The Glory of Jesus
“Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:6-7 (For further devotional study, read and discuss Philippians 2:1-16)
We are drawn to glory and long for glory for ourselves. We want to be the hero on the basketball team. We dream of hoisting the championship trophy. We want to climb the corporate ladder to the very top. And once we think we have that glory, we don’t want to let it go. I suppose this desire for lasting glory can be traced back to the same temptation that deceived our first parents, “You too can be like God.”
Behold the glory of Jesus! He is the eternally glorious Son of God. The glory we see on the Mount of Transfiguration has always been His. Yet, what did Jesus do with His glory as the only begotten Son of God? He laid it aside. The Son of God took on the form of a servant and came in our likeness. His first bed was a feed trough, surrounded by the sounds and smells of barn animals. His disciples were uneducated men. He was despised and rejected by men, condemned to die on a cross as though He were the worst of criminals. What an inglorious life the glorious Son of God lived!
Even the moment of glory on the Mount of Transfiguration was humble. The Bible says “He was transfigured.” That’s a passive verb! In His humility, Jesus did not glorify Himself but was transfigured by the Father.
Jesus lived this humble life to glorify His Father by saving you from your inglorious sins. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) The glory of Jesus is seen in how far He was willing to go to earn the glories of heaven for you!
Praise be to You, Jesus, for Your great glory in coming to save us. Having served us, help us to imitate You by humbling ourselves to serve one another in love. Amen.