John 8:50 Glory B
I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.
John 8:50 NIV
Glory conjures up all sorts of images for me. Triumphant victory. The climax of the autumn season with gorgeous foliage and bountiful harvest. Conquering a climb to the top of a mountain. Prize-worthy work. Everything to which a man aspires may be summed up in that word. Yet, here Jesus is deferring, saying this is not what he is looking for. How could he? He knew that his life would conclude in the most ignominious way — death that was public, humiliating, and disgraceful.
The word “glory” comes from Greek word “doxa”, and root “dokeo” meaning: to hold an opinion (which is always good); brightness as in the sun, moon, and stars; magnificence, preeminence, excellence, dignity, and grace; To honor or be honored. In Greek literature doxa is a common opinion, contrasted with the word episteme, meaning only knowledge.
Jesus was worth being honored and respected. He knew his Father honored him and sought this same glory and recognition for him — even if these Jews did not. When he said, “There is one who seeks it,” he is responding to these Jews disrespect for both him and the Father. He wasn’t defending himself as much as His dad — who was ultimately being insulted. They said they loved God, so the disconnect is obvious—Jesus was the image of the invisible God.
Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’;
John 8:54
The glory of man
Yet in his response, Jesus touches on a topic that seems alien to most modern believers: man’s glory. I easily recognize the glory of God and sing of it often, but the glory of man, also given by God, is something more elusive.
From Jesus’ words man should not seek or aspire to glory on his own. It’s an honor which is given or earned and given by another. The value is only appreciated when someone else recognizes it. The Son’s glory is ultimately the reflection of the One who is glorious. The attributes of “glory” are interwoven in the process of being part of the Eternal One.
I am my Father’s glory. Man is the glory of God. Reclaiming His image in me— the clean, whole, forgiven, and triumphant place in family and in being a son or daughter—is available for the children of God. And I want this. Not the “glory,” but for the fulfillment of the life he intended for me to live.
There is a verse in 1 Corinthians which may stumble 21st century sensibilities, but it reflects a design that is worth understanding.
For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.
1 Corinthians 11:7-9 NASB
If A = B, and B = C, then doesn’t C = A? In the same way, if God shares his glory with man, and a man shares his glory with a woman, or his mate, isn’t it the same as God sharing his glory with women? There is much to be said about the horrible abuse woman have suffered at the the hands of men: the dismissal, the indentured servanthood, the minimization of talent, and so much more. I feel it is both a tragedy and a symptom of man’s failure to grasp identity as a son of God. But, in an ideal human design, if men and women were to live under the weight of this glorious goodness, the concept of A = C would not be insulting to anyone. In fact, it would be an achievement in the ecosystem of heaven and earth. A symbol of man — and woman— living in a place of unity with the Father and Son.
The glory of God is man. And the man Christ Jesus became that glory. He reflected the values, and unity with heaven that is the example for all believers who follow.
Jesus died a horrible death. Yet, he was raised. His disciples saw him ascend. Paul says today he sits at the right hand of God. Whatever glory he didn’t have among those to whom he was sent, he has now in the heavenly places. And he invites us to enjoy his glory, along with the process and promise of the affect it will have on me.
Other NT references to glory
By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 7:39 (NIV)
Glory is the state of being. “Glorified” is a verb, meaning to transform into that very glory that he was. It is the transformation of the body to a new, heavenly body. In the heavenly realm, which humans may today understand by faith, and intersect in spirit.
“Now, is my soul troubled,–and what can I say? Father! save me from this hour? But, on this account, came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name! There came, therefore, a voice out of heaven–I both have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
1 Corinthians 15:40-41 (NASB)