December 24, 2023
Glorifying God In All We Do
“Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God...”
John 21:19a (NASB)
Death has been a part of Christianity forever. Hughes shares something I just knew each of us needs to hear once in a while: “Each devoted servant of Christ will bear his own cross. This was dramatically seen in the early years of the Salvation Army. When William Booth began his mission work in East London in 1865, it drew violent opposition, which grew even more violent in 1878 when his ‘Christian Mission’ became the ‘Salvation Army’ and Booth assumed the title of ‘General.’ One Salvation Army officer came into a meeting loaded down with dead cats and rats; he explained these had been thrown at him; and that he caught and held the dead animals because if he dropped them the crowd would merely pick them up to be thrown again. Pots of human urine were often dumped on the street preachers. Beatings were not uncommon; in 1889, at least 669 Salvation Army members were assaulted—some were killed and many were maimed. Even children were not immune; hoodlums threw lime in the eyes of a child of a Salvation Army member. The newspapers ridiculed Booth. Punch referred to him as ‘Field Marshal von Booth.’ Soon a band of thugs and ruffians organized themselves into the ‘Skeleton Army’ and devoted themselves to disrupting the meetings of the Salvation Army. They often attacked Salvation Army members as they paraded through the streets or held open-air meetings. They frequently stormed Salvation Army meeting halls by the hundreds, broke out the window panes, and wrecked the inside of buildings. At first, the police did little to stop the ‘Skeleton Army.’ Instead of helping they frequently harassed Booth and his followers.”[1] Persecution…
“Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God...” Jesus knew the direction of Peter’s life. It involved his death, but Jesus saw death firsthand as well. It was no longer an enemy. Jesus defeated it in His death (Rom. 6). It too would involve a cross, except Peter considered himself to be unworthy of the same method as Jesus. Blum comments on Peter’s death: “I tell you the truth (cf. comments on 1:51) introduces a solemn prediction of Peter’s coming crucifixion. In old age Peter was tied to a cross and had his hands stretched out (cf. 1 Clement 5:4; 6:1; Eusebius The Ecclesiastical History 2. 25).[2] In the early church the expression “to glorify God” came to a special significance. It meant to endure martyrdom. Ambrosius once said, “Is it something strange that the servant should die for his good Lord when the Lord died for his evil servants?” Not all Christians indeed die by persecution, but we are all called to a life that involves sacrifice for our Lord. This sacrifice is characterized by a love for Christ that so grips the heart of the individual that they no longer want to live for themselves but for Christ. If that means hardship and suffering, then so be it. If our lives are characterized by ease, if we have no problems because of our Christianity, something is likely wrong.
These are sobering words for Christmas Eve, but consider this; Jesus Christ was born for a purpose, and it involved His death. His death would be just as big as His birth. So when life begins to get tough, consider your course. If we have no problems because of our Christianity, something is likely wrong. Maybe it is time for a course correction then.
[1] Hughes, R. K. (1999). (pp. 478–479). Crossway Books.
[2] Blum, E. A. (1985). In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 345). Victor Books.