Eternal Life.

John 17:1-21

At the end of Jesus’ time alone with his disciples, before He is betrayed, taken into custody, and killed, Jesus stands up, looks up to Heaven, and prays to His Father. What Jesus prays for should be very important to us. We all like to know what our friends think and desire for us. In the Gospel of John, we are given Jesus’ prayer for the disciples and His friends. So, what does he pray for?

Jesus prays and asks His Father to give them Eternal Life. At first glance, one may think that Jesus is asking His Father to give his friend an everlasting life that never ends. But the longer we listen to Jesus’ prayer, the more we know that that isn’t the case. Listen to how Jesus defines “eternal life” as He prays, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

What is Eternal Life?

Eternal life is knowing God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son. That is what Eternal Life is. The product of Eternal Life (Knowing God) is loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and Strength. 

What does “Knowing God” mean?

As Jesus continues to pray, He reveals that His disciples have come to know God and, therefore, have been given Eternal Life. It is in this part of the prayer that we learn what “knowing God” means:

“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. “Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.” (John17:6-8)

Jesus demonstrates (manifests) and declares (gives them the word) to the disciples who the Father is and what He has sent His son to do. The disciples“received” this word, “understood” it to be from God, “kept” the word, and “believed(trust)” that Jesus had been sent from God. Therefore, “knowing God” means receiving, understanding, believing, and keeping His Word.

How do we get to Know God? How do we receive Eternal Life?

We get to know God through His Word, revealed through His Son Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-2), who told it to His disciples and shared that Word with the world. The Word is how we come to know God and receive Eternal Life. For others to receive this Eternal Life, we must be a people of the Word. We must be a church that joins in this “Family Business” of the Father and Son who employed His disciples to continue the Family Business of handing out Eternal Life through sharing God’s Word. Now we, as the Church, have been given charge of this Family enterprise. Like the disciples, we must share the Gospel so that“they may have Eternal Life.”

“Peace Be With You.”

— Pastor Bruce