26Jesus Prays for All Believers—Part 2: That They Would One Day Be Reunited in Glory  (John 17:24–26)

“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (17:24–26)

I once visited an isolated eastern city in the former Soviet Union, where I met with fifteen hundred impoverished Christians. They were the descendants of exiles, and they and their ancestors had suffered terribly under Soviet oppression for three quarters of a century. Their poverty was so severe that they had to work hard every day just to put food on the table. The subject that was most on their heart was their future in the glory of heaven. I had the privilege of teaching them about that from Scripture for several hours, and many were so overcome that they wept with joy.

Their response was strikingly different from that of many Christians in the West, who have things so good that they do not know what it is to long for heaven. As a result, they live as if going to heaven would be an unwelcome intrusion into their busy schedules—an interruption of their career goals, or vacation plans. They do not want to see heaven until they have enjoyed all the pleasures the world has to offer. When they have seen it all and done it all, or when age or sickness hinder their ability to enjoy those pleasures, then they will be ready for heaven. While it is true that, as the old spiritual put it, “Everybody talkin’ ’bout heaven ain’t goin’ there,” it is also true that everybody going to heaven is not talking about it.

When the church loses its focus on heaven, it becomes self-indulgent and self-centered, materialistic and worldly, spiritually weak and lethargic. The pleasures and comforts of this present world consume too much of its time and energy. Believers forget that this world is not their true home, that they are “aliens and strangers” (1 Peter 2:11; cf. Heb. 11:13) here, that their “citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), and that “here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come” (Heb. 13:14). The church is increasingly in danger not of being so heavenly minded that it is no earthly good, but rather of being so earthly minded that it is no heavenly good.

A worldly minded church is the result of a disobedient church. The Lord Jesus Christ commanded His followers, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:20–21). “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ,” Paul wrote, “keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1). The apostle John warned believers,

Godly men have always longed for heaven. In the Old Testament David expressed his heart’s yearning for heaven when he wrote, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Ps. 16:11). In the New Testament Paul wrote to the Philippians of his “desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better” (Phil. 1:23), while in 2 Corinthians 5:8 he declared his preference “to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” In his triumphant epitaph, Paul wrote to Timothy,

Like David and Paul, all Christians should long for heaven, since everything precious to them is there. Their Father is there. Jesus taught believers to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matt. 6:9; cf. vv. 1, 14, 32; 5:48; 18:14; 23:9; Luke 11:13). Their fellow believers who have died are there. The writer of Hebrews described the “general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and … the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Heb. 12:23). Their names are recorded there. In Luke 10:20 Jesus told the disciples, “Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven” (cf. Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27). As noted earlier, their citizenship is there (Phil. 3:20). Their inheritance is there. Peter described it as “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). Their holiness is there (Rev. 21:27; 22:3, 14–15). Their eternal reward is there. In Matthew 5:12 Jesus exhorted believers, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great,” while in 6:19–21 He spoke of believers’ treasure being in heaven.

Most important of all, their Savior is there, “standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55, 56; cf. Rom. 8:34; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3;8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22). He has gone there to prepare a place for them (John 14:1–3), so they can be with Him forever, sharing rich fellowship with Him and worshiping Him. Jesus Himself is the glory of heaven.

The reality that believers will be reunited in heaven with Christ and each other is the subject of the last part of the Lord’s High Priestly Prayer. Verses 24–26 describe the fellowship of future glory, the focus of future glory, and the foretaste of future glory.

THE FELLOWSHIP OF FUTURE GLORY

“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, (17:24a)

This passionate plea that those whom the Father has given to Him might be with Him in His eternal glory in heaven is the final petition of Christ’s prayer.

Humanly speaking, there is nothing to warrant such a staggering, overwhelming privilege. Christians, as Paul reminded the Corinthians, are “not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble” (1 Cor. 1:26). Even worse, they were God’s enemies (Rom. 5:10),

They were “separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12), having “sinned and fall[en] short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

But the marvelous truth of redemption is that

God, Paul wrote to the Christians at Rome,

Not only does God forgive repentant sinners, but He also adopts them as His children (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5). That truth that prompted the apostle John to exclaim in wonder, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1). The glorification of believers in heaven is the ultimate goal of the plan of salvation: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified” (Rom. 8:29–30).

Jesus’ request was in perfect harmony with God’s purpose in choosing believers before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), inscribing their names in the Book of Life, and giving them to the Son as gifts of His love (John 6:37, 39). True prayer is always consistent with God’s will. Jesus taught His followers to pray to God, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

But the Lord’s request was more than merely a plea that the Father’s will be done; it also expressed His desire (thelō; “to wish,” “to desire,” “to want”). It is not difficult to understand believers wanting to be with Him; but it staggers the imagination to realize that He wants them to be with Him.

The phrase they … whom You have given Me expresses again the reason that believers are special to Christ: they are a love gift to Him from the Father. It is the Lord’s most affectionate way of referring to believers when addressing the Father (vv. 2, 6, 9; cf. 6:37, 39, 10:29; 18:9). The church is His bride (Rev. 19:7; cf. 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:22–24), betrothed to Him by His Father.

Christ’s specific request for those given Him by the Father, that they might be with Me where I am, further expressed His desire for eternal fellowship with them. He wants all of those chosen for Him in eternity past to be with Him where He now is—heaven. In John 14:3 Jesus revealed His purpose in bringing believers to heaven: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” In John 12:26 He promised, “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.”

