The Meaning of the Cross, Day 16

Welcome to the fourth week and Day 16 of our “40 Days of the Cross” series.

Each day we are taking just a few minutes to look at a word which will help us better understand the meaning of the cross. Today’s word is glory. Much like the work joy on Friday, we don’t often look at the horror of the cross and think, “glory!” Looking at Jesus, broken and dying, hanging from the cross, looks anything but glorious. When we think of Jesus glorified, we think of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, standing between Moses and Elijah, covered with shining radiance. We don’t think of Jesus on Golgotha, hanging between two thieves, covered with blood, sweat, and the scars of humiliation. How can the cross be glorious?
 

As Jesus knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane, just hours before He would be arrested, whipped, tried, and crucified, He prayed for glory. It’s found in John 17:1... “When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You,’” The hour that was coming was His death on the cross! How can the cross bring glory?
 

First, the glory of the cross came from obedience. From the foundation of the world, the plan of the Father was that He would send His Son to die for the sins of men and women. Jesus fulfilled the plan of the Father out of obedience. Now to be sure, Jesus desired the salvation of humankind, but even Jesus prayed that if there was another way, He would rather that He be spared the cup of the cross. But obedience lifts up the One to whom we are obedient; Jesus’ obedience glorified God.
 

Secondly, true glory comes through suffering. Those of you who are parents probably have a similar memory to mine: I have never seen such agony and pain in the face of my wife than when she was in labor. The delivery of our daughter, and then, both of the boys, was full of suffering. And yet the result was glorious. What was birthed by the cross was the unification of God and His children; that was glorious. And the glory of that unity was the result of the suffering of the cross. We’ll talk more about unity tomorrow.
 

After we pray today, please take some time to consider how the cross of Jesus shows the glory of God.  Heavenly Father, the cross of Your Son glorifies You. This glory was birthed through suffering. Help us to look at suffering in a new way. Help us to look at the glory of the cross in a new way. In the name of Jesus, amen. 

Continued tomorrow