The Glory and Glorification of the Lord Jesus: He was Glorified in His Resurrection

In the Gospel of John, we can see the glory and glorification of the Lord Jesus in vivid detail, especially starting from John 12 to the end of the book; Christ did not seek His own glory but the glory of the Father, but then at one point He was glorified by the Father so that the Father may be glorified.

Glory is nothing else but God Himself being manifested and expressed; when we express God, when we manifest Him, that is glory.

God wants to be expressed through man. However, due to man’s fall, God had to become a man in His economy so that the God-man Jesus would manifest God’s glory.

It is amazing to see how the glory of God is involved with all the processes that Christ went through.

First, God’s glory was involved with Christ’s incarnation; when He became a man, there was praise in the heavens by the angels, and many on earth brought the newborn King precious gifts.

In His human living, Christ never sought to gain His glory but rather, He wanted to glorify the Father.

He humbled Himself to the uttermost, He rejected Himself, and He did not do anything for Himself to be praised or given glory.

He always did the Father’s work, spoke the Father’s word, and did exactly what He heard from the Father.

Then He fulfilled the Father’s purpose to the uttermost by going to the cross to die. On the cross, Christ died to accomplish redemption and to destroy the devil.

Then, in His resurrection, He was glorified by God, for His resurrection was His glorification!

Just as a grain of wheat is glorified in its resurrection after its death, so Christ as the unique grain of wheat was glorified in His resurrection!

His glorification was His multiplication and expansion!

After His resurrection, Christ entered into His ascension, for He was ascended by God to the third heavens, even to the highest place in the universe!

Now the man Jesus is the Lord of Lords and the King of kings and in His name, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord!

In His ascension, Christ was crowned with glory and honor, and He entered into God’s glory! Praise the Lord!

Now He is on the throne in the heavens, being busy doing many things to carry out God’s economy and administration.

One day He will return in glory, and for eternity He will be the shining forth of God in and as the New Jerusalem! Hallelujah!

Christ did Not Receive Glory from Men but Sought the Glory of God the Father, for the Father to be Glorified

When we look at the Gospel of John and see the matters of the glory and the glorification of the Lord Jesus we cannot but realize that the Lord Jesus never sought His own glory nor did He receive any glory from men.

When He became a man, when the Word became flesh, the Lord had the glory of God concealed within the shell of His humanity.

Those around Him beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father (John 1:14).

Then later at the time of the transfiguration on the mount in Matt. 17:1-5, He gave three of His disciples a glimpse of this glory when He was transfigured before them.

Jesus manifested His glory; the Lord’s divinity was manifested there (John 2:11).

However, when it came to the people around Him, the Lord Jesus did not receive glory from men; rather, He asked them, How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that is from the only God? (5:41, 44) Wow!

We need to learn from the Lord Jesus who, though was the embodiment of God and had the glory of God concealed within the shell of His humanity, did not receive glory from man.

How can we believe when we receive glory from one another, not seeking the glory that comes from God?

Today so many Christians do a work for God and they receive the glory coming from man.

Especially with the rise of social media, it is easy to become popular and have a great following with man resharing what you have posted, and you can set up and build up your own ministry.

In so many ways, it is easy for us to receive glory from men. But we need to learn from the Lord, the One who lives inside of us, not to receive any glory from others nor to give others glory!

We should love everyone the same and not uplift anyone. In the depths of our fallen beings, there is the desire to be glorified and appreciated, even to be exalted.

But if we are learning that the Lord needs to be glorified, we will want Him to be exalted and magnified in us without us receiving any glory.

The Lord Jesus said, He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him, this One is true (John 7:18).

We may be touched by the Lord concerning a certain matter in the Bible or in the ministry and we may be eager to share it with someone or in front of the saints, but in our sharing, we yearn to receive glory and appreciation from others.

We may not realize it, but unless we are dealt with in our natural being, we speak and express ourselves in such a way that we glorify ourselves and seek our own glory. Oh, Lord Jesus!

