Scripture Reading: John 17:24
What does Jesus want this Christmas? We may see the answer in His prayers. What does He ask the Father for? His longest prayer is recorded in John chapter seventeen, and the climax of His desire comes in verse twenty-four: “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24). Among all the undeserving sinners in the world, there are those whom God has given to Jesus. These are Christians, people who have received Jesus as their crucified and risen Saviour, Lord, and Treasure. Jesus says that He wants them to be with Him.
Sometimes we hear it said that God created man because He was lonely, and that, therefore, God created us so that we would be with Him. Does Jesus agree with this? He does indeed say that He wants us to be with Him. But why? Many inferences may be drawn from this desire of Jesus Christ. Why would He be lonely, when His Spirit indwells every believer? God’s continued goodness towards us, I believe, has nothing to do with His feeling lonely. Nothing God does is for His own benefit; all of it is for the benefit of humankind. He does not need us, but we need Him.
I would argue that, from the very moment man fell from the grace of God, on account of his disobedience, Jesus began to grieve for His people. His boundless passion for His people may be traced through the whole of human history. It is this same passion that led Him to become incarnate in human form, and to be born into this sinful world. He shed His blood, and died a horrendous death upon the Cross to redeem us; He rose again to comfort us, and to banish from us the fear of death, that through death we might pass into His loving presence.
As we commemorate His birth this Christmas, Jesus has one expectation of us: that we allow Him to be born again, not in a manger, but in our hearts; that we take a pledge to abide by His teaching, and to fulfil the Great Commission He has entrusted to us. That alone will ensure that we shall be with Him in His glory.
Amen.