory to Himself. But nothing could be further from the truth. Notice Jesus’ wording here where He says: “Glorify Your Son…” But let’s look at Jesus’ motive. It wasn’t just to bring glory to Himself. He goes on to say, “… so that Your Son also may glorify You.” His ultimate purpose was to bring glory to God the Father. In other words, Jesus was simply asking the Father to validate what was about to take place in accordance with the Father’s wishes; a plan of redemption set in motion since the fall of first Adam.
Once again in verse 5 Jesus repeats Himself saying:
John 17:5 NKJV And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
In other words, Jesus was petitioning His Father to once again restore the glory they had mutually shared since before time began. Jesus makes this plea knowing full well that there was only one way of restoring this harmonious relationship, which was by way of the cross.
Secondly, Jesus speaks of the transference of divine authority from the Father to the Son.
Christians should rightly pay tribute to Christ for His atoning sacrifice. But as Christians we would be committing a huge error if we forget to show thankfulness to the heavenly Father, who made this plan of redemption possible; along with that of the Holy Spirit who calls us to salvation and who continually bears witness as to Christ’s work of redemption.
Within the counsel of the Godhead, all mankind could justifiably have been annihilated as a result of their disobedience. But God’s mercy and grace prevailed. God had made a plan; a plan whereby mankind could once again be reconciled to his Creator. But this could only be accomplished by the shedding of blood. The Bible tells us:
Leviticus 17:11 NKJV For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
Then, too, in Hebrews 9:22 we read:
Hebrews 9:22 NKJV And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
Consequently, there occurred a mutually agreed upon transaction whereby this plan of redemption, initiated by God the Father, was then subsequently executed by His only begotten Son. As a result of this transaction Jesus can now boldly proclaim:
John 14:6 NKJV …"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
But did you notice a peculiar shift in Jesus’ use of the first-person pronoun? In verse 1 Jesus spoke of Himself in the first person singular. But, in verses 2 and 3 He shifts from the first person to the third person singular. This suggests that for a moment in time Jesus took absence from His humanity and by way of His Spirit, [He] looked down upon this solitary Man, who would soon suffer the most humiliating and agonizing manner of deaths; a death reserved for criminals; not for the One who was without guile!
This transference of divine authority becomes clearly evident when you see repeatedly the use of the Greek verb δίδωμι, “did'-o-mee” meaning “to give”). The Lord makes use of this verb seventeen times (vv. 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 22, 24) in this prayer; often employing the perfect tense which denotes permanence. Thirteen times the Father is the subject of this verb which speaks of having given or transferred His divine authority to that of His Son. In the other four instances the word “give” refers to the Son transferring or giving His benevolence towards His disciples and all who would believe.
But not only are we made aware of the intimacy and the harmony between the Persons of the Godhead and of the transference of divine authority from the Father to His Son, but in Jesus’ own words He talks about the completion of His work here on earth.
In verse 4 Jesus says aloud:
John 17:4 NKJV I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
Throughout His earthly ministry Jesus confirmed this in many different ways, saying things like:
John 4:34 NKJV Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
Jesus spoke to His disciples saying:
John 5:30 NKJV I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
Again, Jesus said to them:
John 5:36 NKJV But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
So, for anyone to suggest that Jesus was some kind of “glory seeker” couldn’t be more wrong. Jesus accomplished only those things which His Father called Him to do, and He did so in full obedience of and compliance with His Father’s biding.
What Jesus accomplished here on earth brought glory to His Father in heaven in fulfillment of virtually every prophecy ever written about the Messiah during His first Advent. And those of us who believe in Him need only await the fulfillment of prophecies concerning His Second Coming.
What does it mean for Christ to intercede on our behalf?
A concerned mother will take great care concerning the health of her children. She will reflect that concern by practicing both preventive and curative medicine. She will prevent her children from eating the wrong kinds of foods, or stop them from playing in dangerous places, or keep them inside when it is cold outside unless they wear warm clothing. A loving mother will carefully plan a family menu and provide her children with supplementary vitamins whenever she feels it is necessary. Many times, her preventive steps are far more effective than treatment for some sickness.
