When Was Jesus Glorified?
Throughout the Gospel accounts, the theme of the “glory” of Jesus threads together his incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, and exaltation. The glorification of Jesus is not confined to a single moment in history but constitutes a divine process through which the eternal Son of God is revealed in splendor, power, and honor. While it culminates after the resurrection and ascension, the New Testament presents glorification as a reality that began even before creation, was manifested through the cross, and continues eternally at the right hand of God. To discern when Jesus was glorified, one must examine both the temporal unfolding of his redemptive work and the theological meaning of “glory” in Scripture.
The Biblical Meaning of Glory and Glorification
In the Old Testament, the term “glory” (Hebrew, kabod) often signifies weight, honor, and majesty. The glory of God represents the visible manifestation of his presence and holiness (Exodus 40:34-35; Isaiah 6:1-3). God’s glory was the radiance that filled the tabernacle, the brilliance that led Israel through the wilderness, and the unapproachable essence of divine holiness. Likewise, the Greek term doxa, used in the New Testament, conveys brightness, splendor, or renown, particularly in relation to divine revelation. To “glorify” someone, therefore, means to reveal or acknowledge their true worth and majesty.
When the New Testament refers to Jesus being glorified, it indicates the revelation of his divine identity and authority as the eternal Son made visible in his redemptive mission. Jesus’ uniqueness lies in being “the only Son of God,” whose purpose was to bring salvation to the world (John 3:16). This redemptive mission was consistently linked to his glorification: the means by which divine love, truth, and justice are revealed through the Son.
The Glory of Jesus Before the Incarnation
Before he took on human flesh, the Son shared in the eternal glory of the triune God. In John 17:5, during what is often called the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prays, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” This declaration provides crucial insight into the preexistent glory of Christ. The Son was glorified in eternity past–before creation, before time–existing “in the form of God” (Philippians 2:6). His incarnation was not the beginning of his glory but its voluntary veiling.
When John writes, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), he underscores that even in his humanity, Jesus’ divine glory was evident. Though hidden from most eyes, the glory of God was revealed through his words, miracles, and compassion. His authority over nature, demons, disease, and death testified to his divine majesty. Yet, these radiant acts pointed toward an even greater glorification through his suffering and triumph.
The Glory Revealed Through the Cross
Paradoxically, the New Testament identifies the cross–the very symbol of humiliation–as the central event of Jesus’ glorification. In John 12:23, Jesus announces, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” The “hour” refers to his looming passion and crucifixion. For Jesus, death was not the loss of glory but the means by which divine love and justice were made visible. As he explains further, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). His being “lifted up” on the cross is both an act of suffering and exaltation.
In this sense, to say that Jesus was glorified through the cross is to affirm that his obedience unto death–“even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8)–was the ultimate revelation of divine mercy and holiness. The cross displayed the moral beauty of God’s nature more fully than any earthly miracle. Through it, humanity witnessed the depth of God’s wrath against sin and the height of his love for sinners. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” The face of the crucified and risen Jesus is the epiphany of divine glory.
The Resurrection and Ascension as the Fulfillment of Glory
Although Jesus’ glorification began in his obedience and self-sacrifice, it reached fulfillment in his resurrection and ascension. Peter declared in his Pentecost sermon that “God raised [Jesus] up, loosing the pangs of death” and then exalted him “at the right hand of God” (Acts 2:24, 33). The resurrection is the divine vindication of Christ’s person and work–the public affirmation that his death had satisfied God’s justice and conquered the power of sin. When God raised Jesus from the dead, he crowned the Son with glory and honor (Hebrews 2:9).
In Luke’s narration of the ascension, Jesus “was carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:51), fulfilling Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man coming “with the clouds of heaven” and being given dominion, glory, and a kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14). This exaltation is what Paul describes when he says that God “highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:9). Thus, the glorification of Jesus after the resurrection involves his elevation to divine authority and his enthronement as Lord over all creation.
Jesus himself linked this heavenly glorification to the coming of the Holy Spirit. In John 7:39, the evangelist comments, “the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” After Jesus ascended and was exalted to the Father’s right hand, he poured out the Holy Spirit upon his disciples, confirming that his glorification had been completed (Acts 2:33). As Luke records in The Acts of the Apostles, Jesus “showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days” and taught about “the kingdom of God” before commanding them to wait for “the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:3-4). The coming of the Spirit is therefore a direct manifestation of Christ’s glorification–the visible fruit of his completed redemptive work.
When Was Jesus Glorified?
From a temporal standpoint, the glorification of Jesus can be understood as a multi-stage reality. It was anticipated in his preexistence, manifested in his earthly life, climaxed in his passion, confirmed in his resurrection, and consummated in his ascension. Each of these stages reveals facets of the same divine truth: that the Son of God possesses supreme glory as Redeemer and Lord.
Jesus was glorified in eternity past (John 17:5), revealed in the incarnation (John 1:14), and paradoxically exalted through the cross (John 12:23-32). Yet he was fully glorified only when he rose from the dead and ascended to the Father’s right hand. This progression mirrors the pattern of divine humility and exaltation found in Philippians 2:5-11, where Paul portrays Christ’s descent into servanthood followed by his exaltation to lordship.
The Glorified Body of Jesus - The Witness of the Disciples to His Glory
The New Testament frequently bears witness to this glorification. Peter, James, and John experienced a preview of Jesus’ divine majesty on the Mount of Transfiguration, where “his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2). Peter later reflected on this event, saying, “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice” (2 Peter 1:16-18).
After the resurrection, the disciples recognized that every act of Jesus–his teaching, healing, suffering, and ascension–was a revelation of divine glory. As John closes his Gospel, he writes: “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25). This declaration echoes a truth found repeatedly across Scripture and theology, such that every action of Jesus revealed something of the infinite glory of God, though only part of it was ever recorded.
What It Means to Glorify Jesus
To glorify Jesus means to recognize, worship, and proclaim him as Lord. It is the act of ascribing to him the honor that rightly belongs to God alone. When believers praise his name, trust in his salvation, and live in obedience to his word, they participate in his eternal glory. As Paul taught, believers are being “transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Thus, the glorified Christ now shares his glory spiritually with those united to him by faith, though its fullness awaits the resurrection of the body.
Furthermore, glorifying Jesus involves acknowledging his unique status as the only way to God. As Jesus declared, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). His glorification thus magnifies the exclusivity of his redemptive role, demonstrating that salvation is found in no one else (Acts 4:12).
Conclusion: When Was Jesus Glorified?
Jesus was glorified in multiple senses–eternally as the divine Son, historically through his cross, resurrection, and ascension, and presently through his reign in heaven and the work of the Holy Spirit on earth. The glorification of Jesus is not merely an event in the past; it is a continuing reality that anchors Christian worship and hope.
Hebrews 10:19-23 calls believers to approach God with confidence because Jesus has opened the way through his flesh, adding, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” The glorified Christ is now both the mediator and sustainer of our faith, and his return will reveal his glory in its fullest measure (Revelation 19:11-16).
To affirm that Jesus was glorified, then, is to confess that the Father has revealed the Son as the Lord of life and the rightful object of all worship. In this unveiling, humanity witnesses not only the radiance of divine majesty but also the depths of divine love–a love that shines through the cross, triumphs in the resurrection, and reigns eternally.