That if you believe, you will see the glory of God - John 11, 40
The words “glory”, “glory of God”, “glory of Christ”, “glory of the Lord”, “glorify” etc. appear in the word of God to hundreds. Men of faith use these words constantly and even worldly people use on many occasions the word “glorious”. However all these words are counted to the “Christian” basic vocabulary we are at least entirely overwhelmed to understand all these different kinds of glory. That is because the eternal Creator God is far superior to men. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts. Nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord”. (Isaiah 55, 8-9) and: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11, 33-36)
Nevertheless we should try to understand the deep divine meaning round about “glory” and “glorified” and to figurate it in our daily life. Then it will lead us to have a taste of the glory of God. For this purpose we have other words to use through which we then get a revelation of God’s thoughts. The Holy Spirit will help us. (1. Kor. 2, 9-16)
Martha, the sister of Lazarus, who had died in the meanwhile, once was found in a sorrowful crisis. (John 11, 20-27) Twice the Lord Jesus Christ expressed it to her. In John 11, 23-26 He spokes human unfathomable words of the resurrection and particularly first of all of the even greater fact that true believers will not die anymore. Of course, Martha was completely overwhelmed for her brother had just passed away and was already in a state of decay. But precisely these statements of our Lord Jesus Christ have something to do with “the glory of God”, meaning with the state of immortality.
When the Lord Jesus Christ asked Martha to open the grave of Lazarus, who was already in the state of decay, she received, on her objection, the second lesson on “glory”: “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11, 40 NASV) Thereby the Lord Jesus Christ obviously referred to a former assertion, namely to John 11, 23-26, namely the fact, of immortality of (true) believers. This immortality is identical with the glory of God! In order to prove this, the Lord Jesus Christ executed the raising from the dead of Lazarus. This action was nothing else as the expression of the glory of Christ or of the glory of God. He as the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead (Acts. 10, 42) has the authority to raise people out of the dead (John 6, 40; 44; 54) and to give to them eternal life (John 10, 28; 17, 2; 1. John 5, 11). This is exactly the central aspect of the glory of God.
From this it can be concluded that “glory” (and all related terms) represents the nature, the plans, the authority, the power and the possibilities of God. Martha saw the glory of God as Lazarus was raised from the dead out of his state of decay, entirely healthy and restored. This is medical and biological absolutely unthinkable – but it is an element of the existence and the power of the Spirit of God. Martha got a demonstration about who the Lord in reality is and what possibilities He possesses.
Thus for a short moment the Lord Jesus Christ became visible on the Mount of Transfiguration in his true, glorious nature. (Matthew 17, 1-5) With Him, Moses and Elia appeared to be glorified. (Luke 9, 31) Later Peter conferred to this in his second letter (… eyewitnesses of His majesty … For when He received honour and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory ... (2. Peter 1, 16-18). Again the true essence of the Lord is revealed and the fact of two living men who died or were taken away some 1400 years (Moses) or 800 years (Elia) before. All is connected with the concept “glory”, “glorified” etc. It shows clearly the plans, the nature and the power of God – all elements of the “glory of God”.
Later Paul writes to the Colossians that Christ in you is the hope of glory (Colossians 1, 27). Thereby he strips a central theme of divine revelation to men, namely the so-called Gospel of Christ. (Romans 15, 19; Galatians 1, 7; Philippians 1, 27) Brought down to a common denominator the living presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in us is identical with the “glory”! So who wants to know what glory exactly is, should necessarily reaching out toward the experience of the lively presence of Jesus Christ in his life. Because if the Lord Jesus Christ, in fact, lives in us (2. Corinthians 13, 5) he begins to reveal precisely those elements of God within us and through us, which are just making “glory”, the substance and the nature of Christ, the power (resurrection power) of Christ (Philippians 3, 10), the authority and power of the Spirit of God, the plans and thoughts of God and much more. So the theme of Christ’s lively presence is so unique. It is the epitome of the living hope of who the Lord Jesus Christ is and what we later shall experience for an eternity. (Colossians 1, 27) But this is starting here and now – namely in Christ!
From this we learn the central principle around of the theme of “glory”. It becomes only tangible and practically applicable when the Lord Jesus Christ actually dwells and lives in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 3, 17; Galatians 2, 20) So is “glory” = Christ in us – with all the elements of His nature, His (resurrection-) power and much more. Thus, all words surrounding the concept of glory are no longer abstract religious-emotional and empty phrases. They are wonderful experiences in practical every-day life – just as the Lord Jesus Christ experienced during His service. He always revealed the glory of God and at the same time He was always glorified by His Father. (John 12, 23; 28; 13, 31-32) Equally we will become in Christ a base of God, through which He glorifies Himself and reveals His glory. (John 15, 8)
Lastly, the question arises how it all practically comes on the move. The Lord Jesus Christ words it to Martha crystal clear: That if you believe…! (John 11, 26; 40) So we are again confronted with the same need as in the concept of “glory”. These words are so religiously and piously emptied, trite and diluted, that hardly one can understand the true divine meaning. “Faith” is not a religious, Christian and emotional concept but is again a very real condition. To believe is to be united with the Lord Jesus Christ, to be in Christ. This is triggered by knowing the Lord Jesus Christ correctly (in the context of the Gospel of the Christ) and then accepting it as a free gift of grace as the life of God in child-like faith. So, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (Ephesians 3, 17), Paul writes. We take advantage in the child-like faith and trust of all that what the Lord Jesus Christ has earned us on Golgotha. As a result, the heavenly Father effectively begets His son in us through the Holy Spirit. From now on, in principle we then bear the glory of God effectively in us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit thus the glory of God. (1. Corinthians 6, 19) From now on we have eternal life (John 6, 40; 47). We will live even if we die. (John 11, 25) We will never see death (John 8, 51); we have passed out of death into life (John 5, 24); we carry in us the glorified Son Jesus Christ and thus all the elements of His nature, His power etc.
Thus, all the references in the New Testament around glory begin to speak intensively. But above all we are constantly experiencing them in every-day life. And so thus the Lord Jesus Christ is glorified in us and through us in His very own nature and with His unique life.
(Translation of the original text in German language > Wenn du glaubst, wirst du die Herrlichkeit Gottes sehen - Joh.11,40 (HTML-Text, PDF, eBook)
