Jesus Chooses Glory

 

 

WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS
Isaac Watts
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ, my God.
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Here is the greatest paradox of all. God, Incarnate, Perfect, nailed to a cross for my sins and yours. Laid in a tomb cold and dark. Raised up triumphant proving His victory over death. God proving His great love once and for all. I am so glad you and I serve God who is high and lifted up, and  yet performs the ultimate act of humility—choosing to come among us as the incarnate God. Coming as the Son Of God and Son of Man, and having committed no sin, He willingly dies to bring forgiveness to those of us who choose to follow Jesus. Acting as One, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, in perfect, unbroken unity. Choosing the Way of the Cross for Jesus as the way of Salvation for us. Surely there is no greater Love. Throughout His life on Earth Jesus chose the Glory of God over the sins of the world.

During His life among us on earth, Jesus chose obedience as the path to achieve God’s ultimate glory and our ultimate good. Even as a twelve-year old boy in the Temple, Jesus chose God’s Glory:

John 2:48-51 ESV

And when his parents saw him, they were astonished.
And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you
treated us so? Behold, your father and I
have been searching for you in great distress.”
And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
And they did not understand the saying
that he spoke to them. And he went down with them
and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.
And his mother treasured up all these things
in her heart.

 

 

After  Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where He fasted for forty days, and where He depended on God’s Word to refuse the powerful temptations Satan brought against Him. Faithfully, Jesus again chose God’s Glory and our good.

Matthew 4:1-11 ESV

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days
and forty nights, he was hungry.
And the tempter came and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God, command these stones
to become loaves of bread.”
But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and
set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down,
for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written,
‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world
and their glory.
And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him,
“Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
‘You shall worship the Lord your God
    and him only shall you serve.’”

Then the devil left him, and behold,
angels came and were ministering to him.

 

 

Jesus boldly and purposefully chose to heal the man born blind on the Sabbath, once again, to bring glory to God and good for us. Again He set for us the example—do God’s work while you can, no matter who may stand against you.

John 9:1-7 ESV

As he passed by, he saw a blind man from birth.
And his disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned,
or his parents, but that the works of God
might be displayed in him.
We must work the works of him who sent me
while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Having said these things, he spat on the ground
and made mud and said to him,
“Go and wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent).
So he went and washed and came back seeing.

 

 

Choosing to steadily, willingly travel toward Jerusalem and the Cross, Jesus chose His Love for each of us so beautifully pictured in His Love for Mary, Martha and Lazarus. In choosing His Perfect Love He was setting into motion HIs ultimate Act of Obedience in response to God’s Eternal Gospel Plan.

John 11:38-44 ESV

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister
of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time
there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”
Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed
you would see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
I know that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around,
that they may believe that you sent me.
When he had said these things,
he cried out with a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out.”The man who had died came out,
his hands and feet bound with linen strips,
and his face wrapped with a cloth.
Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

 

 

Jesus did not enter Jerusalem under the cloak of darkness. Rather, exactly as Zechariah had prophesied, He continued to proclaim God’s Glory as He deliberately moved toward His sacrificial act of love for us.

Luke 19:36-40 ESV

And as he rode along, they spread
their cloaks on the road.
And as he was drawing near—already
on the way down Mount of Olives—the whole multitude
of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God
with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen,
saying, “Blessed is the King who comes
in the name of the Lord!
Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest!”
And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,
“Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent,
the very stones would cry out.”

 

 

In Jesus’ life there were no easy choices, but He made every single one of those choices for God’s glory and always for our good. Praise His Holy Name!

Matthew 26:38-44

Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful,
even to death; remain here, and watch with me.
” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me;
nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping.
And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me
one hour? Watch and pray that you may not
enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time,
he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
And again he came and found them sleeping,
for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again,
he went away and prayed for the third time,
saying the same words again.

 

 

Only Jesus, the perfect Son of God and the perfect Son of Man could declare God’s Eternal Gospel Plan finished. And so, with faith in the hope of the Resurrection, He did—again for God’s Glory and for our good. Hallelujah! Praise His Holy Name!

John 19:28-30 ESV

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things
were now accomplished, that the Scripture
might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”
Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there;
and they filled a sponge with sour wine,
put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
So when Jesus had received the sour wine,
He said, “It is finished!”
And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.