Jesus Sought To Glorify The One Who Sent Him

What Did Jesus Do?

“My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.”
John 7.16

People who are impressed with themselves are typically obsessed with the impression they make on others. If their name is not in print, if talk shows are not discussing them, if they are not the subject of a lot of chatter on the internet, they get depressed. They are, in a sense, the very center of their own universe, and seek as much attention and glory for themselves as possible. Not Jesus, he sought no glory for himself, but rather sought to glorify the one who sent him (John 7.18a).

The truth is, the crowd in the temple was impressed with Jesus, “Where does he get this stuff? He's never been to school a day in his life, yet we have never heard such marvelous teaching!” (John 7.15) I'm pretty sure that if it had been me teaching I would have had a hard time deflecting the praise. But the Son was not their on his own authority, and his teaching was in fact what the Father had given him word for word (John 7.16). Jesus Sought to glorify the one who sent him.

His audience was in fact of two minds. Some, those who earnestly desired to do the will of God, recognized the source of Christ's teaching, and that he was full of the Spirit. The rest, though impressed, just thought Jesus was full of himself. That is the truth of it, and Jesus, in whom there was no falsehood, is all about the Truth (John 7.18b).

Today's audience is no different than that which heard Jesus in Jerusalem during the Feast of Booths. Some today hear and know whereof his teaching comes, and give glory to the one who sent him—the Father. Many more, tragically, who are chiefly concerned with themselves, and with doing their own will, dismiss both the teaching, and the Teacher.

The main thing is that, like Jesus, believers today must not get distracted or discouraged by those who refuse to accept them or the word they proclaim. Perhaps even more, believers must also be on guard against falling into the trap of becoming impressed with themselves—one cannot be a glory hound and give all glory to the Father. Thus it is, as so rightly put in the Westminster Catechism, that the chief end of man (and woman) is to glorify God. For the one whom the Son glorified, the one who sent him, is the one who claims and calls us, and he has ordained that we should not only glorify him, but enjoy him forever.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4