Glory

 March 8, 2021

“When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.”

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

—John 13:31-32, 14:13

Have you ever wondered what “glory” means? The word conjures up images of opulence, beauty, and obvious majesty, which images are supported by the use of the word in Scriptures. We are told that when the glory of the LORD descended upon Moses’ Tabernacle in the wilderness, God’s presence was so overwhelming that the priests couldn’t remain inside. Earlier, Moses wanted to see God’s glory, to which God responded, “It would kill you to see it in its fullness; I’ll station you in a cleft in the rock. When I pass by, you may see my back, but not my face.” We read of Jesus’ transfiguration, and although the word isn’t used in connection with it, we infer glory from the cloud that enveloped him, Moses, and Elijah. Lastly, when St. Paul speaks of Jesus’ return, he speaks of him coming in great glory and majesty. Glory seems to us a wonderful, high and holy matter, an experience for which we long.

In his narrative of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, John paints a somewhat different picture depicting glory. Judas had just left the Upper Room on his betrayal mission when Jesus speaks of glory. ““Now” the son of Man is glorified...,” Jesus says. It’s as if he had been waiting for this moment. Now, the betraying apparatus having been set in motion, now the Son of Man is glorified. Not before, but now. The Passion begins, the suffering and sacrifice of the Son of God—this is glorious. How strange it seems to us! To our minds, glory must await the resurrection, but it is now, in the betrayal, Peter’s denial, the beatings, and finally being nailed to a cross—this reveals the glory of the Son of Man. It isn’t majesty, but meanness, not honor, but humility, not power, but submission that reveals the glory of God.

If that weren’t enough, after Jesus comforts his disciples, he once more speaks of glory, not in regal terminology, but in the language of simple and heartfelt prayer. Prayer isn’t the language of power and glory, but of abject need. People who have everything they need have no need of prayer. The Father isn’t glorified in such circumstances.

If we think of glory as the true inner essence of something, we can understand Jesus’ words here. The Father is seen for who he really is in the depth of his love that would offer his own Son for our sins. The Father is seen for who he really is in Jesus, who willingly offered himself for our sins. And the Father is seen for who he really is in the prayers of humble Jesus-followers who know they have great need and so offer great prayer. This is glory.

Take heart! If you long for the glory of God to be revealed, you can be a part of that revelation. Pray. Come humbly before the Father. Confess your need. Fall on your face before him in repentance and petition. The Father is seen in all his tenderness and mercy, in his power to forgive and make whole. His glory—who He really is—will be manifest in you as you pray.