God’s Mighty Love

John 17:25–26

There are moments in Scripture when we are permitted to overhear the very heartbeat of heaven. John 17 is one such moment — the High Priestly Prayer in which the Son speaks to the Father with tenderness, authority, and eternal love. And in the closing words of this sacred prayer, Jesus opens a window for us into the inner life of the Trinity. He reveals a love so mighty, so ancient, so holy, that it has become the very foundation of our salvation.

“O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”— John 17:25–26, LSB

These are not casual words. They are eternal words. Christ prays that the very love the Father has eternally poured upon the Son would be poured into us. This is the mighty love of God — a love that rescues, a love that reveals, a love that remakes us as living stones in His Church.

The Son Reveals the Righteous Character of the Father

Jesus addresses God as “O righteous Father.” This is more than a title; it is a declaration of God’s eternal nature. Scripture consistently presents God as the very standard of righteousness — all justice, all goodness, all moral beauty flow from Him.

The prophets spoke of Christ as “the Righteous One” (Acts 7:52; 22:14). John the apostle preached Him as “Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). And Jeremiah foretold that the Messiah would bear this divine name:

“YHWH our righteousness.”— Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16

When Jesus calls the Father “righteous,” He is not merely praising Him — He is revealing Himself. Father and Son share the same righteous nature. And in that righteousness, they share the same holy love.

A.W. Tozer wrote:

“When God declares a man righteous, He instantly sets about to make him righteous.”

Christ reveals God not simply through words, but through His very person — His life, His obedience, His compassion, His suffering. To see the Son is to see the Father. To trust the Son is to know the Father. And to behold the righteousness of Christ is to stand in awe of the love that sent Him.

The Son Displays the Glory of the Father

John’s Gospel bears witness to the eternal harmony of the Trinity. The Son is eternally beloved by the Father, and by coming into the world, He displays the fullness of that divine love.

Richard Baxter once wrote:

“You may know God, but not comprehend Him.”

And truly, the glory of God revealed in Christ is beyond comprehension. The Holy Spirit inspired John to write using a tense that captures a reality completed yet ongoing. Jesus has made the Father known, and Jesus will continue to make Him known — most fully through His betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.

In Christ’s obedience, the love of the Father is put on radiant display.

Paul describes this love with unmatched clarity:

“Love is patient, love is kind… love never fails.”— 1 Corinthians 13:1–13

None embodied this more perfectly than Christ. On the cross, love bore all things, believed all things, hoped all things, endured all things.

If we want to understand God’s mighty love, we look to Jesus — the One who displayed the Father’s glory by laying down His life.

The Church Is Known by Knowing the Father

Jesus declares that His disciples have “known that You sent Me.” This is more than intellectual knowledge; it is a relational knowing birthed by grace.

Anselm of Canterbury famously wrote:

“God is that, nothing greater than which can be conceived.”

Yet Jesus teaches us that this exalted God — infinite, eternal, holy — is knowable. Not by mystical wandering or philosophical achievement, but by love. The love of God opens the eyes of His people to know Him truly.

Jesus prays that the very love the Father has for the Son would dwell in His disciples. This love becomes the foundation of our growing knowledge of God and our confidence in Him.

The Scriptures testify:

“For God so loved the world…”— John 3:16

“Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!”— Revelation 15:3

“He is faithful and righteous to forgive…”— 1 John 1:9

To know God is to experience His steady, holy, redeeming love.

To be the Church is to be a people formed and held by that love.

A.W. Tozer again speaks wisely:

“God’s compassion flows out of His goodness, and goodness without justice is not goodness.”

The Cross shows us the harmony of these attributes — righteousness satisfied, love poured out, justice upheld, mercy overflowing.

Living in the Power of a Timeless Prayer

The High Priestly Prayer was not for the disciples alone — it is for all who would believe through their word (John 17:20). That includes us. The words Christ prayed then still intercede now.

John Calvin once said:

“God can listen to no prayers without the intercession of Christ.”

Christ’s prayer is timeless because His intercession is eternal. He continues to pray for His Church — to sustain, sanctify, and strengthen her in love.

This means:

Hearing the Gospel is always grace.

Every time we encounter the Word — whether for comfort or conviction — it is an act of God’s mercy calling us home.

Loving the Bride of Christ is an act of gratitude.

If we are children of God, then loving His Church is not optional. It is a joyful obligation flowing from grace.

Growing in love is growing in Christ.

The Church becomes strong when she imitates her Head — serving, sacrificing, and shining with the love that first saved her.

And so we must ask:

Am I a living stone — or am I dead weight in God’s Church?

The Father’s love is mighty.The Son’s obedience is mighty.The Spirit’s work is mighty.

And because of God’s mighty love, we are called to live lives shaped by righteousness, overflowing with grace, and anchored in the truth of the gospel.