Jesus was the lord of glory

JESUS WAS THE LORD OF GLORY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
1 Corinthians2:8 8None of the rulers of this age
understoodit, for if they had, they would not have
crucifiedthe LORD of glory.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
"the Lord Of Glory."
1 Corinthians 2:8
J.R. Thomson
When the Jews and the Roman governorunited in effecting the crucifixion of
the Lord Jesus, neitherparty to the proceeding can be said to have
understood and realized what was being done. The enemies and murderers of
the Prophet of Nazarethsaw neither the glory of his characterand person
more than very dimly, nor the glory of his redemption in any measure at all.
Jesus himself had declared, "Theyknow not what they do;" and Paul here
says that, had they known the counsels of God, they would not have crucified
Christ. This does not justify or excuse their act; for they certainly knew that
they were putting to a cruel death One who was innocent and just. Christ is
the Lord of glory -
I. IN RIGHT OF HIS OWN NATURE AND PERSON. This he himself
asserted, whenhe spoke of the glory which he had with the Fatherbefore the

world was. And such was the teaching of the apostles concerning him who was
"the Emanation, the Effulgence, of the Father's glory, and the very Image of
his substance."
II. IN VIRTUE OF THE CHARACTER OF HIS MINISTRYAND
SACRIFICE. It is true that the life of Jesus upon earth was accompaniedby
lowly circumstances, andwas not likely to dazzle the carnally minded. In his
incarnation he emptied himself of his glory and took the form of a slave. Yet
those who had eyes to see could look through the humiliation to the glory
behind and within. And they have left their witness on record: "We beheld his
glory, the glory as of the only begottenof the Father, full of grace and truth."
Spiritual discernment recognizedDivine glory even amidst the ignominy of
the awful death of the Redeemer.
III. BY HIS EXALTATION AND THE EVENTS THAT FOLLOWED IT.
The Resurrectionand Ascensionwere the completion of the work which was
begun by the Incarnation and the Sacrifice. If in the earlierof these
movements constituting the redemptive work the glory was hidden, in the
later it was conspicuouslyrevealed. Jesus arose"inthe glory of the Father;"
he ascended, "carrying captivity captive; "he shed forth the gifts of the Spirit
in royal profusion; he occupies his immortal throne. To his people he is the
eternal "King of glory."
IV. BECAUSE HE SECURES THE GLORIFICATION OF ALL HIS
PEOPLE. Christ is describedas "bringing many sons unto glory." The
context refers especiallyto "our glory," i.e. to the heavenly happiness, dignity,
and reign of those who have a part in Christ's redemption, who share his
conflict here, and to whom it is assuredthat they shall be partakers of his
majesty and of his dominion hereafter. The honour of Christ is bound up with
that of his people. It is not intended that they shall behold his majesty and
splendour from afar, as something to admire and to adore, but not to share.
On the contrary, his glory shall be reflectedupon them; as the Lord of glory,
he will admit them to participate in it, and this very participation shall be the
means of its enhancement. - T.

Biblical Illustrator
Which none of the princes of this world knew:for had they known it, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1 Corinthians 2:8, 9
Spiritual ignorance, evil, flood
D. Thomas, D. D.
I. THE CAUSE OF IMMENSE EVIL. These princes of the world, through
ignorance, "crucifiedthe Lord of glory."
1. A greatercrime than this was never perpetrated. It involved —(1) The
grossestinjustice. He was embodied virtue. His enemies and judges bore
testimony to His innocence.(2)The basestingratitude. He not only did no evil,
but "wentabout doing good."(3)Mostheartlesscruelty. They put Him to a
death the most ignominious and excruciating that infernal malignity could
desire.(4)Mostdaring impiety. Whom did they thus treat? "The Lord of
glory" (Psalm24:8). It is impious to trifle with His laws and rebel againstHis
throne, but how much more so to crucify the universal Lawgiver and King!
2. That this ignorance was the cause of this immense evil is evident.(1) Because
it is itself an evil, and like will produce like. There are two things necessaryto
knowledge — mind and means. When either of these is absent, ignorance is a
calamity, but when they are present it is a crime. These princes had both —
they were not idiots, and riley had means by which they could know Christ;
the Old TestamentScriptures, John the Baptist, Christ Himself. They need
not have been ignorant. Their ignorance was a sin, and sin, like virtue, is
propagated.(2)Had it not existed, such an evil could never have been
perpetrated.
II. THE OCCASION OF IMMENSE GOOD. This crucifixion introduced
things that "eye had never seen," &c., viz., God's love to the world and His
method of saving it; Divine pardon, spiritual purity, immortal hopes.
Conclusion:From this subject learn —

1. That the sinner is always engagedin accomplishing that which he never
intended. These "princes—(1)Ruined themselves. It brought upon them and
their country in this world tremendous judgments — and what in the world to
come? Sinner, what are you doing? You are ruining yourself, but you do not
intend it; but you are nevertheless doing it in the commissionof every sin.(2)
Executedthe plan of the greatGod. "Him being delivered," &c. God
overrules for good. So now, we have not to determine whether we shall serve
God or not; we have to determine how — by our will or againstit.
2. Whatevergooda man may accomplishcontrary to his intention is destitute
of all praiseworthiness. Whatoceans ofblessings come to our world through
the crucifixion! Yet who can ever praise the crucifiers?
3. That no man should actwithout an intelligent conceptionof what he is
doing. How many act from prejudice, custom, blind impulse! How few have a
right conceptionof what they are doing!
(D. Thomas, D. D.)
Ignorance of the truth
J. Lyth, D. D.
I. ITS AWFUL PREVALENCE.
1. It has abounded in all time.
2. Pervades allclasses.
II. ITS INJURIOUS EFFECTS.
1. It occasions the worstcrimes.
2. It led to the crucifixion of our Lord.
III. ITS FATAL ISSUE — destruction of both body and soul.
(J. Lyth, D. D.)

