Glory in an Unexpected Hour

Observe the timing. The text says that when Judas was gone, Jesus said that now the Son of Man is glorified. The word now anchors the statement to Judas' exit. Jesus goes on to say that God is glorified in him and will glorify the Son in himself, and will do so at once. Then comes the address to his little children, the announcement of his departure, and the new command.

Interpret it. In John's Gospel, glory and the cross are tied together. Earlier Jesus spoke of the hour when the Son of Man would be lifted up, meaning both the crucifixion and the exaltation. Judas leaving sets the final sequence in motion, so Jesus can speak of the glory as already begun. Glory here is not applause. It is the full display of who God is, shown in self-giving love. That is why the command to love as he has loved follows immediately. The disciples are to carry on the same kind of glory.

Apply it. Christians sometimes look for God's glory in visible success and miss it in sacrifice. This passage reverses that instinct. What situation in your life right now looks like loss but might be the place where God is most clearly at work? How does defining glory as self-giving love change what you would count as a good week? And who, specifically, is the person you are being asked to love as Jesus has loved you?