31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.”
Satan, dwelling within the willing vessel of traitor Judas Iscariot, had now departed the room to do his dirty deed of darkness leaving our Lord among the company of His faithful followers. Freed from Judas’ painful oppressive presence, Jesus freely opens up to His flock more fully than He had done before. He appears as One relieved by the absence of an uncongenial mindset. Indeed, the presence of wicked people is often a hindrance to pleasant and good discourse. His desire was to tell them the glory which the ensuing crucifixion would bring to both God the Father and God the Son. It would be a clear demonstration to them - and to us as well - of the spiritual Truth that just as death is the way to life, likewise death precedes glory. Everything of value and worth comes with a price in life. Jesus had told His disciples earlier in John:
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:23-25 (NIV)
We see in our verses today Jesus mentions some form of the word glory no less than five times. Of our verses John Charles Ryle comments:
“These verses show us what glory the crucifixion brought both to God the Father and to God the Son. It seems impossible to avoid the conclusion that this was what our Lord had in mind when He said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.’ It is as though He said, ‘The time of my crucifixion is at hand. My work on earth is finished. An event is about to take place tomorrow, which, however painful to you who love Me, is in reality most glorifying both to Me and My Father.’” Ryle
I am confident the eleven sat there scratching their heads with their mouths hanging open. It had to be confusing to them. How could all the agony of the death on a cross (not to mention the sins of all mankind placed upon His holy body) bring any glory whatsoever? Yet the Lord regards His atoning death by crucifixion as the most glorious part of His work done on earth. Nothing shows forth God’s mercy, His patience, His holiness, His justice and His faithfulness to His promises like His Son’s death. Likewise, nothing shows forth the Son’s compassion, the Son’s patience and the Son’s power like the cross of Christ. Jesus does not speak of the cross as punishment rather as an event most glorious – glorifying both He and the Father. God’s law was honored, man’s sins were borne, sin was punished in a Substitute and “free” salvation was purchased for man all hidden under the power of the crucifixion. It is no wonder Paul states in Galatians:
14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Gal 6:14 (NIV)
The writer of Hebrews also tells us the following insight regarding Jesus’ view of the cross:
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb 12:2 (NIV)
This begs the following question in my mind - how are we enduring the crosses we are called to bear? Are we complainers and arguers? Do we kick against the goads - so to speak – fighting against God’s best for our lives because it does not come to us wrapped in a pleasant package? Is our endurance filled with martyrdom and the “woe is me” mentality? Are we overflowing with worry and anxiousness ruining both our health and our relationships? Are we frantically going in our own strength and power like a poorly run machine which is fueled only with our own weak abilities? These reactions bring God no glory and should only be found in non-believers - those who do not possess the power of the Holy Spirit Who is the only the True and Sure and Constant means of equipping one to live above our circumstances. Unfortunately, all too often believers manifest the weakness of the flesh in lieu of the Power of the Spirit which points not to Jesus but to us. This is a pathetic witness and not a very wooing one either. Why would anyone want to follow something so commonplace in the world? Paul tells us in Romans that we are to be united with Jesus in His death (our crosses), manifesting His Spirit (no longer slaves to sin) which ultimately brings God much glory:
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Romans 6:5-7 (NIV)
We would do well to remember that we are most satisfied when God is most glorified. He longs for us to manifest His fruit as we undergo each cross He calls us to bear – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This gets the attention of the world because it so unnatural so opposite of the flesh and can only be consistently accomplished through the power of the Spirit. Paul gives us the following admonition in Galatians:
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Gal 6:7-9 (NIV)