The guilt of man in crucifying the Lord of glory
J. Lyth, D. D.
Consider—
I. THE DEED.
II. ITS AGGRAVATION.
1. He was the Lord of glory.
2. Came from glory.
3. Conducts to glory — dwells in glory.
III. ITS UNMITIGATED GUILT. A sin of ignorance.
1. Nottherefore relieved, because the ignorance was wilful.
2. Notinevitable through the purpose of God, because had they known they
would not have done it.
(J. Lyth, D. D.)
Christ the Lord of glory
John Flavel.
I. THE ESSENTIALGLORY OF CHRIST, which He hath as God from
everlasting;which is unspeakable and inconceivable glory(Philippians 2:6).
He has a peerage orequality with His Father in glory (John 10:30). And
again, "All things that the Fatherhath are Mine(John 16:15), the same name,
the same nature, the same essentialproperties, the same will, and the same
glory.
II. THE MEDIATORIAL GLORY OF CHRIST is exceeding great. This is
proper to Him as the Head of the Church, which He hath purchased with His
own blood (Philippians 2:9, 10).

1. The fulness of grace inherent in Him. The humanity of Christ is filled with
grace, as the sun with light (John 1:14), excelling all the saints in spiritual
lustre and gracious excellencies.
2. The dignity and authority put upon Him. He is crowned King in Sion; all
powerin heavenand earth is given unto Him (Matthew 28:18), He is a Law-
giver to the Church (James 4:12).
3. Jesus Christshall have glory and honour ascribedto Him for evermore by
angels and saints, upon the accountof His mediatorial work;this some divines
call His passive glory, the glory which He is saidto receive from His redeemed
ones (Revelation5:8-10).Inferences;
1. How wonderful was the love of Christ, the Lord of Glory, to be so abased
and humbled as He was for us vile and sinful dust!
2. How transcendently glorious is the advancement of believers by their union
with the Lord of Glory!
3. Is Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory? Then, let no man count himself
dishonoured by suffering the vilest indignities for His sake.
4. Is Christ the Lord of Glory? How glorious then shall the saints one day be,
when they shall be made like this glorious Lord, and partake of His glory in
heaven! (John 17:22.)
5. How hath the devil blindfolded and deluded them that are frightened off
from Christ by the fears of being dishonoured by Him!
6. If Christ be the Lord of Glory, how carefulshould all be who profess Him
that they do not dishonour Jesus Christ, whose name is calledupon by them!
7. What delight should Christians take in their daily converse with Jesus
Christ in the way of duty!
8. If Christ be so glorious, how should believers long to be with Him, and
behold him in His glory above!
(John Flavel.)

Eye hath not seen... the things which God hath prepared for them that love
Him.
Spiritual blessings
J. Lyth, D. D.
I. LIE BEYOND THE RESEARCHES OF THE UNREGENERATE MIND.
They are —
1. Notseenby the observationof nature, providence, grace.
2. Notheard by the report of the preacher, &c.
3. Notconceivedby reason, speculation, inquiry.
II. ARE REVEALED TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD.
1. Much depends on the heart.
2. The revelation is glorious.
3. Is effectedby the Spirit.
4. Is completedin glory.
(J. Lyth, D. D.)
The excellencyand blessings of the gospel
F. A. West.
I. THE SUPERLATIVE EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL.
1. Its discoveries and blessings farexceedall human knowledge or
conception.(1)"Eye hath not seen." And yet by the eye we have surveyed
many of the works of God; and if we look upon ourselves, we discoverdisplays
of infinite wisdom, power, and goodness. All these are glorious discoveries;
but they saynot how, when, or why they were formed.(2) "Earhath not

heard." When sight is exhausted, we canstill drink in knowledge.But we
never heard how the spring of moral conduct might be purified, life and heart
made holy, and man be fitted for the societyof God. We never heard of such
powerful motives as the love of Christ, or such rich blessings as the beatitudes
on the mount.(3) "Norhath entered the heart of man," i.e., man never
imagined. Every man carries about with him an ideal world of his own. How
often have we attempted to paint to ourselves a characterjust such as we
should approve! But it never entered into the heart of man to conceive oftrue
dignity of character, orof the sources ofreal happiness as suited to the nature
of man.
2. The peculiar excellencyofthis gospelwill appear from —(1) The sublime
and interesting truth which it discovers. Briefly, the design of the gospelis to
raise man from the ruin of the fall — to washhim from sin — to adorn him
with righteousness — to inspire him with sublimity of thought and holiness of
affection— to lead him in all the paths of obedience, and finally to exalt him
to the societyof angels and fellowshipwith God. But who could have barely
thought of such a purpose? Who could have admitted the possibility of the
fact? The Divine Being was under no obligations to redeem man. All the
motive is revealedto us in the gospel, and is to be found in His own
unfathomable love. "Godso loved the world," &c. And who would ever have
conceivedof such a simple plan of communicating such blessings!"Believe on
the Lord," &c.(2)The pure and intense happiness it imparts. Even the
speculative knowledge ofthese truths raises man in the scale of intelligence.
But the gospeldoes more. The gospelcalms the tumult of passion, reconciles
man to God, and makes him to be at peace with himself. Now, "eye hath not
seen," &c. Some have had every advantage and opportunity of knowing this
subject, but they are still natural men. They cannotconceive how a man can
know his sins forgiven, nor of the joy and peace in believing. The natural man
doth not comprehend these things; and even believers do not form conceptions
sufficiently noble.(3) The happy and glorious prospects whichit unfolds.
Philosophy never found out a remedy for the fear of death. It points to a few
instances of apparent calmness and confidence. But it never fully met the evil.
Death, to it, has ever been dissembled. But Christianity reveals the immediate
consequencesofdeath, and then supplants the fearof death. Where will

