Jn 17:1-11a Father, Glorify Your Son“Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son.”
Every hour of everyday the Heavens give glory to God. Not so with the wicked. Not so. Within the hour, they shall try to destroy God and men. But the Lord, the Creator of all things, will turn their twisted plot and rise above it, literally. He will stand alone, victorious, in setting a new standard of living never before envisioned: a way of life unseen and unheard of in mankind’s memory.
What a scary request made by our Lord! But this is what we should all be asking from our God, to make us whole and holy with Him. And we know what the answer would be: “You bet!”
Do I remember why God created me? Do I remember the purpose of my existence? The Baltimore Catechism did a pretty good job in instructing us in this truth. Why did God create me? Answer: to know, to love and to serve God.”
“Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.”
Not so with the wicked. Their minds are destructive; their works, demeaning. Their tongues deceive for their hearts are deceptive. They seek immediate recognition! They seek their own self-interests. They have no time for the living God, the God of “getting-a-life and letting go.”
The Lord gives glory to the Father, to his Father, to our Father. He gives glory to the Father who will walk him down Calvary lane. Instead of spitting on His Father, he gives glory to Him. Instead of rebelling against the Father, the Lord seeks interior peace and confidence in His Father’s plan.
The Lord bestows glory upon the human race. Yes, he will die at their hands but he will die for them too. Our Savior does not seek the death of the wicked man. Never! He seeks only their salvation. For this reason alone, the Father glorifies His Son and the Son glorifies us.
Not so the wicked. Not so. They seek to inflict pain on the sinner. They seek to destroy their enemy. They have no love for the prisoner; no mercy for the condemned; no tenderness for the hardened. They have become like their rulers… and worse!
Jesus had no regrets. He lived a very short life and lived a very harsh existence. And yet, regardless of being a believer or not, he is undoubtedly more alive today than when he walked the earth. His words and actions - his life - continues to resonate throughout the universe. He continues to knock down walls, bridge generational differences, and stand the test of time. Time has not diminished his standing. In fact, there isn’t a second that goes by without the invocation of our Lord’s holy name. He has not grown old. He has not experienced any type of atrophy. He continues to be a source of scandal and a very special fish that goes against the current.
The Father sent the Son to glorify His name. The Lord had no regrets. The Son sent the Holy Spirit upon us to glorify His name. We should have no regrets.
Loving like our Lord is well worth living.