The intercessory work of Christ is similar to preventive medicine for the Christian. While in one sense we may use the term “intercession” to identify all of the present work of mediation in heaven, the biblical use of the term more specifically relates to the work of Christ on behalf of the believer’s weakness and temptation. Christ is continually interceding to the Father on our behalf. The book of Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 7:25 NKJV Therefore He [Jesus Christ] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Many parents will teach their children to pray at bedtime for others, but it is often in maturity that those same Christians pray actively for others. The intercessory prayers of Christ are even more valuable and profitable. The intercessory prayers of Christ are not just a recitation of an old familiar prayer list, but they are an expression of the heart of God
Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 24, 2020
Submitted to the church website and presented verbally at PCCC
Scripture: John 17:1-5
John 17:1-5 NKJV Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, (2) as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. (3) And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (4) I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. (5) And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Summary: In prayer we yield our lives and circumstances to the Lord and trust Him to act in His time and in His way.”
Introduction:
Just as we demonstrate loyalty to the ideals our nation’s flag represents, as Christians, we demonstrate loyalty to the ideals of another flag: the Christian flag. It has stood the test, beginning with the lives of the disciples. It still waves in the face of wars, persecution and indifference.
Just as our nation’s flag is a symbol of our strength, the Christian flag reminds us of our strength which is found in Jesus Christ. He undergirds us, protects us, empowers us to minister in His name. We’re told in the book of Hebrews:
Hebrews 7:25 NKJV Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
John 17 records Jesus’ prayer which took place shortly before His betrayal, arrest, trials, scourging and subsequent crucifixion. What we call the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4) technically speaking, isn’t really “The Lord’s Prayer.” It was not a prayer Jesus uttered directed toward God the Father but was meant to be a template or guide for the disciples to follow when they asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us [how] to pray.” John 17 gives us an actual, detailed prayer spoken by Jesus (our Intercessor) directed to God the Father. So, in every way, we could rightly call this prayer in John 17 “The Lord’s Prayer.” However, most Bibles with subject divisions or headings refer to this chapter as, “Christ’s High Priestly Prayer”.
Jesus prayed often. But even though Jesus prayed often to His heavenly Father, only a few of His prayers were ever recorded verbatim (e.g., Matthew 14:23; Luke 5:16). John 17 has the distinction of being one of these verbatim prayers. It’s also the longest of Jesus’ prayers. So, in this chapter we catch a glimpse of the intimate relationship which existed between God the Father and God the Son since before the creation of the world.
In many ways, Jesus’ prayer marks a turning point with the finality of His earthly ministry and the beginning of what would become His ministry of intercession on behalf of all believers. An example of this intercession can be found in Hebrews 7:25:
Hebrews 7:24-25 NKJV But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. (25) Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them [those who come to God through Jesus Christ].
St. John Chrysostom (349-407 A.D.), the fourth century archbishop of Constantinople, who people called “Golden tongue” because of his public speaking skills, once referred to this prayer as “the greatest prayer ever conceived.” It’s been widely speculated that Clement of Alexandria, a fifth century church patriarch, was the first person to call this “The High Priestly Prayer”. And he did it because, in this prayer, Jesus presents Himself as our “Great High Priest” who divinely intercedes for believers of every age; past, present, and future – from the disciples to modern-day believers.
In this prayer, Jesus prayed for Himself, for His disciples, and for His church. According to many Bible scholars, this prayer can be understood best by dividing it into three parts:
1. Initially Jesus prays for Himself (vv. 1-5).
2. He then turns His attention to His disciples (vv. 6-19).
3. Jesus concludes by praying on behalf of all who would place their faith in Him (vv. 20-26).
So, for the next three weeks I want us to study Jesus’ high priestly prayer to gain further insights as to Jesus’ work as our intercessor and how we, as believers, should pray. In this first segment (vv. 1-5) we discover the intimacy between God the Father and God the Son. Secondly, we become aware of the transference of divine authority from the Father to His Son. Finally, we bare witness to the completion of the Son’s work for those who God gave to the Son.
I want to cover the first section of this prayer (vv. 1-5) this morning.
