Skip to main content

Glory and...

                 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing 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 17:4-5)

 

                 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. (Hebrews 5:7-9)

 

                We’re back to glory, which suggests that eternal life is also all about glorifying God (and His Son.) Today’s passage, however, gives a specific about how we can glorify God. Jesus claimed to have brought the Father glory by finishing the work the Father gave Him to do. Part of me responds to this idea with a rather caustic, “Yeah, but the Father gave Jesus a very specific, clear, and dramatic task.” Of course, I leave out that it was probably the hardest task anyone has ever been given. It was far harder than any of the tasks about which I’ve whined, “It’s too hard!”

                But consider the work God gave Jesus to do. He spent roughly three decades as a nobody. At best, He was Yeshua Barjoseph. He might have also been Yeshua, the Bastard. When the local leaders were looking for apprentices, He wasn’t chosen. At about twelve-years-old, He impressed national leaders, but basically disappeared again for eighteen years. When He finally did start “doing something” He spent three years trying to teach a small group of men and women how to carry on His work. What we tend to think of as His “work” involves no more than one week- about 0.05% of His life.

                But, that 0.05% of His life could not have happened if He hadn’t spent a little under ten percent of His life in public ministry, which He couldn’t have done without the other 90% of His life.  Hebrews 5 teaches us that it was all part of a whole. He was made perfect (for the job) by submitting. When He was twelve, He could have told the priests, “OK, let’s get this over with. You’re going to kill me at some point, it may as well be now, so I can get on to more important stuff.” He was just as sinless then as He would be 21 years later. He could have risen from the dead and built an empire, but He went home with His parents. And in going through all of the 90% of His life, He became more perfect – perfect not only morally, but perfectly suited to the job that took place in half of one percent of his life. We cannot be perfect in the way that He was perfect, but we can become more perfect and glorify God if we will only seek to do the work He gives us to do.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more