Be Glorified

“Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about Him and that they had done these things.” John 12:16

For some reason, as I read these verses this morning, the word “glorified” jumped out at me. I wonder, what does it mean to be glorified? Miriam-Webster Dictionary says, “Glorify: to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration to elevate to celestial glory; to light up brilliantly; to cause to be or seem to be better than the actual.” Strong’s Hebrew translation says, “to make glorious, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor; a) to impart glory to something, render it excellent; b) to make renowned, render illustrious; 1) to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged.

What struck me is the wording John chose. He is referring to Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. So I wonder, what does it mean to be glorified and what does it take to get there? We tend to think of glorifying as a positive, lovely, happy thing using words like ‘light up’ or ‘elevate’ or ‘honor’. And they are all true meanings. But Jesus didn’t get there without any troubles in this world! He first “spent His life” (see Isaiah 58:10) meeting the needs of the poor and oppressed, teaching, healing, and loving all who became part of His everyday life. That elevated Him to a position of being noticed by the religious authorities who were jealous and hard hearted. They made life difficult for Jesus and tried to block Him at every turn until they finally succeeded in killing Him using a tortuous death by hanging on a cross. He was betrayed by even His closest friends. How could John possibly refer to that as being ‘glorified’?

John could use the word ‘glorify’ only because the story didn’t end there. When people in this world had done every conceivable terrible thing they could to Jesus including killing Him, God used even that to bring His glory to the situation. He raised Jesus from the dead! I like the last Strong’s Hebrew meaning of the word: “to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged.” Whether or not we acknowledge Jesus Christ here and now, a day will come when “every knee will bow” (Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10). He is and will be glorified!

For all the troubles we can endure in this life, nothing compares to what Jesus Christ had to deal with in this world. But Paul tells us that, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 That joy, knowing that God was going to bring glory out of the tragedy of the cross, was what caused Jesus to move forward through all of the pain. His joy isn’t only in His own glory, but Jesus said in His prayer in John 17, “I have given them [all who believe] the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.” John 17:22

When I am dealing with the troubles in this world, I need to keep my eyes on Jesus. He alone knows and understands every ill that can befall a person and how to endure it – keeping my focus on the joy of my salvation and the glory that is to come through Jesus Christ when we are together in eternity.

Lord, may Your glory be made known through my life on this earth. All thanks and praise be to You, the Living God, forever and ever.

Flimsy Walls and Whitewash

One of my vivid memories growing up was watching my grandfather whitewash the side of the barn and the milk house on his farm. Whitewash went on fast and it made everything look so neat and clean. But in the end, well, it was still a barn!

In the days of Israel when Ezekiel was prophesying, there were also many false prophets telling the people all was well. Ezekiel was telling the people the truth – that God’s judgment was coming and he would no longer tolerate their idolatry. He was calling their hearts back to God. But they were a rebellious people and were encouraged in their idolatry by the false prophets. Ezekiel told them that they were building flimsy walls and whitewashing them and that those walls would not last when God’s judgment would fall on the people. (Ezekiel 13-14)
It is easy to say, “Foolish people! You should have listened to Ezekiel and to God.” But then I begin to wonder… Is it possible we are building flimsy walls and whitewashing them? If so, what might that look like?

I have been reading a book entitled, “Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People,” by Will Metzger. Sometimes what the author says is very unsettling. He begins his chapter on grace by quoting Cornelius Plantinga, Jr, “For the Christian church (even its recently popular seeker services) to ignore, euphemize, or otherwise mute the lethal reality of sin is to cut the nerve of the gospel. For the sober truth is that without full disclosure on sin, the gospel of grace becomes impertinent, unnecessary, and finally uninteresting.” In other words, if we are not aware of our sin, we have no understanding of our need of a Savior.

When is the last time you or I have had a conversation with someone about sin. Have we forgotten that God is a Holy God, that He is righteous, good, and does not tolerate idolatry of any kind? I wonder if we have lost sight of that because He is a forgiving God full of mercy and grace – that we assume forgiveness and go about sinning without understanding the consequences. If our ‘whitewashed flimsy walls’ keep us from understanding our desperate need for help, we can’t begin to understand what Christ did for us and continues to do on our behalves through His death and resurrection.

If we actually get even a glimpse of that, how can our hearts be anywhere but fully devoted to the God who saves us? Yet we find ourselves devoted to many other things (whitewashed flimsy walls) and giving God only marginal time and attention. And so I ask myself, who/what am I devoted to? If I am willing to address that question and listen and watch for God to show me, I will see the idolatry in my life that is first and foremost sin that needs to be repented of and as I seek God’s forgiveness and experience His grace, I will become more devoted to Him and other things will take their proper place.

In this day and age when ‘truth’ is whatever we want it to be, God’s Truth still stands. His Truth is the only wall that is not flimsy and whitewashed and will not be crushed by His righteous judgment. Whether or not we seek His Truth is up to each of us as individuals. We, like Adam and Eve in the garden, try to hide from Him, but He pursues us and has provided a way to fully restore us into right relationship with Him because He loves us deeply. I am truly grateful for His grace that is active in my life daily. As I become more fully devoted to Him, I want that grace to be active in the lives of others as well – to see His Kingdom grow. “… Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”