“For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him.” (John 17:2 NIV)
Note the context of this verse: Jesus was strung out in the night hours between His last supper and His illegitimate arrest. The beloved disciple’s account includes more of Jesus’ prayerful travail than any other gospel. By this point, Jesus had predicted His betrayal, His denial, and His death. He had comforted the disciples with the promise of Heaven and the Holy Spirit. He had reminded them of His abiding love and encouraged them with the coming work of the Spirit. He had let the disciples know; grief has a finish line, and one day soon it would turn to joy. And then He made this head scratching statement about His own authority.
This seems to be the moment that Father God handed His Son the keys to the Kingdom. Jesus had walked in growing Kingdom authority since His childhood. In His three years of public ministry, we had seen Him exercise His Kingdom muscle in greater and greater capacity. But here, in the inky shadows of the fourth watch, with only the olive groves awake to bear witness, Jesus received His Father’s full authority.
I liken this to my daughter. She’s sixteen and sometimes I hand over my credit card to run to the grocery store. Far less often, I give her the keys to my car. Very, very rarely do I hand her my phone. I have never given her all three at once, that’s far too much responsibility and temptation. She’s just not ready for that level of liability. Instead, she is growing into access to these things; they are tokens of my authority and when she uses them, she has access to my resources.
To put this verse into modern terms, God the Father just handed over His keys, His wallet and His iPhone to His only Son. Not just to a station wagon, a rental house and a ten thousand dollar credit line, but to the UNIVERSE. God gave Jesus the authority He required to give eternal life; but we recognize the temptation involved in wearing such authority even for a little while.
Jesus had to have this level of authority in order to bear the weight of the world’s sins, but in the same strength, He really could have called ten thousand angels. He could have smited Ciaphas, Herod, Pilate and any soldier who dared to lay a hand on Him. He could have called down thunder and hail or summoned a flood or an earthquake. He could have spoke a plague into existence or thrown everyone into darkness. He could have done ANYTHING to avoid the cup of suffering He was being handed. But He didn’t. He chose instead to wield all authority for our salvation, not our destruction. He volunteered to cooperate with the will of His Father even though He had the power and freedom to do whatever He pleased.
It came to me in worship last night, with both my hands raised in surrender to an unseen but all-powerful God. The greatest thing we can do with our authority is to surrender it to the Father’s will. Wow. That’s what is exampled to us as believers, that is what is expected of us. And look what happens when we do; grace is extended to the sinner, hell is emptied and heaven becomes crowded, eternity gains it’s appropriate weight. We get to participate in that because Jesus extends some of His authority toward us.
“I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the world You gave me to do.” (John 17:4 NIV)
Jesus used His authority to finish the work His Father had begun. God was glorified as a result of His obedience even when Jesus had full freedom to do otherwise. In His wisdom and inclination for us, He beckons believers toward the same end. We read Jesus’ account and realize that our submission to the Father’s plan will ultimately bring Him glory, and His glorification is the most satisfying aim for our existence.
“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” (Westminster Shorter Chatechism)
“My prayer is not for them alone, I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and You in Me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You love Me.” (John 17:20-23 NIV)
‘All who will believe’ is you and me, friends. Some measure of authority is available to us through Jesus and our best use of it is not for our own means, but the glorification of God the Father. Wield it well and build the Kingdom.
Lord, we are wowed by Your strength in the face of greatest temptation. You truly are our champion. With all authority, You went to the cross and endured it all for the sake of man and the glory of God. Thank You. May we brandish whatever You entrust to us with the same sort of humility and love, resolved to honor the will of the Father above all. Amen.