The Lord’s use of the present tense, where I am, obviously does not refer to His location in Jerusalem on the way to Gethsemane. Such a request would have been pointless, since the disciples were already with Him. Further, in this section of His prayer, Christ looked beyond the eleven disciples to all who would believe in Him in the future through their ministry. Jesus was not speaking of where He was at that moment, but where He would soon be. He was so certain that He would be returning to heaven that He spoke of that future event in the present tense, as if it had already happened (cf. v. 11).

What will make heaven so glorious for believers is not its gates of pearl, or streets of gold, but the presence of the Lamb. Their supreme joy will be to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps. 23:6), experiencing perfect, intimate, holy fellowship with Him and all the saints forever.

THE FOCUS OF FUTURE GLORY

so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, (17:24b)

Jesus also asked the Father that His followers might see His glory which the Father had given Him. It is true that in Christ’s incarnation “we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father” (John 1:14). But that glory was veiled in His flesh (Phil. 2:5–8). Only in heaven will it be fully manifested to His people when they “see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2; cf. 1 Cor. 13:12; Phil. 2:9–11).

In God’s gracious plan believers will not only see Christ’s glory, but also share it: “For our citizenship is in heaven,” Paul wrote to the Philippians, “from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:20–21; cf. Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 15:49; 1 John 3:2). Throughout all eternity the song of the redeemed as they behold the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ will be, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing … To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever” (Rev. 5:12–13).

This request complements the statement the Lord made back in verse 22: “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them.” In the incarnation, Christ had manifested “His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father” (John 1:14; cf. 2:11). Believers also receive Christ’s glory through His indwelling of them through the Holy Spirit (vv. 23, 26; 14:20, 23). In that sense they have His glory—His attributes and essence—within them.

But the glory of which Christ speaks here is the visible manifestation of the fullness of His glory that believers will one day see in heaven. In the incarnation, Christ’s glory was partially veiled (cf. Phil. 2:7). But when Jesus returned to heaven, the Father restored that fullness of glory to Him, as He had requested in verse 5: “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

Believers will enter the fullness of Christ’s glorious presence when they die (or at the rapture, if they are alive at that time). To see God after death has always been the hope of the saints. In Psalm 11:7 David expressed his confidence that “the upright will behold His face,” while in Psalm 17:15 he wrote, “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.” Jesus pronounced the pure in heart “Blessed … for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). John wrote that one day believers “will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2), while Revelation 22:3–4 reveals that in heaven, “There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” So overwhelming will the manifestation of Christ’s glory be that the only possible response will be praise:

All of the blessings believers will one day experience in heaven flow from the reality that the Father loved the Son before the foundation of the world. From all eternity the Father and Son enjoyed perfect fellowship (John 1:1), love, and shared glory (17:5). As indicated throughout this prayer, based on that mutual love, the Father chose a people (Eph. 1:4), gave them to the Son, and prepared an eternal kingdom for them (Matt. 25:34) where they will behold His glory forever.

THE FORETASTE OF FUTURE GLORY

“O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (17:25–26)

The closing verses of this magnificent prayer exude Christ’s confidence that the righteous Father (cf. v. 11; Deut. 32:4; Pss. 7:9; 11:7; 50:6; 71:19; 116:5; Isa. 5:16; 45:21; Rom. 3:22, 25; Rev. 15:3) would grant His requests (cf. John 11:42). God is righteous in everything He does (Ps. 145:17); His judgments (Pss. 19:9; 119:7; Rom. 2:5), deeds (Ps. 103:6), ordinances (Ps. 119:62), and Word (Ps. 119:123) are righteous.

Jesus reiterated the point He had made earlier in verse 9. His requests were not for the world, which has not known the Father and hence has no right to receive His special care or the Son’s intercession. Apart from faith in Jesus Christ, sinners face only eternal judgment. In John 3:18 Jesus warned, “He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God,” while in 3:36 John the Baptist added, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Not only had Jesus perfectly known the Father from all eternity (Matt. 11:27; John 1:1, 18; 7:29; 8:55; 10:15), but He had also made His name known to His followers, who had known that the Father had sent Him (v.6; Matt. 11:27; John 1:18; 15:15; 1 Tim. 2:5). The Lord’s mission was to lead lost sinners into a personal relationship with God (Luke 19:10), which comes only through the knowledge of Him (John 17:3, cf. 14:6). Jesus initially makes the Father known at the moment of salvation, continues to make Him known to believers through the process of sanctification, and finally ushers them into the Father’s heavenly presence at their glorification. His goal is that even now they might experience the love with which the Father loved Christ, and by knowing “the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that [they might] be filled up to all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19). God’s love is poured out on believers at salvation (Rom. 5:5), continues in them as Christ indwells them (cf. John 14:23), and is fulfilled perfectly in them in heaven.

Christ’s requests in this the greatest prayer ever prayed may be summed up in seven words. The Lord prayed for believers’ preservation (“Holy Father, keep them in Your name,” v. 11); jubilation (“that they may have My joy made full in themselves,” v. 13); liberation (“keep them from the evil one,” v. 15);sanctification (“sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth,” v. 17); unification (“that they may all be one,” v. 21); association (“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am,” v. 24); and glorification (“that they may see My glory,” v. 24).