philosophy show anything like the death of Stephen? And how is this to be
explained? (Acts 7:55.) And all in whom is the spirit of Stephen have the like
glorious prospects. But what are they? Nay, "Eye hath not seen," &c. The
grandestdescription is, that it is beyond all description. If we cannot know all
that God has prepared for us here, how can we conceive ofthe joys of heaven?
(John 3:12.) "We walk by faith, and not by sight!" We could not possibly
understand it; we have no powers of perception suited to such knowledge. Eye
hath not seenso glorious a body as that of the Transfiguration, the model of
ours; or so glorious a city as "that greatcity, the holy Jerusalem," &c. Ear
never heard strains so melting as those John heard — "the voice of harpers
harping with their harps." It never entered into the heart of man, the pure
and unsullied bliss of the redeemed(Revelation7:15-17).
II. THE CHARACTERS FOR WHOM THESE BLESSINGSARE
PREPARED.For"them that love Him." Considerthe love of God as —
1. A necessaryprinciple. Mere admiration will not suffice. The infidel may
admire the characterof the Creatoras impressedupon His works, and be
without even a desire to enjoy these blessings. Norwill a mere transient
impression of the passions be sufficient, such as is frequently felt whilst
contemplating gospeltruths, even as a matter of speculation. A consideration
of the love of God, the sufferings of Christ, &c., produces no permanent effect,
but is obliterated by the next consideration. Now this love of God is necessary.
"Without holiness no man shall see Him." Holiness is the image of God, and
"Godis love." These things are prepared only for them that keepHis
commandments, &c. But the whole law is comprisedin this, "Thoushalt
love," &c. Hence, "this is the love of God, that we keepHis commandments."
It is only the love of God that gives us the true knowledge ofHim. "He that
loveth not, knowethnot God, for God is love." This love of Godis essentialto
our enjoying God. No man can enjoy what he hates.
2. A Divine principle. No man loves God by nature. Nothing less than Divine
love can conquer this enmity of the human heart. A manifested principle. The
love of God is the love of holiness, for God is holy. And if we love God we shall
keepHis commandments. This love cannot possibly exist without influencing
the practice, and thus manifesting itself.

(F. A. West.)
The gospela revelation
W. Morris.
The "things" are the gospelin the wealth of its blessings, notonly for another
world, but also for this. The eye has seenmuch, the earhas heard much more
than the eye has seen, the heart pictures creations more wonderful still; but
such truths as the gospeldeclares belong to a higher world; they are the fruit
of God's hidden wisdom, His deepestthought. They are thus of necessitya
mystery to man. It never entered the heart of man that these things would
come —
I. FROM THE SOURCE THEY DID — from God. Man's ideas of God, apart
from revelation, sprang rather from his own heart than from the teaching of
nature, and therefore to imagine our salvationwould flow from the source it
did was impossible. After man sinned he changedGod into his own image and
likeness. The gods of the heathen consequently were perfectly destitute of
those properties from which the gospelblessings couldflow. They were
destitute of holiness — heathenism has its heroes, but it has no saints. They
were destitute of love, and were notorious for their cruelty and their lack of
tenderness.
II. IN THE WAY THEY DID. "As the heavens are higher than the earth,"
&c. The way God took to save the world — by the incarnation and death of
Immanuel — was so strange, that no one could imagine or dared imagine it
but Himself. Not only is it so greatthat man could not in his own strength
discoverit, but so greatthat, after being revealed, it baffles man to
comprehend it. The gospelis so Divine a conceptionthat it dazzles the wise of
this world into blindness. God's smallestthoughts, His thoughts in nature,
perplex man. What then about the thought He conceivedin the silence and
solitude of eternity?
III. TO THE DEGREE THEYDID. Paul consideredthe fact that Christ was
preachedto the Gentiles a sufficiently greatmystery to be put side by side

with the Incarnation. Sin makes man selfish. The Romans deemed all others
enemies, to be vanquished and made slaves;and once made slaves, they were
of less value in their eyes than the beasts which perish. The Greeks judgedall
others barbarians, who ought to be robbed and slain. The Jews likewisewere
animated by the spirit of exclusiveness — they deemed all others unclean and
worthless. Thoughour advantages are numerous and important, yet this truth
is not properly understood by many in our day. All are not willing, even in
this age, that the dew of God's blessing should fall outside their little garden.
The old objections are being revived, that to attempt to evangelise the heathen
is sheerwaste. Suchblind fatuity! The man who would try to stop the clouds
to rain and the sun to shine outside the fences of his tiny farm would be looked
upon as a lunatic. But his conduct were wisdom itself comparedwith that of
those who in the vanity of their speculations wouldleave certain races outside
the pale of civilisationand salvation. God's provision for the world is worthy
of the high source whence it emanated, and the strange instrumentality
whereby it was brought about, at once worthy of the infinite love and the
precious sacrifice. To provide for only one nation would not be worthy of
Him. Indeed, to provide sparingly for even the whole world would not be
according to His custom — plenteousness characterisesallHis acts. With such
fulness of grace in store, no one, be he who and where he may, need be lost.
(W. Morris.)
God's revelation of heaven
F. W. Robertson, M. A.
Note —
I. THE INABILITY OF THE LOWER PARTS OF HUMAN NATURE — the
natural man — TO APPREHEND THE HIGHER TRUTHS.
1. Eternal truth is not perceived through sensationorscience. "Eye hath not
seen."(1)There is a life of mere sensation.(a)The highestpleasure of sensation
comes through the eye. The Corinthians could appreciate this. Theirs was the
land of beauty. They read the apostle's letter, surrounded by the purest

