The Glory They Did Not Yet See

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
John 12:16-19
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The Glory They Did Not Yet See
The disciples saw Jesus enter Jerusalem to the shouts of “Hosanna!” but they didn’t understand the meaning until after His glorification. Like them, we often misread God’s work when it comes cloaked in humility. The crowds looked for a conquering king; God sent a suffering Savior. The true glory of Christ is not found in the palm branches or the praise, but in the wood of the cross. Only there does His kingship shine clearly, where sin, death, and hell are defeated by His self-giving love. We, too, are tempted to look for glory apart from the cross, wanting victory without suffering, triumph without repentance. Yet faith sees what eyes cannot: that the cross is our peace and our hope. The crucified King draws all people to Himself, not through spectacle, but through the saving power of His death and resurrection.