¹ Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You …”

High Priestly Prayer” is the title often given to this chapter. The high priest in the Jewish religion, was the one who represented the people to God, interceding for them on their behalf—which is what we indeed find Jesus doing in this Upper Room prayer. But, His priesthood is different than that of the Jews. The book of Hebrews makes the comparison, eternally favorable in its description of Christ. Of particular relevance there is the connection between Jesus’ sonship and His priesthood: “Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but [God] said to Him, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You’; just as He says also in another passage, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’” (Heb 5:5–6). Notice in Jesus’ prayer, He refers to Himself as “Your Son.” His goal was not ultimately His own glory, but the glory of the Father.

In order to bring glory to the Father, the Son must be glorified Himself, so that the world might know that He is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. “Jesus … because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:24–25).

So we find Jesus asking for glory on two counts. First, He is God in the flesh who is now reclaiming that which is rightfully His. Secondly, this glorification of Himself is necessary in order for the Father to be glorified. This is all in accord with God’s purposes in Christ. “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9–11).

Yes, Jesus is the only person who can legitimately and rightly ask God to
“glorify me.” Athletes may seek that in their trophies, celebrities today in their marquees and Oscars, military heroes in medals on their chests. Jesus sought glory through His death. Essentially, in the introduction to His prayer, He says, “Bring it on,” the very act, the ultimate statement of who He really is, and bring it on in such a way that there will be no mistake that He loves the Father and that He loves the world. His substitutionary sacrifice on the cross is the only hope we creaturely humans have for recovering from our self-centered desire to usurp God’s glory.

Father, I worship You because of Your glory revealed in the death of Jesus.