conceptions ofArt. Let us not depreciate what God has given. There is a joy in
contemplating the manifold forms in which the All Beautiful has concealed
His essence.It is a pure delight to see.(b)But the eye can only reachthe finite
beautiful. It does not scan"the King in His beauty, nor the land that is very
far off." And the visible is perishable beauty — not the eternal loveliness for
which our spirits pant. Therefore Christ came not in the glory of form; "He
had no form nor comeliness,"&c.;"there was no beauty that they should
desire Him." The eye did not behold, even in Christ, the things which God had
prepared.(c) This is an eternal truth. This verse is quoted as if "the things
prepared" meant heaven. But the world of which Paul speaks Godhath
revealed, only not to eye nor ear. In heaven this shall be as true as now. The
pure in heart will see God, but never with the eye; only in the same way, but
in a different degree, that they see Him now.(2)Again, no scientific analysis
can discoverthe truths of God. Science proceeds upon observation.
Experiment is the testof truth. Now, you cannot, by searching, find out the
Almighty to perfection, nor a single one of the blessedtruths He has to
communicate.
1. It is in vain that we ransack the world for probable evidences of God, and
idle to look into the materialism of man for the revelationof his immortality;
or to examine the morbid anatomy of the body to find the rule of right. If a
man go to the eternal world with convictions of eternity, the resurrection,
God, alreadyin his spirit, he will find abundant corroborations of that which
he already believes. But if God's existence be not thrilling every fibre of his
heart, if the immortal be not already in him as the proof of the resurrection, if
the law of duty be not stamped upon his soul as an eternaltruth, science will
never reveal these, the physician comes awayfrom the laboratoryan infidel.
Eye hath not seenthe truths which are clearenough to love and to the spirit.
2. Eternal truth is not reachedby hearsay — "Earhath not heard."(1)No
revelation canbe adequatelygiven by the address of man to man. For all such
revelation must be made through words, the mere coins of intellectual
exchange. There is as little resemblance betweenthe coinand the bread it
purchases, as betweenthe word and the thing it stands for. Looking at the
coin, the form of the loaf does not suggestitself. Listening to the word, you do
not perceive the idea for which it stands, unless you are already in possession

of it. Speak of ice to an inhabitant of the torrid zone, the word does not give
him an idea, or if it does, it must be a false one. Talk of blueness to one who
cannot distinguish colours, whatcan your most eloquent description present
to him resembling the truth of your sensation? Similarly in matters spiritual,
no verbal revelationcan give a single simple idea. For instance, what means
justice to the unjust, or purity to the licentious? What does infinitude mean to
a being who has never stirred beyond a cell? Talk of God to a thousand ears,
eachhas his own different conception. The sensualman hears of God, and
understands one thing. The pure man hears and conceivesanotherthing.(2)
See what a hearsayreligion is. There are men who believe on authority. Their
minister believes all this Christianity true; therefore so do they. He calls this
doctrine essential;they echo it. They have heard with the hearing of the ear
that God is love, that the ways of holiness are ways of pleasantness.But the
Corinthian philosophers heard Paul; the Pharisees heardChrist. How much
did the ear convey? He alone believes truth who feels it. He alone has a
religion whose soulknows by experience that to serve God and know Him is
the richesttreasure.
3. Truth is not discoverable by the heart — "neither have enteredinto the
heart of man— the powerof imagining, and the powerof loving.(1)It is a
grand thing when thought bursts into flame, or when a great law of the
universe reveals itself to the mind of genius, or when the truths of human
nature shape themselves forth in the creative fancies ofthe poet. But the most
etherealcreations offancy were shapedby a mind that could read the life of
Christ, and then blaspheme the Adorable. Some of the truest and deepest
utterances ever spokencame from one whose life was from first to last selfish.
The highest astronomerof this age refused to recognise the Cause of causes.
The mighty heart of genius had failed to reachthe things which God imparts
to a humble spirit.(2) The heart of man has the power of affection. The highest
moment known on earth by the merely natural, is that in which the
mysterious union of heart with heart is felt. Yet this attains not to the things
prepared by God. Human love is but the faint type of that surpassing
blessednesswhichbelongs to those who love God.
II. THE NATURE AND LAWS OF REVELATION.

1. Revelationis made by a Spirit to a spirit. Christ is the voice of God without
the man — the Spirit is the voice of God within. The highestrevelation is not
made by Christ, for He said, "The Spirit shall take of Mine and shall show it
unto you." And therefore it is written here — "The Spirit searchesallthings,
yea, the deep things of God." Now the Spirit of God lies touching, as it were,
the soulof man. They mingle. The spiritual in man, by which he might become
a recipient of God, may be dulled, deadened, by a life of sense, but in this
world never lost. All that is wanted is to become consciousofthe nearness of
God. God has placed men here to feelafter Him if haply they may find Him,
albeit He be not far from any one of them.
2. The condition upon which this revelation is made to men is love. These
things are "prepared for them that love Him," or revealedto those who have
the mind of Christ.(1) Love to man may mean love to his person, or it may
mean simply pity. Love to God canonly mean love to His character:e.g., God
is purity. And to be pure in thought and look is to love God. God is love —
and to love men till private attachments have expanded into a philanthropy
which embraces all, is to love God. God is truth. To be true — to hate every
form of falsehood— to live a brave, true, real life — that is to love God. God
is infinite — and to love the boundless, reaching on from grace to grace, and
rising upwards everto see the ideal still above us, aiming insatiably to be
perfect even as the Father is perfect — that is love to God.(2) This love is
manifested in obedience.(a)"He that hath My commandments and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth Me," &c. We remember the Roman commander who
forbade an engagementwith the enemy, and the transgressorwas his own son.
He acceptedthe challenge of the leader of the other host, slew, spoiled him,
and then in triumph carried the spoils to his father's tent. But the Roman
father refused to recognise the instinct which prompted this as deserving of
the name of love — disobedience contradictedit and deserveddeath: weak
sentiment, what was it worth? So with God — strong feelings, warm
expressions, variedinternal experience coexisting with disobedience, God
counts not as love.(b) To love, adoring and obedient, God reveals His truth. As
in the natural, so in the spiritual world. By compliance with the laws of the
universe we put ourselves in possessionof its blessings. Obeythe laws of
health and you obtain health. Arm yourselves with the laws of nature, and you

