John 17:4-5 "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. (5) And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
In these two verses, Jesus recapped His life by telling us that He is the
eternal Son of God. He acknowledged His existence even before the world
was created. There are so many passages in the Old Testament that refer
to Jesus. There are even passages where He is speaking through the prophets.
Isaiah 50:6 is one such passage: "I gave my back to the smiters, and
my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and
spitting." Though this was written some 700 years before Jesus'
birth, it is written in past tense. Jesus knew what was going to take place
when He came to this earth; yet He did it willingly. And in doing so, He
glorified the Father by submitting Himself to this shame for our sakes.
Another passage is found in the book of the Proverbs. "While as yet he had
not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the
world. (27) When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set
a compass upon the face of the depth" (Proverbs 8:26-27) Some might
say, "But those verses speak of wisdom. Why would you think they are
talking about Jesus?" Let us go to the New Testament to answer this
question. "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made
unto us WISDOM, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
(31) That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him
glory in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:30-31)
"I have glorified thee on the earth." Christ, of God, "is
made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and
redemption." It was the grace of God by which the Father used wisdom in
redeeming His people unto Himself at the cost of His only begotten Son laying
down His life. Man could never, would never, have devised the plan of
redemption whereby God would give His Son to die in the place of unworthy
sinners. It was God's wisdom that devised the plan and gave the
commandment for Jesus to lay down His life, His body to be laid in a cold rock
tomb, BUT then be raised again after three days. That was already the
plan when Jesus was with the Father "while as yet he had not made the
earth... when He prepared the heavens." See the passage from Proverbs.
We will see in a few chapters that the accusation thrown at Jesus was "He
made Himself to be the Son of God." But you see in today's text,
Jesus absolutely confirmed to these eleven men the truth of His Being. He
did not make Himself to be the Son of God; rather, He made Himself of no
reputation. He did not make Himself to be the Son of God - HE IS the Son of
God. See Philippians chapter two. In coming to this earth in the
form of a servant, He glorified the Father in that He was absolutely submissive
to the Father's will. He finished the work that was given to Him. What
was that work? He came to redeem, to pay the sin debt that was against
you and me.
Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow.