41. Jesus lifted up his eyes--an expression marking His calm solemnity.
(Compare
Joh 17:1).
Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me--rather, "heardest Me,"
referring to a specific prayer offered by Him, probably on intelligence
of the case reaching Him
(Joh 11:3, 4);
for His living and loving oneness with the Father was maintained and
manifested in the flesh, not merely by the spontaneous and
uninterrupted outgoing of Each to Each in spirit, but by specific
actings of faith and exercises of prayer about each successive case as
it emerged. He prayed (says LUTHARDT well) not for
what He wanted, but for the manifestation of what He had; and having
the bright consciousness of the answer in the felt liberty to ask it,
and the assurance that it was at hand, He gives thanks for this with a
grand simplicity before performing the act.
JFB.
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