may call down the lightning from the sky. In the same way there are laws in
the world of Spirit, by compliance with which God's Spirit comes into the soul
with all its revelations. "The secretofthe Lord is with them that fearHim."
"No man hath seenGod at any time." "If we love one another, God dwelleth
in us." "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine."(c)These
laws are universal and invariable. There is no favourite child of nature who
may hold the fire-ball in the hollow of his hand and trifle with it without being
burnt; there is no selectedchild of grace who canlive an irregular life without
unrest; or be proud, and at the same time have peace;or indolent, and receive
fresh inspiration; or remain unloving and cold, and yet see and hear and feel
the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him. And if obedience
were entire and love were perfect, then would the revelation of the Spirit to
the soulof man be perfect too.
(F. W. Robertson, M. A.)
Heaven
C. H. Spurgeon.
Every prophet who has stoodupon the borders of a new dispensationmight
have uttered these words. Abraham might have lookedforwardto the Mosaic
dispensation, &c., and have turned to his brethren who lived in the
patriarchal age, and said, "Eye hath not seen," &c. At the close of the
Levitical dispensationthe prophets might have thus spokenof the coming
glories. And now we stand on the borders of a new era. But persons are
curious to know what kind of dispensationthe millennial one is to be. Will the
temple be erectedin Jerusalem? Will the Jews be positively restoredto their
own land? &c. We cannot answer. "Eye hath not seen," &c. And this brings
us to make the application of the subject to heaven itself.
I. WHAT HEAVES IS NOT.
1. It is not a heavenof the senses.(1)"Eye hath not seenit." What glorious
things the eye hath seen!Have we not seenthe gaudy pageantryof pomp
crowding the gay streets? We hearof the magnificence of the old Persian

princes, of palaces coveredwith gold and silver, and floors inlaid with jewels;
but we cannot thence gather a thought of heaven, for "eye hath not seen" it.
We have thought, however, when we have come to the works ofGod, surely
we can get some glimpse of what heaven is here. By night we have turned our
eye up to the stars, and we have said, "If this earth has such a glorious
covering, what must that of heaven be?" At another time we have seensome
glorious landscape, and said, "Surelythese grandeurs must be something like
heaven." It was all a mistake — "Eye hath not seen" it.(2) "The ear hath not
heard" it. Have we not sometimes heard the sweetvoice of the messengerof
God when he has by the Spirit spokento our souls!We knew something of
heaven then, we thought. We have heard music, whether poured from the
lungs of man — that noblestinstrument in the world — or from some
manufacture of harmony, and we have thought, "This is what John meant by
the voice like many waters, and the voice of harpers harping with their
harps." But we made a mistake. "Earhath not heard" it.(3) Others look upon
it as a place where they shall be free from bodily pain, and where they will eat
to the full and be satisfied. What a mistake!We can get no conceptions of
heaven through the senses;they must always come through the Spirit.
2. It is not a heavenof the imagination. Poets lettheir imaginations fly with
loosenedwings, orthe preacherweaves the filigree work of fancy, and you
say, "It is sweetto hear that man speak;he made me think I was there." But
imagination, when it is most sublime, and freestfrom the dust of earth, and
kept steadyby the most extreme caution, cannot picture heaven. "It hath not
entered the heart of man," &c. Your imaginary heavenyou will find by and
by to be all a mistake.
3. It is not a heavenof the intellect. Men describe heavenas a place where we
shall know all things, and their grandestidea is that they shall discoverall
secrets there. But "It hath not entered into the heart of man."
II. "HE HATH REVEALED IT UNTO US BY HIS SPIRIT." This means that
it was revealedunto the apostles by the Spirit, so that they wrote something of
it in the Holy Word. We think also that it means that every believer has
glimpses of heaven by the influence of the Spirit. A Christian gets a gaze of
what heaven is —

1. When in the midst of trials and troubles he is able to castall his care upon
the Lord, because He carethfor him. Heaven is something like that — a place
of holy calm and trust.
2. In the seasonofquiet contemplation, for the joys of heaven are akin to the
joys of contemplation.
3. At. the Lord's table. You getso near the Cross there that your sight
becomes clearer, andthe air brighter, and you see more of heaven there than
anywhere else.
4. When we assemble in our meetings for prayer.
5. In extraordinary closetseasons.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Heaven
T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.
The city of Corinth has been called the Paris of antiquity. Indeed, for
splendour, the world holds no such wonder to-day. The commerce ofall
nations passedthrough her ports; the mirth of all people sported in her
Isthmian games, and the beauty of all lands walkedher porticos, and threw
itself on the altar of her stupendous dissipations. Column and statue and
temple bewilderedthe beholder. And the best music from the best instruments
in the world resounded in her theatres. It was not to rustics who had never
seenor heard anything grand that Paul uttered this text, and it was a bold
thing for him to stand there amid all that and say, "All this is nothing; eye
hath not seen," &c. We canin this world get no idea of —
I. THE HEALTH OF HEAVEN. When you were a child you had never felt
sorrow or sickness. Perhaps lateryou felt a glow in your cheek, and a spring
in your step, and an exuberance of spirits, and a clearness ofeye, that made
you thank God you were permitted to live. You thought that you knew what it
was to be well, but the most elastic and robust health of earth, compared with

that of heaven, is nothing but sicknessand emaciation. Look at that soul
standing before the throne. On earth she was a life-long invalid. See her step
now, and hear her voice now. Health in all the pulses! Health of vision; health
of spirits; immortal health. No racking cough, no consuming fevers, no
exhausting pains, no hospitals of wounded men. That child that died in the
agonies ofcroup, hear her voice now ringing in the anthem. That old man that
went bowed down with the infirmities of age, see him walk now with the step
of an immortal athlete — for ever young again. To have neither ache, nor
pain, nor weakness, norfatigue. "Eye hath not seenit — ear hath not heard
it."
II. THE SPLENDOUR OF HEAVEN. John tries to describe it, and as we look
through his telescope we see a blaze of jewellery, a mountain of light, a
cataractofcolour, a sea of glass, and a city like the sun. John bids us look
again, and we see thrones; thrones of the prophets, patriarchs, angels,
apostles, martyrs, throne of Jesus — throne of God. John bids us look again,
and we see the greatprocessionofthe redeemedpassing. "Eye hath not seen
it, earhath not heard it." Skim from the summer waters the brightest
sparkles, and you will get no idea of the sheenof the everlasting sea. Pile up
the splendours of earthly cities and they would not make a stepping-stone by
which you might mount to the city of God. Every house is a palace. Every step
a triumph. Every meal is a banquet. Every day is a jubilee, every hour a
rapture, and every moment an ecstasy.
III. THE RE-UNIONS OF HEAVEN. If you have ever been across the seas,
and met a friend in some strange city, you remember how your blood thrilled,
and how glad you were to see him. What then will be our joy to meet in the
bright city of the sun those from whom we have long been separated. In this
world we only meet to part. It is good-bye, good-bye. But not so in heaven.
Welcomes in the air, at the gates, atthe house of many mansions — but no
good-bye.
IV. THE SONG OF HEAVEN. There is nothing more inspiriting to me than a
whole congregationlifted up on the wave of holy melody. But, my friends, if
music on earth is so sweetwhat will it be in heaven! They all know the tune
there. All the best singers of all the ages willjoin it — choirs of white-robed

