Tuesday 25th November
Read John 13:31-32
“When he was gone, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man is 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.” (NIVUK)
The theme of glory runs like a rich seam through John’s writings. John begins his gospel with these amazing words… “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) (NIVUK). In short, God was glorified in Jesus’ coming to dwell amongst us.
Now, Jesus says, God is glorified in His departure. A return to the Father through suffering, death, resurrection and ascension. All of this is captured in Jesus’ words immediately upon the departure of Judas (it is probably why the tenses are all so mixed up…).
The writer to the Hebrews captures this well. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3) (NIVUK). God’s glory is magnified through the cross, resurrection and ascension and is perpetuated through creation itself.
Understanding the events of that long and brutal weekend are at the heart of what it means to glorify God.
