50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.
It is God, the Judge of all men, who sought and seeks still for His Son to be glorified. Jesus did not seek to justify Himself among men nor did He seek to glorify Himself rather He entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly. What a contrast to the religious leaders of His day who walked around in flowing robes - with chins held high - seeking the praise and honor of men. We must remember God’s way up is first down:
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:5-6 (NIV)
Man’s stamp of approval meant nothing to our Lord - His concern being for God’s “high five” and “atta Boy” alone as well as for His life bringing the Father much glory. When God exalts we are exalted indeed. Interestingly, fear of man or love of man’s approval and hypocrisy are very nearly allied. Jesus always considered the source of both the criticism and praise He received – never swayed by mankind’s opinion. He gives us His thoughts on this in the following verses:
41 "I do not accept praise from men, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God? John 5:41-44 (NIV)
Peter expands this thought in the following verses regarding the actions of our Lord Jesus:
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:21-23 (NIV)
There is an interesting “take away” here that we should be readily conscientious of applying to our own lives. It is commendable for a believer to patiently bear up under unjust suffering with the full knowledge that they are living “coram Deo” – before the eyes of God – the hand of God being at work directing all the affairs of one’s life for a divine purpose. It stands therefore to reason that respectable submission to unjust or undeserved suffering finds favor with God. Such behavior brings glory to Jesus as it demonstrates His power in a life. It goes against our human nature not to try to defend ourselves particularly when we have done no wrong. I am afraid we have become quite soft in this area bringing dishonor to our Lord rather than glory. We whine and complain over a line at the bank or a wait in the doctor’s office or over a glass of the proverbial spilled milk – seriously, when is it that we plan to grow up? Our brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world often suffer some sort of persecution or dissent daily – it is the norm for them rather than the unusual occurrence. Believe me when I say I do not like to suffer any more than anyone else, yet it is foolish not to expect it. We live in a fallen world with broken and fallen people – we will have tribulations – it is a given, Jesus has promised it:
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV)
It is therefore in our response to these “rubs” that our Lord is either glorified and made real to others or dishonored by our lives. Scripture tells us we are to do everything for the glory of God, showing ourselves to be His disciples this, of course, is fleshed out in our walk of life:
“... whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10:31 (NIV)
“The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life ‘hidden with Christ in God’ in our everyday human conditions (Colossians 3:3). Our human relationships are the very conditions in which the ideal life of God should be exhibited.” Oswald Chambers
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Col 3:17 (NIV)