Even in serving God and in speaking for Him it is easy for us to seek our own glory.

This doesn’t mean that we should never speak for the Lord nor share what He has given to us for other’s edification; rather, we need to exercise our spirit, contact the Lord, and deny the self as we come to speak for the Lord.

When we speak, we want Christ to gain all the glory. We need to have the attitude of seeking the glory of God and not drawing attention to our person or to ourselves.

The Lord Jesus said, I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks glory for Me and judges (John 8:50).

Furthermore, He testified, If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies me (v. 54).

The divine glory was concealed within Him, yet He did not seek glory from man; He sought the glory of God and the glory that comes from God.

Those around Him, however, loved the glory of men more the glory of God. Oh, Lord Jesus!

When it came to the matter of glory and glorification in the life of Jesus on the earth, He didn’t seek His own glory but the glory of the Father. What a pattern!

May we open to the Lord’s all-inclusive, tender care for Him to shepherd us and make us those who love the glory of God more than the glory of man.

Lord Jesus, we want to learn from You in the matter of not receiving glory from man but seeking only the glory of God. We love You, Lord, and we open to You. You came as God incarnated to be a man, and the glory of God was manifested through You, yet You did not seek Your own glory. Thank You, Lord, for setting such a pattern before us. We want to learn from You today. We want to be those who seek only the glory of God and no glory for ourselves. Oh Lord Jesus, purify our heart. Purify our intentions and our decisions. Purify our speaking and our attitude. May You be the One who is expressed through us when we speak. We do not want to express ourselves or draw others’ attention to praise us or give us glory. May God gain all the glory! May the Lord be glorified in us and through us! Amen, Lord, we want to give You all the glory. We seek only the glory that comes from God. Hallelujah, Christ lives in us, and He in us glorifies God and seeks the glory of God!

The Glory and Glorification of the Lord Jesus: He was Glorified in His Resurrection

The wonderful and mysterious Gospel of John shows us the glory and glorification of the Lord Jesus.

He was the Word who became flesh to tabernacle among us, and the glory of God dwelt in this tabernacle for all to see (John 1:14).

When others saw Him, they saw God being expressed in a man.

Then in Matt. 17:1-2 the Lord took three of His disciples and was transfigured before them on the mountain.

Peter refers to this in 2 Pet. 1:17-18 where he says that they heard the voice from heaven and saw the glory of Jesus. Amazing!

As God incarnated in the flesh, Christ had the glory of God concealed and confined within Him, and He yearned to be baptized with the baptism of His death so that His divine life would be released and imparted into many people.

On the mountain, He was transfigured before His disciples and they saw His glory.

In John 12:23 the Lord Jesus said, that it is time for the Son of Man to be glorified, and His speaking in chapters 12-17 shows us how He is being glorified.

He was going to pass through death so that the concealing shell of His humanity might be broken for the divine element to be released from within Him.

Then, He was to enter into resurrection so that He might uplift His humanity into the divine element and that His divine element may be expressed and glorified.

In this way, the Father is glorified in Him and He is glorified in His resurrection.

Glory and glorification in the Lord Jesus is seen in the fact that glory dwelt in Him and then He was glorified to bring His humanity into His divinity in resurrection.

The Lord prayed for His glorification in John 17, for He knew that, when He will be resurrected, He will be glorified and the Father will be glorified in His glorification.

The Father fulfilled the Lord’s prayer for glorification in three stages.

In the first stage, Christ was glorified in His resurrection, for His divine life was released from the shell of His humanity and was imparted into the many believers in Christ to regenerate them and make them the many members of the Body of Christ, the many sons of God (John 12:23-24; 1 Pet. 1:3; Rom. 8:28-29).

God answered Christ’s prayer by resurrecting Him so that He may be made Lord of all and also fully express God by imparting His element into many believers (Acts 3:13-15).

