In John 17 we have recorded the prayer Jesus prayed to His Father in heaven, just before He was accosted and arrested in the Garden of Eden. Best estimates put His time of death between 12 and 15 hours later. As Jesus began His prayer to God, He said, “Father, the hour has come.” (17:1).
Consider that the events which culminated in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, securing the possibility of redemption to all sinners, had been in God’s mind since before the beginning of the universe.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:3-7).
No more important occasion in the history of mankind has occurred than the events of this week. Jesus’ arrest, trial, execution and subsequent resurrection is the fulfillment of God’s determination to redeem mankind from sin. If all of these things had not happened, as Paul wrote, “your faith is futile, you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19).
Consider the beginning of this wonderful prayer: “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” (John 17:1-5).
The time for Jesus’ tenure on earth was over. He would return to the Father at His ascension. The one who humbly agreed to come “in the likeness of men”, after His death was exalted by His Father, and given “the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:7-11). Hallelujah! Our Lord’s prayer on that day was answered by His Father.
