The Glory of Christ

The Glory of Christ

Genesis 34-36 | Psalm 12 | John 12

Today's reading from John speaks of great contrast in glory. Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly, seated on a donkey as the crowd placed palm leaves in front of Him and praised Him as the king who came in the name of the Lord. He was being glorified and praised... yet He was sitting on a donkey - an "Ass" - not exactly a 'noble steed'! If you consider it further, Jesus didn't even enter the world 'regally' - He was born in a stable to 'average' parents. There is no doubt that Jesus' entry into Jerusalem was triumphal, but it's also clear that what made it so was the people's attitude to Him, they accepted that He was sent from God and didn't seem to look at his mode of transportation.

There are further examples of this contrast in glory. In verse 23, Jesus speaks of His soon-to-come death as the hour of His glorification. Read that again - His coming death is where He will be glorified! In verse 32 He even shows that He knows how He is going to die - on a cross. This was the lowest of the low of deaths to die. This was the punishment reserved for the worst of criminals. Nailed to a cross and left naked, slowly dying. Yet Jesus saw this as His hour of glory!

Of course He explained that like a kernal of wheat which must fall to the ground and die before more can grow from it; so must He die so that others can live. We see in this again, that the measure of glory given to Jesus at His death comes not from physically impressive things (for there was none at the cross!); but from the act of saving the (eternal) lives of others in accordance with God's will.

Jesus' life and death (and resurrection) taught us all a great many things, but today I have chosen to concentrate on this one issue of glory. Being respected, recognised, praised; it's something we each seek, it's something none of us deserve, but it's something promised to us in Christ nevertheless. What's your idea of being glorified? Is it impressing people with possessions or skills? Or is it being treated by God the way Jesus should be treated? The people in Jesus' day were obviously confronted with this problem. You see, many believed in the message Jesus proclaimed, but "because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God." (42-43)

Many today similarly ignore the truth of grace in Christ. They dismiss the words of the Bible as unimportant, dismiss the message of God as irrelevant, and dismiss Jesus' death as unproductive. I suggest that there are two (general) reasons why such views are held. The first is that these people try to provide the glory they crave through fulfilling their own desires; they glorify themselves in their own eyes. The second is that they seek glory in the form of recognition from others around them; they glorify themselves in others' eyes. But if we've learned anything from Jesus today it is that these are empty forms of glory. These are the immaterial. Seeking your glory from yourself or from others is like believing that the people of Jerusalem were impressed with Jesus because He rode in on a donkey. No. In what (let's face it) must have been the work of God, those people recognised the divine and ignored the material. Although they saw a man on an ass, they recognised God as He enetered. So must we.

At some point, if your faith is in Christ, you must have reached a point where you knew you didn't deserve anything. No praise from men, let alone praise from God! You made a commitment to serve Christ, to seek His glory; and making that decision freed you. But one of the greatest struggles I have as a Christian is to remember this. Are you the same? Jesus has promised us future glory with Him. But it's so easy to want worldly glory now as well. Jesus said, "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." True glory will come when we enter heaven and God may say of us, "Well done, good and faithful servant".

Praise God for His glory revealed in His Son - a glory so much more perfect than any earthly glory; and pray that you may live in such a way in that Jesus' glory is seen through you.