The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 362

nml hie prayers were really answered. He now expresses his will as one of the Di vim counsels. 2. 111 il8 content8. "'fhat they also whom," etc. Thie implies : (1) That Jesus would not be happy without them. (2) 'fhat they would, not be happy withrJUt him. (3) That to,qether they wmld aetain the consummation of happines8 and glory. 3. In its reasons. (1) The fact that believer8 are the Father'8 gifts. "Those whom," etc. Such tenants are more costly gifts than the place of their habitation. A suito.hle place for them naturally follows. (2) The manifestation of his glory. " That they mny see," etc. What would be the Divine glory without appreciative eyes to see it, o.nd who.t would be these o.ppreciative eyes without the Divine glory in Christ? But both together are suitable. (3) The Father's love to the Son. "l!'or thou lovedst me," etc. (a) This love is very old. The eternal Son could not remember its beginning. He knew that it was before the foundation of the world, and that it was the chief stone in that foundation; but it was much older in its origin. It was eternal; but the foundation of the world was a special era in its history. (b) This love is unchangeable. Jesus was fully conscious that he had done nothing to decrease, but rather to increase, it. (c) 'l'his love is very effective. There is no place in the universe too good for the Father to give to the friends of his Son for the sake of this love-not even the most glorious place of his own presence. LESSONS. 1. The first thing in human happiness is a suitable character-/aith in and union with Ohrist. 2. 7'he next thing is a suitable place. That place is where Jesus is, wherever tho.t may be. It is enough with regard to the locality of heaven. 3. .A suitable character and place will be perfection of bliss. 4. Let the character be pre- pared--heaven is certain. Christ prays for the former; he wills the latter, and respectfully demands it. 5. The present is a scene of struggle and preparation. ; the future will be a scene of enjoyment. The en,ioyment of Christ's presence and service, and the visions of his transcendent glory. What visions await the believer in heaven I All our pro- foundest aspirations will be more than realized.-B. T. Ver. 1.-The Father glorified through the Son. Here are words of Jesus in this prayer which we are, as it were, doubly bound to consider. For this prayer went up in the midst of the disciples. We can hardly even say that it was overheard by them; that would imply that they were not intended to hear it. The Father heard the prayer, and the disciples heard it too. And in the hearing there came upon them great responsi- bilities, great opportunities, great inspirat:ons. The same things also come upon us. I. '!'HE INVOCATION. 'l'his invoking word," Father," must not be forgotten in one single sentence of the whole prayer. The prayer is but one revealed breathing of an unbroken communion. "Father" was no new or occasional word on the lips of Jesus. The thought of it directed and circumscribed every petition. The prayer is the prayer. of One who was in the closest intercourse with him to whom he prayed. The harmony was the harmony of a union which, the more we think of it, deepens into mysterious unity. What were the Son without the Father-what were the Father without the Son? II. THE ocoABION. The hour has come. What Jesus meant by that hour we soon discern when the prayer is closed. Streams that had long been flowing towards each other were about to meet at last. The time and the events of the time were going to correspond. With God there is no "too soon" or "too late." The time came for Jesus to be delivered up into the hands of men, and he made no resistance, achieved no mira~ culous escape. 'l'he hour was come to reveal the essential weakness of human power ; and Jesus was ready to give the opportunity of illustrating it. All that men did and ell that Jesus suffered could not have happened otherwise. All that was done by all who were concerned in the death of Jesus was done according to their natural inclin- ings. We ought not to be astonished at a single dreadful feature in the whole trans- o.ction. Mon did what they might be expected to do; and now the heavenly Father is looked to for what he may be expected to do. III. THE BUPPLIOATION. That the Father would glorify the Son. The Father had, indeed, been doing nothing else from the beginning, but this paternal glorification had now to be made peculiarly manifest. The disciples had got into the way of not looking beyond or above Jesus. It seemed as if he did the things rather than the r.,\ther through him. Be said that he could only llo what the Father gave him to do; bu, 374 THE GOSPEt AOOORDING TO ST. JOHN. [on. xv11. 1-211.