All The Glory

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

ALL THE GLORY

John 13:27-32

"What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him, 28 but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. 31 When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

NIV

It does to appear a somewhat confusing statement Jesus is making about being glorified and glorifying God and God glorifying the Son and all at once. But although his disciples did not know what he was talking about at the time, we certainly do as we know that Jesus on the Cross was glorifying the Father, and the Father was in fact glorifying the Son. Redemption of his people was happening; his creation was being given the provision to be restored into the original condition he established in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. In the narrative we also see that Jesus was well aware of the act of Judas and that it was part of the plan of salvation for the world. Sometimes we give Judas a bad rap, and some use this to prove God decides who is saved and who is not, such as Judas, or that God determines that some should be given over to Satan, but that is simple not the facts. Yes, Judas was part of the plan for the salvation of the world, for if Judas had not done what he had, Jesus would have had to find another way to get arrested, been put on trial, condemned and crucified. We know from Matthew’s account that once Jesus was condemned Judas was filled with remorse, threw the silver back into the temple and when out and hung himself. What we do not know, even though he committed suicide, which is a sin, is if God saved him due to his being part of the plan for the salvation of mankind, and that after he accomplished his part of the plan he was filled with remorse, because in his heart he did love Jesus. Are we any much better then Judas in that respect? We love Jesus, yet we continue to crucify him with our sin or at least because of our sin we have played a part in the arrest, trial, condemnation and crucifixion of Jesus, just as Judas had, yet we are saved. Jesus died on that cross for Judas as well as us. How much more glory can there be in what Jesus did and What God did through his Son? Our salvation has absolutely nothing to do with us, other than our decision to accept God’s provision for our salvation. We cannot do anything to save ourselves, it is all God. He gets all the glory for restoring us to the condition of Adam and Eve in the Garden. This was God’s plan all along, and he has accomplished his plan. His creation, at least those who accept his provision, will live forever with him in Paradise. It is not a matter of us ever being good enough or doing enough to get there on our own. Let us not condemn Judas, for in doing so we condemn ourselves, for there is no glory in us at all, for all the glory is in Jesus and in the Father.