“GLORIFY YOUR SON, THAT YOUR SON MAY GLORIFY YOU”
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans
Translator: Robin Barker
Someone wrote to me asking what my understanding is of the following section from the Word, but first read the complete verse:
JOHN 17:1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
The section that the person has a problem with is the following:
JOHN 17:1 … Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
The first thing that I always remember when I read what Jesus said or did is the following:
Jesus Christ was completely God Almighty and Jesus Christ was completely human.
Such a complete human being was Jesus, to name just one example, that His Father in Heaven had to say to His, (so to say) adopted parents, to flee to Egypt, or else the evil Herod, who was an ordinary man, would kill him.
MAT 2:13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
Jesus was also totally consummate (supreme, complete) God Almighty.
Usually, I only quote two examples from the Word to support what I say, because I attempt (and am not very successful in doing so) not to make my Thoughts from the Word too long, but bear with me this time if I, just for the great delight therein, mention more than two examples to indicate that I can boldly proclaim your and my Jesus as our God, Redeemer and Saviour Jesus Christ. We read:
JOHN 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Then we read a few verse later in the same chapter:
JOHN 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
On occasions Jesus has said:
JOHN 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
So, because the Jews new exactly what Jesus said, and He, according to them, blasphemed, they wanted to act precisely according to the ‘law’ regarding someone who has blasphemed:
LEV 24:16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.
JOHN 10:31-33
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,
32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
With great difficulty I restrain myself, and I quote just two more examples from the Word that shows Jesus is also God Almighty:
TITUS 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Let us look at how Peter begins his second letter. Peter – who has for the past three plus years been daily with Jesus, up to Jesus’s crucifixion and thereafter again until Jesus’s ascension:
2 PETER 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours;
With this truth that I have now shown you as background, let us now look at:
JOHN 17:1 “… Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”
Jesus' life here on earth, so to say, reaches a peak when he hangs on the cross and now Jesus, who is perfect man, asks of his Father that He, Jesus, will be glorified on the cross.
That His Father will arrange (position) it in such a way that all who are living in the universe; people, angels and all other spirits will take note of this great glory that Jesus, God who became man, who loved all people so much – that He was willing to be crucified and hang on the cross, suffering a cruel terrible death with all the shame and agony associated with it – counting it as joy – as He could already see the millions of people who will be saved as a result of His sacrifice.
HEB 12:2 … the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
That He by doing so, also glorify God the Father, because all that live in the universe, people, angels and all other spirits, will know of how much love God the Father had for people.
How much love did God the Father had for people?
JOHN 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
JOHN 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Now I must also say that naturally I do not understand everything completely in the Word and things that I understand in one way, someone else might possibly understand in a different way.
For now I say, as I have said previously, as my great hero Paul says:
1 COR 13:12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
Yes, for now, with a great glorious peacefulness in my heart, I remember; concerning those things that I do not fully understand, as well as those things I completely do not understand, that our loving Lord says to us that we do not need to understand everything now:
ISA 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
For now it is just wonderful and glorious for me, to share His Gospel with people, so that He can be glorified in every person who accepts Him as their Lord and Saviour. How wonderful to remember, while I am sharing His wonderful Gospel of salvation with my fellowman:
JOHN 1:12 Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-
Greetings,
Sakkie