True Glory 8-10-08
There are certain images that most people will conjure up when hearing the word “glory”. For example, military valor often brings glory (such as that of King Leonidas and his Spartans or that of the U.S. Marines who raised the flag on Mt. Suribachi at the battle of Iwo Jima). Other examples are inventors such as Thomas Edison and Johann Gutenberg; scientists such as Jonas Salk and Louis Pasteur; statesmen such as George Washington and Ronald Reagan; and artists such as Monet, Mozart, and DaVinci.
This is perfectly natural, and is even good – better to glorify those above than the infamous crowd of Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, and Saddam Hussein! But it is also very human, and so therefore it is not Godly. There are numerous reminders in the Bible that God’s ways and our ways do not have very much in common. Humans do all sorts of things that God does not – lie, cheat, etc.; and of course God does things humans do not – create the universe, defeat sin and death, etc. One more example of the huge difference between man and God is what we glorify versus what God glorifies.
When we read the gospel accounts of Jesus, his birth and his resurrection are often pointed to as the high points while his death is seen as the low point. Now this is true from the reader’s perspective, and it was certainly true for the people who were there. But it is important to remember that the terrible hours on the cross were dark, but in the same way that the early morning is dark right before the dawn. This is so because it is on the cross that Christ’s victory is assured and his glorification is at hand.
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:1-5 NIV)
Jesus said that he would draw all men to himself when he was lifted up (John 12). It is no coincidence that Christians have been symbolized by the cross almost from the beginning. The cross, a symbol of death in the ancient world, came to represent Jesus. Why not the manger, the Jordan River, the empty tomb, or a crowd looking into the sky? Because it was Jesus Christ’s triumph over death on the cross that shows God’s infinite love and mercy for us.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17 NIV)
It is not the creation account that gives us hope; it is not the stories of the patriarchs, prophets, kings, or judges that demonstrate the glory of God. The glory that Jesus had before with the Father is seen most clearly through the death, burial, and resurrection. Look at the symbols of this throughout the Bible: the Flood, the passing through the Red Sea, Jonah in the whale, and Baptism. In each of these, man is saved from certain death and is given a new life. Is it any wonder that baptism is so important? All of these directly point to the glorification of Jesus as the savior and redeemer of God’s children.
Remember, when someone speaks of glory and then tells you of a story of valor, inventiveness, creativity, or accomplishment that there is a story that you know that shows true glory. Tell them the story of the cross.
-Charles Peterson