children! choirs of patriarchs! choirs of apostles!Harpers with their harps.
David of the harp will be there. Gabriel of the trumpet will be there.
(T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.)
The things which God has prepared
J. Lyth, D. D.
I. THEIR NATURE.
1. The mysteries of the gospelsalvation.
2. Extending into the eternalfuture.
II. THEIR TRANSCENDENTVALUE.
1. Worthy of God.
2. Surpassing all human comprehension.
III. THEIR PARTICIPATION — depends on love to God.
(J. Lyth, D. D.)
The things prepared and their enjoyment
J. P. Chown.
I. THE THINGS PREPARED.Suggesting —
1. The Divine forethought, and the infinite fulness and carefulness ofGod's
love for His children. Remember:(1) How the world was prepared before man
came upon it.(2) How God prepared a body in which Christ should be one
with us, die to be our Saviour, and ascendto hold the sceptre of the
universe.(3) How Christ reminded His disciples that the dignities of the
kingdom were only for those for whom it is prepared of the Father.(4)How

He went to prepare a place for us, and sent the Spirit to prepare us for the
place.
2. The Divine treasury. The figure suggestsa vast building over whose portals
we read, "Ask and it shall be given," &c. — a building divided into so many
stores of Divine love. Let us open their doors.(1)One contains the "purposes"
of the Divine love, delivering mercy, sustaining grace — purposes that no need
can exhaust, no oppositionthwart, no eternity unfold.(2) Another "promises"
Divinely —
(a)Simple, little children can understand them.
(b)Profound, angels cannotfathom them.
(c)Certain, for "heavenand earth shall pass away," &c.
(d)Sweetand rich, "sweeterthan a honeycomb," and "more precious than
gold."(3)Divine "provisions— the mercy-seatwhere we obtain grace to help;
the Cross, its cleansing fount, infinite ransom, Divine righteousness;the
Lord's Table.(4)The "fulness" that is treasuredup in Christ — fulness of
grace to pardon, of merit to atone, of strength to sustain, of glory to
reward.(5)Things prepared in the ministry of the Holy Spirit — regeneration,
comfort, sanctification.(6)Glories thatawaitus hereafter — the "crown" of
triumph, the "harp" of praise, the "mansion" of repose and blessing, the
"living fountain" of joy.
II. THE REVELATION OF THE SPIRIT IN WHICH THESE THINGS ARE
MADE MANIFEST TO US.
1. Striking thought! God takes men into His confidence about matters that
human reasoncould never fathom. It was so with Abraham. "Shall I hide,"
&c. Amos declares thatthe Lord will hide nothing, but will revealHis secret
unto His servants. In proportion to our intimacy with Godthe Divine
purposes will be made plain to us. "The secretof the Lord is with them that
fear Him." The disciples pleaded with John, who reclined on his Master's
bosom, to ask Him a secretwhich they did not venture to ask themselves. He
lived so much nearerto Christ, and therefore had more of His secret. We
deprive ourselves ofunspeakable blessings in regard to God's dealings in

providence from our failure to recognise God's hand in every gift. And God's
children should feelthat in regard to the mysteries of the world around they
shall have light resting on their path, and truth revealedby the indwelling
Spirit which enables them to trust where others cannot. The man that is
nearestthe sun will have most of light, and the man who lives nearestthe
throne will have deeper draughts of the waterof life that proceeds therefrom.
2. As to the revelationby the Spirit of Divine things, take the case ofSimeon,
unto whom it had been revealedby the Holy Ghost that he should not die until
he had seenthe Christ. How long he waited for the consolationofIsrael!But
at last it came. So God may have revealedto you in His Word and by His
Spirit truths that have yet to come in their Divine significance and power.
Wait patiently; God's time is always the best. Take the case ofPeter who,
when all were dumb before "Whom say ye that I am?" receivedat once a
revelation that Jesus was the Christ, &c. You may say "We are not Simeons
or Peters." No;but remember how Christ thanked God that the things
withheld from the wise and prudent were revealedunto babes, i.e., babes in
spiritual experience. But even to your children, who shall say at how early an
age God, by His Spirit, shall reveal the truth? Remember Samuel.
III. THE CONDITION ESSENTIALTO THE RECEPTIONOF THE
BLESSING. "Beholdwhatmanner of love the Father hath bestowedon us—
there is the origin of all Christian love." The love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost— that is the next step. Then we are the children of
God, and the Spirit beareth witness with our spirits, &c. Then the circle is
complete. And the Divine love thus enjoyed must manifest itself in self-
sacrificing love to men.
(J. P. Chown.)
The things prepared for a prepared people
Richard Newton, D. D.
The apostle here is quoting from Isaiah64:4, and only intends to give the
generalsense ofthe passage. Bothpassagesare .generallyusedas referring to