First, we catch a glimpse of the intimacy between God the Father and God the Son.
Before time began, before the creation of the world, the first words in the book of Genesis tell us:
Genesis 1:1 NKJV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
But, in the works of creation God revealed Himself as three distinct Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; three in one.
Genesis 1:26a NKJV Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…”
In the first chapter in Genesis God unveils Himself as three distinct entities – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three share equally in all of the divine attributes we ascribe to God. So we see the plural form of the word for God “elohim” where we read: “And God said: ‘Let us make man in our image’” [Genesis 1:26, above].
Never before, and never again, would there be a separation between the Persons of the Trinity as would occur at the time when Christ took upon Himself the sins of those He came to save. When Jesus took all our sins upon Himself, it caused God the Father to recoil in disgust. Jesus Christ, for a moment in time, incurred the full wrath of the Father’s fury!
No one knows exactly where Jesus and the disciples were when He prayed this wonderful intercessory prayer. Some Bible commentators lump chapters 14, 15, 16, and 17 as taking place in the Upper Room. These commentators offer John 18:1 as proof:
John 18:1 NKJV When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.
Other commentators believe Jesus and the disciples were traveling toward the Garden of Gethsemane. Richard Phillips writes:
“…since John 14:31 records Jesus as calling the disciples to rise and depart, and since the parable of the vine in John 15:1–11 suggests the background imagery of the temple with its decorative vine [the door of the temple was decorated with carved grape vines], it seems more likely that Jesus was now crossing the Kidron Valley and preparing to enter the garden of Gethsemane. There, He knew, Judas would come with soldiers to betray Him. We can imagine Jesus as He stood on the very bank of the Kidron brook, about to take the fateful steps to the other side. He has concluded His vital instructions in His final sermon to the disciples, ending with a reminder that they would experience tribulation in the world (16:33). But now Jesus has His own tribulation to face: the hour of His cross. In this crisis, Jesus reveals the attitude of His heart by lifting “up His eyes to heaven” and praying to the Father (17:1).
I tend to go with the second option. So, Jesus, who was fully aware of what was about to take place, led His disciples (except Judas Iscariot, who left to arrange his betrayal of Jesus) down from the Upper Room, through the streets of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley, and then up the sloping hills to the Mount of Olives.
It was during this trip leading down towards the Kidron Valley when Jesus began this prayer in full view of and within earshot of His eleven followers. He began by lifting up His eyes towards heaven saying: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.”
These first words speak volumes as to the work and Person of Jesus the Christ who was so intimately acquainted with His heavenly Father that He dared call Him, “Abba!” meaning “Father.” The term “Abba” was a term of special intimacy. It would be like one of our children calling “daddy!” So, by addressing the Father in this manner, Jesus not only indicated the utmost respect and reverence towards His Father, but He also conveyed an unmistakable intimacy with the Father
The hour was now upon Him [vs. 1], which simply meant that the perpetrators of this horrible crime [putting Jesus to death] had weaved their evil web of deceit and were now going to put their plan into action. In their own minds these evil conspirators believed their plan was of their own doing. But in reality, God’s plan of redemption had been conceived before the very foundation of the world. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could turn back the hands of time. Neither the Father, nor Son, nor the Holy Spirit would allow anyone or anything to alter the course of “redemptive history.”
I suppose some people might look upon Jesus’ initial words as being “self-attesting”; a form of “self-aggrandizement,” meant to bring glory to Himself. But nothing could be further from the truth. Notice Jesus’ wording here where He says: “Glorify Your Son…” But let’s look at Jesus’ motive. It wasn’t just to bring glory to Himself. He goes on to say, “… so that Your Son also may glorify You.” His ultimate purpose was to bring glory to God the Father. In other words, Jesus was simply asking the Father to validate what was about to take place in accordance with the Father’s wishes; a plan of redemption set in motion since the fall of first Adam.
Once again in verse 5 Jesus repeats Himself saying:
John 17:5 NKJV And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
In other words, Jesus was petitioning His Father to once again restore the glory they had mutually shared since before time began. Jesus makes this plea knowing full well that there was only one way of restoring this harmonious relationship, which was by way of the cross.
