Q
Bible experts debate what Jesus meant when he said he had to suffer before he could “enter into his glory” (see Casual English Bible footnote for Luke 24:26). Does this mean his resurrection? Does it mean getting to sit beside God in heaven? Those are two guesses Bible experts make. Given the setting in which Jesus says it, what do you think might be the best way to understand it?
A
Many students of the Bible argue that the glory of Jesus was revealed in the Resurrection. The Resurrection validated everything Jesus had said about himself. Yet his greatest glory, as described in the Bible, was yet to come, when he would sit beside his Father in heaven
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I like this question. The first thing I thought of was the glory of seeing my father. I miss my dad so much. He is with the Lord. How wonderful that one day I get to see him again.And to be with him. And can you imagine seeing the Lord as well. Wow.
Suffer Suf”fer, v. i.
1. To feel or undergo pain of body or mind; to bear what is
inconvenient; as, we suffer from pain, sickness, or
sorrow; we suffer with anxiety.
[1913 Webster]
O well for him whose will is strong!
He suffers, but he will not suffer long. –Tennyson.
[1913 Webster]
2. To undergo punishment; specifically, to undergo the
penalty of death.
[1913 Webster]
I think #2 in the dictionary is what Jesus was talking about. And of course his glory would be receiving his inheritance from God his Father.
Hi, Steve!
Another possible answer – from Roy Hession’s “We Would See Jesus”, pg. 20-21:
Man’s glory is normally thought to lie in his ability to exalt himself, and humble others to his will. That is glory, that is power, says the world….How often have we coveted the glory of being able to sit at a desk as a high administrative chief and at the touch of a button command men to do what we want! Glory in man’s eyes is always that which exalts him…
In Jesus, however, we see that God’s glory consists in the very reverse–not so much in His ability to exalt Himself and humble man, but in His willingness to humble Himself for the sake of man–not so much in a mighty display of power that would break in pieces those that oppose Him, but rather in the hiding of that power and the showing of grace to the undeserving when they turn to Him in repentance…
This was the conception of glory that occupied the Saviour’s mind. On one occasion He said, “The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified” (John 12:23). A few verses farther on He speaks of it as an hour when He would be lifted up and would draw all men to Him (John 12:32). Again and again He had said, “Mine hour is not yet come.” Now He says, “It is come.” Were we reading all this for the first time, we would surely feel like saying at this point, “Never was the hour of glory and vindication more merited than in His case, for none had walked the path of vilification and opposition more patiently than He!” What is our surprise, then, when we discover that He is speaking, not of being lifted up on a Throne, but on a Tree, as a public spectacle of shame, and all that for rebellious man, that He might save him from the miseries of his sin. “This,” says Jesus in effect, “is the hour of My glory for it is the hour of My grace to sinners.” In Jesus, then we see that God’s highest glory consists in His securing our deepest happiness. What a God is this!
Thanks Linda.