the heavenly state, but we canonly apply them thus by accommodation. Yet
this is a legitimate application. For if the text is true of our imperfect
condition of privilege in this life, much more will it be true as applied to that
perfection of bliss that awaits us in the life to come. You cannotjudge of the
real merits of a story till you see how it ends. You cannotdecide about the
value of a caskettill it is openedand you see the jewels which it enshrines. You
cannot pronounce on a campaigntill you see what fruits result from its hard-
fought battlefields. And so, in estimating the real worth of redemption, we can
only form an approximate judgment of it in this life. There are three points of
view from which we may contemplate our portion for the future, as setbefore
us in the text.
I. THE PLAIN AND POSITIVE VIEW. "Things prepared."
1. "Things" plural — not one element of joy, but many. It is a caricature of
heaven when psalm-singing is representedas its chief occupation. A wonderful
variety marks the imagery of the Bible as to the heavenly state — "a city that
hath foundations," "the marriage supper of the Lamb," being "presentwith
Christ, and beholding His glory," is being made "like Him," &c. These varied
expressions suggestthat our heaven will be a condition of being in which the
mind, with its large desires, its deathless cravings, and the soul, with all the
warmth of its affections and sympathies, will find the fullest scope for their
development. As the vine puts forth its tendrils, and finds something to cling
to for its support and growth; so, doubtless, will all the innocent tastes and
longings of our renewednature find in the heavenly state that which answers
to their wants, "prepared," as a trellis, to which they may cling, and in
clinging to which they will find their delight.
2. And these are not things thrown togetherat haphazard. They are
"prepared things." How eloquent all nature is as to the teachings ofthis word!
Note the wonderful care with which God has "prepared" for the wants of
every tree, animal, bird, and fish; yea, for every worm; just that which will
best meet its wants and minister to its comfort. Then, when we think of the
souls God has redeemedat the price of His Son's death, to whom His love has
flowed out in a deeper channel than to any other of His creatures, whomHe
deigns to saythat they are to be His portion; when we think of "the things

prepared" for them in their final home, what shall we say? How shall we put
limits to the extent to which His power, wisdom, and goodness willgo in
seeking to promote their happiness?
II. A NEGATIVE OR COMPARATIVE VIEW. Heaven's happiness is such as
"eye hath not seen," &c., orto which all the eye hath seen, &c., bears no
proportion.
1. It is clearly the inferential teaching of the text, that "the things prepared"
exceedin glory all that we are familiar with in this outer creation.(1)And the
eye sees wondrous beauty as it ranges through the world of nature. But there
is no comparisonbetweenwhat the eye sees here and "the things prepared"
for God's people in the future.(2) And then the earopens an avenue to another
world of enjoyment peculiarly its own. Yet the highest rapture of the most
gifted musician through the organ of hearing bears no comparisonto the joy
the redeemedwill experience in "the things which God has prepared for
them."(3) And then the imagination has a wondrous powerto call into
existence worlds of beauty and loveliness all its own. But when you put these
things together— all that the eye can see, &c., ofthat which is beautiful or
grand — they will be infinitely surpassedby "the things prepared" by God as
the future portion of His people.
2. And there is something very sweetin the thought of this instituted
connection, betweenthese glories spreadover the face of nature and that
blessedhome which Jesus is preparing for us. It shows how God means that
the one should remind us of the other. The JewishRabbis inform us "that
when Josephhad gatheredmuch corn in Egypt he threw the chaff into the
Nile, that so flowing down to the neighbouring cities, and nations more
remote, it might bear witness to them of the store of goodthings garnered up
in the treasure cities of Egypt." And so God, to make us know what glory
there is in heaven, has thrown some husks to us here, that we might draw out
our inferences. If we find so much of glory spread over earthly things, what
may we expect to find in those that are heavenly? If He give us so much in the
land of our pilgrimage, what will He not give us in our own country? If He can
lavish so much on His enemies what will He not reserve for His friends?

III. THE PERSONALVIEW. "Forthem that love Him." These things are
designedfor a "prepared" people. The preparation on the one side is just as
necessaryas that on the other. What is the use of preparing a feastunless you
know that the guests those who are to be admitted to it can see;of preparing a
grand concertunless will have appetites; of arranging the paintings of a
splendid gallery unless the audience can hear? The glorious things of the
future are prepared for a people who love God. The planting of this love in the
heart is the greatpersonalpreparation for heaven that we need. The necessity
for this is absolute. "Excepta man be born again, He., he cannotsee the
kingdom of God." These two things — love to God, and a new birth — always
go together.
(Richard Newton, D. D.)
Love
Principal Edwards.
is the eye that sees, the ear that hears, the heart that realises the things of God
(cf. 1 Corinthians 13:8, 12;Ephesians 3:18).
(Principal Edwards.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(8) They would not have crucified.—The conductof the princes and rulers of
this world, alike Jewishand Gentile, illustrates and proves the previous
assertion(John 8:19; John 19:9).
Lord of glory.—In striking contrastto the ignominy of the crucifixion.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
2:6-9 Those who receive the doctrine of Christ as Divine, and, having been
enlightened by the Holy Spirit, have lookedwellinto it, see not only the plain
history of Christ, and him crucified, but the deep and admirable designs of
Divine wisdomtherein. It is the mystery made manifest to the saints, Col1:26,
though formerly hid from the heathen world; it was only shown in dark types
and distant prophecies, but now is revealedand made knownby the Spirit of
God. Jesus Christis the Lord of glory; a title much too great for any creature.
There are many things which people would not do, if they knew the wisdomof
God in the greatwork of redemption. There are things God hath prepared for
those that love him, and wait for him, which sense cannotdiscover, no
teaching can conveyto our ears, nor canit yet enter our hearts. We must take
them as they stand in the Scriptures, as God hath been pleasedto revealthem
to us.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Which none of the princes - None of those rulers who were engagedin the
crucifixion of the Messiah, referring both to the Jewishrulers, and the Roman
governor.
Knew - They did not perceive or appreciate the excellencyof his character,
the wisdomof his plan, the glory of his scheme of salvation. Their ignorance
arose from not understanding the prophecies, and from an unwillingness to be
convinced that Jesus of Nazarethhad been truly sent by God. In Acts 3:17,
Petersays that it was through ignorance that the Jews hadput him to death;
see the note on this place.
For had they known it - Had they fully understood his character, and seenthe
wisdom of his plan, and his work, they would not have put him to death; see
the note on Acts 3:17. Had they seenthe hidden wisdom in that plan - had
they understood the glory of his real character, the truth respecting his
incarnation, and the fact that he was the long expectedMessiahof their
nation, they would not have put him to death. It is incredible that they would

