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.