A bloodied, battered, and suffering Jesus, stripped of his clothes, nailed to a cruel cross, is lifted up in utter humility and shame in full view of the public. This, my friends, is the greatest expression of God’s glory.
I have always thought of God’s glory being revealed in the most representative way on Easter morning. With rays of light and victory in Jesus’ grasp, its easy to see why. When you think of the glory of a king, you think of his palace, his authority, and his strength.
But in recent days I have come to see that the glory of our Triune God is seen in its fullest on the awful cross of Good Friday. Why do I say that?
Perhaps it’s helpful to start by defining the word glory.
JI Packer says it this way: glory is “excellence and praiseworthiness set forth in display”. In other words it is the REVEALING of the praiseworthy essence of a person’s character. And Jesus embodied the glory of the Father. In Hebrews 1:4 we read:
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”.
Hebrews 1:4
So we see that Jesus is GOD ON DISPLAY.
That moment of the cross being raised? Jesus spoke of it directly in John 12:32
“I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself”.
John 12:32. Italics mine.
I always thought lifted up was talking about when he ascended to heaven. The King taking a seat on the throne. And yes, the Ascension is so important, it’s what ultimately gives us hope. And frankly its a much prettier picture.
But I was reminded in a devotional I read this morning* that the very next verse gives us the context of the words lifted up; “He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die”. He knew his cross would be lifted up from the earth and his suffering and humility would be displayed to all. This is precisely what Jesus came to do.
And this is the Father’s glory on display, his Son hanging on the cross in full revelation of his sacrificial, self-giving love toward us; of his righteous judgement of sin, SO THAT he could draw you, he could draw me, he could draw us all to himself.
On Sunday morning we will celebrate the risen Christ, as well we should. I will be singing with hands raised. Christ is Risen!
But the praiseworthy essence of his character, his glory, is most evident on Good Friday:
“Glory is the dazzling, jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring showcase of God’s character to a world darkened by sin. It is the explosive radiance produced by his holiness, love, mercy, justice, wisdom, and power — all of which come together in the most fitting way in the death of Christ”.
*Jeremy R. Treat, from Suffering & Glory: Meditations for Holy Week of Easter
If you ever wonder who God is, consider the moment he was lifted up for all to see, and the greatest expression of his glory put on display.
