Daily Devotions
John
The glory of God the Father
Text: John 13 : 21 - 38
THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER
There are some who worry that we may speak too much about the glory of Jesus, as if that would detract from the glory of God the Father. This worry is removed when we meditate on this text.
“If God is glorified in Him,
God will also glorify Him in Himself,
and glorify Him immediately.”
John 13:32
Three major thoughts must be given due consideration as we ponder over this text.
1. “If God is glorified in Him…”
One of the most profound truths to be discovered about the Lord Jesus as He ministered was His consciousness of glorifying His Father. This is well borne out in the following statements.
In a conversation with the Jews, Jesus made an important declaration.
“He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory;
But He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him
is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.”
John 7:18
Jesus maintained that He never sought His own personal glory in His life and ministry. At all times, most consistently, He sought the glory of the Father who sent Him into the world to redeem it. He had always spoken the truth. No unrighteousness may be found in Him at all. All that Jesus did, He gave God the glory. God was certainly wonderfully glorified in the life and ministry of Jesus!
The word “glorify” is certainly closely associated with the word “honour”. Let us take a look at this text.
“If I honour Myself, My honour is nothing.
It is My Father who honours Me,
of whom you say that He is your God.”
John 8:54
One of the clearest examples of how Jesus glorified His Father may be found in this text. The context is that of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
“This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
John 11:4
The glory of God was foremost in the mind of Jesus at all times. God was indeed glorified in the life and ministry of Jesus.
2. “God will also glorify Him in Himself…”
Inasmuch as Jesus sought always to glorify His Father, God reciprocated lovingly and with equal determination. He would always seek to glorify His only beloved begotten Son. A clear statement on this subject may be found in this text.
“For the Father judges no one,
but has committed all judgment to the Son,
that all should honour the Son just as they honour the Father.
He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father
who sent Him.”
John 5:22-23
Jesus also spoke of the authority that the Father had given Him. This was another way in which God honoured or glorified the Son.
“…and has given Him authority to execute judgment also,
because He is the Son of Man.”
John 5:27
3. “And glorify Him immediately”
It was God who sent Jesus to redeem the world. He knew that His Only Begotten would have to endure much before He could bring about the plan for man’s redemption.
Jesus was portrayed in the Old Testament Scriptures as “a Lamb led to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). The Scriptures also specified that a lamb offered to God must be without blemish.
As Jesus walked on the earth, He fulfilled all that the Law had required. The final act was to die on the Cross at Calvary. This He willingly did.
What was God’s response to the offering of Jesus on the Cross? God’s promise was that He would glorify Him… and immediately too.
The Jews had hesitated as to whether they should believe in Jesus. They had asked Him for “a sign”. At the cleansing of the Temple, the Jews raised what to them was an important point.
“What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”
John 2:18
When Jesus spoke to the multitudes that He had fed; and urged them to believe on Him whom God had sent, they raised a similar question.
“What sign will You perform then, that we may see it
and believe You? What work will You do?”
John 6:30
God would give the sign of signs! He would glorify Jesus His only begotten Son by raising Him from the dead. Just as He had caused the great fish to release Jonah from his watery grave, so would He raise Jesus from the dead.
Jesus was absolutely confident that His Father would raise Him from the dead. Just as the Son had always glorified the Father, so His Father especially glorified the Son.