Secondly, Jesus speaks of the transference of divine authority from the Father to the Son.
Christians should rightly pay tribute to Christ for His atoning sacrifice. But as Christians we would be committing a huge error if we forget to show thankfulness to the heavenly Father, who made this plan of redemption possible; along with that of the Holy Spirit who calls us to salvation and who continually bears witness as to Christ’s work of redemption.
Within the counsel of the Godhead, all mankind could justifiably have been annihilated as a result of their disobedience. But God’s mercy and grace prevailed. God had made a plan; a plan whereby mankind could once again be reconciled to his Creator. But this could only be accomplished by the shedding of blood. The Bible tells us:
Leviticus 17:11 NKJV For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
Then, too, in Hebrews 9:22 we read:
Hebrews 9:22 NKJV And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
Consequently, there occurred a mutually agreed upon transaction whereby this plan of redemption, initiated by God the Father, was then subsequently executed by His only begotten Son. As a result of this transaction Jesus can now boldly proclaim:
John 14:6 NKJV …"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
But did you notice a peculiar shift in Jesus’ use of the first-person pronoun? In verse 1 Jesus spoke of Himself in the first person singular. But, in verses 2 and 3 He shifts from the first person to the third person singular. This suggests that for a moment in time Jesus took absence from His humanity and by way of His Spirit, [He] looked down upon this solitary Man, who would soon suffer the most humiliating and agonizing manner of deaths; a death reserved for criminals; not for the One who was without guile!
This transference of divine authority becomes clearly evident when you see repeatedly the use of the Greek verb δίδωμι, “did'-o-mee” meaning “to give”). The Lord makes use of this verb seventeen times (vv. 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 22, 24) in this prayer; often employing the perfect tense which denotes permanence. Thirteen times the Father is the subject of this verb which speaks of having given or transferred His divine authority to that of His Son. In the other four instances the word “give” refers to the Son transferring or giving His benevolence towards His disciples and all who would believe.
But not only are we made aware of the intimacy and the harmony between the Persons of the Godhead and of the transference of divine authority from the Father to His Son, but in Jesus’ own words He talks about the completion of His work here on earth.
In verse 4 Jesus says aloud:
John 17:4 NKJV I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
Throughout His earthly ministry Jesus confirmed this in many different ways, saying things like:
John 4:34 NKJV Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
Jesus spoke to His disciples saying:
John 5:30 NKJV I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
Again, Jesus said to them:
John 5:36 NKJV But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
So, for anyone to suggest that Jesus was some kind of “glory seeker” couldn’t be more wrong. Jesus accomplished only those things which His Father called Him to do, and He did so in full obedience of and compliance with His Father’s biding.
What Jesus accomplished here on earth brought glory to His Father in heaven in fulfillment of virtually every prophecy ever written about the Messiah during His first Advent. And those of us who believe in Him need only await the fulfillment of prophecies concerning His Second Coming.
What does it mean for Christ to intercede on our behalf?
A concerned mother will take great care concerning the health of her children. She will reflect that concern by practicing both preventive and curative medicine. She will prevent her children from eating the wrong kinds of foods, or stop them from playing in dangerous places, or keep them inside when it is cold outside unless they wear warm clothing. A loving mother will carefully plan a family menu and provide her children with supplementary vitamins whenever she feels it is necessary. Many times, her preventive steps are far more effective than treatment for some sickness.
The intercessory work of Christ is similar to preventive medicine for the Christian. While in one sense we may use the term “intercession” to identify all of the present work of mediation in heaven, the biblical use of the term more specifically relates to the work of Christ on behalf of the believer’s weakness and temptation. Christ is continually interceding to the Father on our behalf. The book of Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 7:25 NKJV Therefore He [Jesus Christ] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Many parents will teach their children to pray at bedtime for others, but it is often in maturity that those same Christians pray actively for others. The intercessory prayers of Christ are even more valuable and profitable. The intercessory prayers of Christ are not just a recitation of an old familiar prayer list, but they are an expression of the heart of God