In the second stage, God fulfilled Christ’s prayer for glorification in the church; in the church Christ’s resurrection life has been expressed through His many members, for He is glorified in them and the Father is glorified in Him through the church (Eph. 3:21; 1 Tim. 3:15-16).

Hallelujah, we as the church are part of the Father’s answer to Christ’s prayer for glorification, for Christ lives in us to be expressed through us!

Ultimately, Christ’s prayer for glorification will be fully fulfilled in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:11, 23-24).

In the New Jerusalem God will be fully expressed in glory and He will be glorified in Christ through the holy city for eternity. Hallelujah!

From John 12:23 when the Lord said, The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified, to the end of chapter 17 of John we see glory and glorification: how Christ was glorified by the Father in His resurrection, in the first stage. Praise the Lord!

When Christ was resurrected, He released and imparted His divine life into millions of believers in Christ to make them the church, His Body, for the corporate expression of God; this is His glorification.

In His resurrection, Christ was glorified, and the Father was glorified in Him!

He as the unique grain of wheat fell into the ground and died, and in His resurrection, He bore much fruit – we are His fruits, the many grains of wheat produced by His death and resurrection!

In us the Father is glorified, for Christ is expressed corporately through the church! Praise the Lord!

Lord Jesus, we praise You for Your resurrection, Your glorification! Hallelujah, God glorified Christ in His resurrection! Wow, Lord, Your divine life was released from the shell of Your humanity through Your death, and this released divine life was imparted and propagated in Your resurrection to regenerate us! Hallelujah, we as the many believers in Christ are the mamy grains of wheat that were produced by Christ as the unique grain of wheat falling into the earth to die. Praise the Lord, Christ is glorified in the church today, for His resurrection life is expressed through us as His many members! Amen, Lord, we want to live by Your life today. Be glorified in us. Praise the Lord, one day we will become New Jerusalem, the holy city, where God is glorified in Christ and we will glorify God corporately to express Him and shine Him forth in glory to the whole universe! Amen, praise the Lord for glory and glorification!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ron Kangas in the message for this week, and portions from, The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 153, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2024 July Semiannual Training), week 10, Glory and Glorification as Revealed in the Gospel of John.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – What is the Significance of Christ’s Glorification? More via, The Hearing of Faith.
  – The Glory of God (2): Released through Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection, via, Living to Him.
  – Christ’s being glorified by the Father with the divine glory, a portion from, The Issue of Christ Being Glorified by the Father with the Divine Glory, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee.
  – What does “the Spirit was not yet” in John 7:39 refer to? More via, Holding to Truth in Love.
  – The glory of God and the glorification of the believers, article in, Affirmation and Critique.
  – Glorification, Resurrection, via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – Glorification being a matter of life, a portion from, Christ in His Excellency, Chapter 3, by Witness Lee.
  – The Ministry Bearing the Mark of Death and Resurrection (9) – From chapter seven of The Ministers in the Lord’s Recovery – Genuine Ministers of the New Covenant, via, Shepherding Words.
  – Glorification, Resurrection, via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – Glory in resurrection, a portion from, The Mending Ministry of John, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – In heaven for us He’s the glorified man, / The Forerunner entered, fulfilling God’s plan; / Man into God bringing and making him one / With God in the heav’nlies, in Him as the Son. (Hymns #536 stanza 4)
  – O hope of glory, our Christ will return! / We will be raptured, with glory transformed; / Glorified with Him, Himself to enjoy, / In His full likeness we then will be formed. / Glorious hope! Christ will return! / Glorious hope! Christ will return! / We will be raptured, with glory transformed; / O hope of glory, our Christ will return! (Hymns #966 stanza 1 and chorus)
  – Not I, but Christ be honored, loved, exalted, / Not I, but Christ be seen, be known and heard; / Not I, but Christ in every look and action, / Not I, but Christ in every thought and word. / Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord, / Oh, to be lost in Thee, / Oh, that it may be no more I, / But Christ that lives in me. (Hymns #591 stanza 1 and chorus)