The glory that you have given me I have given to them.
John 17:22
That is a staggering statement. You share in Jesus’ glory! This is the second dimension of your holiness.
Donald Grey Barnhouse was a church minister in Philadelphia. He conducted many weddings, but he never took money for doing them. This is what he says:
For many years it has been my custom whenever I married anybody, that when the bridegroom hands me an envelope, I go and say to the bride, “Here is my wedding present to you. If he has been very generous to the preacher, you’ve got a good sum.” Now look again at what Jesus says to the Father: “The glory that you have given me I have given to them” (17:22). We get the glory that the Father gave to the Son. How much is that? “The glory that you have given me.”
Here is the amazing thing about being a Christian. It is not just that we will see the glory of Jesus, but we will share the glory of Jesus. His glory will be revealed to us, but His glory will also be revealed in us. When we see Him, we will be like Him (1 John 3:2).
Notice that Jesus speaks of it as something that has already happened. “I have given” them the glory. The apostle John says, “We are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared” (1 John 3:2). Paul says, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:3-4). You are like a tree in winter. It looks bare now, but its full glory is still to be seen.
Christ has given you the glory that the Father gave to Him. Be who you are!
What hope do you find in knowing that Jesus has already given you His glory and that one day it will be seen in full?
