²⁴ “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.”

Where is a certain intensity to Jesus’ prayer, “Father, I desire …” He had invited His disciples to “ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you ” (John 15:7) and shortly He would surrender His earthly desire, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matt 26:39). But in the Upper Room, Jesus was acting in the role of High Priest, pleading before His Father. In the strongest possible terms He expressed His desire. Together with His unity of purpose with the Father (vs. 22), there was no question that Jesus was now praying “according to [the Father’s] will”—and He would be heard and answered. Many years later John applied this example of Jesus to all believers, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).

Only in this verse does Jesus use the word “desire” for Himself in all of the Upper Room conversation. Though He would soon be leaving them (which caused the disciples considerable consternation), He none-the-less was passionate for them, desiring to not only see them again, but desiring for them to be with Him again. This passion was rooted in His relationship with His Father.

Jesus desired that the disciples would be with Him 1) because they were a gift from the Father to the Son, 2) so that they would enjoy His glory which the Father had given to the Son, 3) because the Father loves the Son. We, too, along with the disciples in the Upper Room, are the gift that the Father gave to the Son. In a sense, we are His crowning glory!

One gets the impression that the whole point of Jesus’ life, ministry, death and resurrection is about the love relationship between Father and Son. This love is completed through the Son’s obedience in going to the cross, in time and space, where He sealed for all time the eternal love which God had for us. God first loved His Son. The Son loves us (John 3:16), and as a response, we enter into that love by loving Him back and loving each other (1 John 4:19). Now we can see more clearly why Jesus spoke so much about love—God is love (1 John 4:8) and being His disciples, we need to be all about love also! That is why Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35). Love is the identifying trademark of those who believe Jesus.

Lord, I desire that my love be of the same sort as the Father’s love for You.