I love the book of John, and chapter 17 is precious…Jesus speaking with such intimacy and familiarity and trust to the Father. The Jews in Jesus’ day all considered God their Father, but Jesus’ relationship with God was unique to all others because it transcended time and place. Jesus knew that the hour, meaning the culmination of His earthly ministry, was at hand. He knew what He would face and why it was necessary. He knew the agony awaiting Him, and He needed His Father to bolster Him. He asked God to glorify Him. To glorify someone is to praise or honor them. Glorifying God included worshiping and obeying Him. When Jesus asked God to glorify Him, it wasn’t for His personal praise, which would have been self-centered. Everything Jesus did was God-centered, always according to His Father’s will. The way God would glorify the Son was through Jesus’ crucifixion, because by going to the cross, Jesus would bring the greatest glory to the Father. Yes, the hour—the pivotal time in Jesus’ ministry—had come. And Jesus wasn’t thinking “poor Me”; He was thinking of humanity. We’ll explore that more as the week progresses.