＜From Today's Devotional Scripture＞
Father, I ask that those you have given me may be with me where I am. I have given them the glory you gave me before the world began, so that they may see it. Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you. These people have come to know that you sent me. I have made your name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them."
(John 17:24-26)
When Jesus says “those you have given me,” He is referring to the believers whom God entrusted to Him. This is not merely a gathering of believers, but a treasured group sovereignly chosen by God and entrusted to Jesus. They are the ones led to Jesus and invited onto the path to eternal life. Therefore, Jesus desires to protect them and be with them.
“My glory” refers to the divine radiance bestowed upon Jesus by God. It is not mere light or honor, but the manifestation of God's love and truth. Jesus shares this glory with His disciples, desiring them to live within God's love. God's glory means receiving God's love in intimate fellowship with Him and reflecting it.
“Your name” refers not only to God's name itself but to His nature, love, and will. Jesus revealed who God is and enabled them to experience God's love. Through this, the disciples came to live in God's love, going beyond merely knowing God's name.
When Jesus said, “I have made your name known,” it meant more than just saying, “God is love.” Jesus concretely demonstrated God's love through his own life—serving people, healing the sick, forgiving sinners. And the deepest expression of this was His sacrifice of His own life on the cross. Through that sacrifice, it became clear how deeply God loves people and desires their salvation.
Furthermore, the words Jesus spoke—such as “Love one another” and “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”—also revealed God's name. In other words, through Jesus' words and actions, He concretely showed what kind of God He is. As a result, God's love took root within the disciples. They were transformed not merely into those who knew the teaching, but into people who lived out that love.
You are exalted above the heavens; you look with favor on the lowly. Psalm 138:6
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45
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