4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” John 17:4-5
Foreseeing the separation from his father that would be required to bear the sins of the world, Jesus focused on the underlying requirement throughout, to glorify God his father. His work would include conquering death, a foreboding and ugly prospect. Therefore, he prayed to be restored ultimately to his original state “before the world was.” The business at hand was a dirty work that someone had to do, and only he was qualified to do it.
It is fascinating to realize that Jesus’ mindset was that his work was already accomplished before he had even gone to the cross! This is the mind of Christ. We see semblances of this thinking in Paul and Peter, and we should be seeing a riveted focus on glorifying God in everything we do and say, even under extreme circumstances.
We often hear athletes exclaim, “First, I want to give glory to God.” In many cases this sounds cliche. But anything done with the right heart and motives that’s aligned with God’s will is the Father’s doing. We cannot take the credit. Therefore, to God be the glory!
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