There are two problems I think some people have with the idea of glorifying the name of Jesus. One is easily resolved through clarifying the definition of glory. The other is more subtle in appearance yet essential in the tangible substance of faith.
First the easy one. In our world of media with special effects and general sensory overload, we have become jaded by these things and have no “head room” left for greater stimulation. With marketing techniques becoming increasingly intrusive, many of us have conditioned ourselves to be unimpressed with anything, for our own protection. Even a rainbow or scenic overlook fails to impress as it has done for generations past.
When one reads in the Bible or hears in church references to the glory of God, probably medieval paintings of angels with streaming rays of light from heaven come to mind. Though perhaps impressive to their contemporary viewers, such images are no competition for the advanced media productions of today.
This problem is easily overcome by applying our own contemporary knowledge of the universe, one that for us is measured in space and time by light years and scientific notation with large exponential values. Anyone not in awe when considering that has a weak grasp on reality.
Now for the hard part. The prayer of Jesus in the Gospel of John (Chapter 17), just before his arrest and crucifixion, refers to the glory of God the Father in a context that implies more than just displays to impress humans. I recommend especially Verse 10 and Verses 22 – 24. In these passages Jesus refers to the glory of the Father being extended to those whom the Father has given to Jesus, i.e. those later to be known as the Christians.
There is a much more profound substance to the glory of God than mere tricks to wow us. Were impressing humans Jesus’ methodology, there would have been no admonitions not to tell who he was and certainly he would have responded to demands for signs with something other than a reference to the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:39). Going back to Jesus’ prayer in John 17, Jesus is about to deliberately deliver himself to be crucified but he speaks of glory and eternal life and that the time for both has come.
“Normal” humans do not think this way; that is the point. It is natural for humans to try to dominate one another, but that is not where life and happiness are in the Christian life (Mark 10:42-45). Leaders are servants, and happily so. That is what makes Christians “salty” to the rest of the world. Servant leadership is counter intuitive to the natural mind, but essential for every Christian to embrace in all faithfulness. One must be humble in order also to be bold; the two are inseparable as they are one in the same substance.
Here is the relevance of glorifying the name of Jesus in terms of “what’s in it for me:” The natural tendency to dominate others, to feel important in one’s own eyes, to control others for selfish objectives, and other sinful impulses are diminished by the glory of God. Glorifying Jesus shines light on the darkness of sinful motives and practices, immorality of all types from the very personal to the economic and cultural. The beauty of this is that in glorifying Jesus, we find a much more fulfilling reason for living. And that living is eternal, starting with the tangible here and now.
Let’s pray daily and fervently that the name of Jesus is glorified to all people.