have crucified their Messiah, knowing and believing him to be such. They
might have known it but they were unwilling to examine the evidence. They
expecteda different Messiah, and were unwilling to admit the claims of Jesus
of Nazareth. For This ignorance, however, there was no excuse. If they did not
have a full knowledge,it was their own fault. Jesus had performed miracles
which were a complete attestationto his divine missionJohn 5:36; John 10:25;
but they closedtheir eyes on those works, and were unwilling to be convinced
- God always gives to people sufficient demonstrationof the truth, but they
close their eyes, and are unwilling to believe. This is the sole reasonwhy they
are not converted to God and saved.
They would not have crucified - It is perfectly manifest that the Jews would
not have crucified their own Messiah, "knowing him to be such." He was the
hope and expectationof their nation. All their desires were centeredin him.
And to him they lookedfor deliverance from all their foes.
The Lord of glory - This expressionis a Hebraism, and means "the glorious
Lord;" or the "Messiah."Expressions like this, where a noun performs the
office of an adjective, are common in the Hebrew language - Grotius supposes
that the expressionis taken from that of "the King of glory," in Psalm 24:7-9 -
Lift up your heads, O ye gates,
Be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors,
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
Jehovah, strong and mighty.
Jehovah, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Lift them up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.
continued...

Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
8. Which—wisdom. The strongestproofof the natural man's destitution of
heavenly wisdom.
crucified … Lord of glory—implying the inseparable connectionof Christ's
humanity and His divinity. The Lord of glory (which He had in His ownright
before the world was, Joh 17:4, 24) was crucified.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Which none of the princes of this world knew;which Divine wisdom neither
Caiaphas, nor Pontius Pilate, nor any considerable number of the rulers of
this age, whetheramongstthe Jews oramongstthe heathens, understood,
though they heard of it.
For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; for if
they had so known it, as to have believed and been persuadedof it, they would
never have nailed to the cross thatperson, who was the Head and Fountain of
it, and the Lord of glory; both with respectto his Divine nature, as to which
he was God blessedfor ever, and also as Mediator, being the Author of glory
to those who believe. Norwould this ignorance atall excuse their crucifying of
Christ, because it was not invincible, they had means sufficient by which they
might have come to the knowledge ofhim, and have understood what he was;
so as their ignorance was affectedand voluntary.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Which none of the princes of this world knew,....Meaning not the devils, as
some have thought, who had they known what God designedto do by the
death of Christ, would never have been concernedin bringing it about; nor so
much the political governors of the Roman empire, particularly in Judea, as
Herod and Pontius Pilate, who also were entirely ignorant of it; but rather the
ecclesiasticalrulers of the Jewishchurch state, called, "this world", in
distinction from , "the world to come", ortimes of the Messiah;see Hebrews
2:5 such as the priests, Scribes, and Pharisees,the Rabbins and learned

doctors. These knew nothing of the wisdom of the Gospel, or the wise counsels
of God concerning salvationby Christ; they knew not the Messiahwhenhe
came, nor the prophecies concerning him; the Jews and their rulers did what
they did through ignorance, and fulfilled those things they knew nothing of;
see Acts 3:17.
for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. They
would have received him, believed in him, and not put him to death: a very
greatcharacteris here given of Christ, "the Lord of glory", or the glorious
Jehovah;reference seems to be had to Psalm24:7 where he is called, "the
King of glory", and is an argument of his true and proper deity: he is so called
because possessedof all glorious perfections, and is the brightness of his
Father's glory; the same honour and glory are due to him as to the Father;
and the same ascriptions of glory are made to him by angels and men. This is
an instance of what the ancients call a communication of idioms or properties,
whereby that which belongs to one nature in Christ, is predicated of his
person, as denominated from the other: thus here the crucifixion of him,
which properly belongs to his human nature, and that to his body only, is
spokenof his person, and that as denominated from his divine nature, "the
Lord of glory"; and he being so, this rendered his crucifixion, sufferings, and
death, in human nature, efficacious to answerall the purposes for which they
were endured.
Geneva Study Bible
{7} Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they
would not have crucified the {h} Lord of glory.
(7) He takes awayanotherobjection: why then, how comes it to pass that this
wisdom was so rejectedby men of the highest authority, that they crucified
Christ himself? Paul answers:because they did not know Christ such as he
was.
(h) That mighty God, full of true majestyand glory: now this place has in it a
most evident proof of the divinity of Christ, and of the joining of the two
natures in one in him, which has this in it, that which is proper to the
manhood alone is confirmed of the Godheadjoined with the manhood. This

type of speechis called, by the old fathers, a making common of things
belonging to someone with another to whom they do not belong.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
1 Corinthians 2:8. Ἥν] Parallelwith the preceding ἥν, and referring to Θεοῦ
σοφίαν(Calvin, Grotius, and most commentators, including Flatt, Rückert, de
Wette, Osiander, Hofmann), not to δόξ. ἡμῶν (Tertullian, contra Marc. v. 6,
Camerarius, Pott, Billroth, Maier); for the essentialpoint in the whole context
is the non-recognitionof that wisdom.[366]
εἰ γὰρ ἔγνωσαν κ.τ.λ[367]]parentheticalproof from fact for what has been
just asserted;for the ἀλλά in 1 Corinthians 2:9 refers to ἫΝ ΟὐΔΕῚς …
ἜΓΝΩΚΕΝ. The crucifixion of Christ, seeing that it was effectedby Jewish
and heathen rulers together, is here consideredas the act of the ἄρχ. τ. αἰῶν.
collectively.
τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης] Christ is the Lord, and, inasmuch as His qualitative
characteristic conditionis that of the divine glory in heaven, from which He
came and to which He has returned (John 17:5; Luke 24:26;Php 3:20 f.;
Colossians 3:1-4, al[368]), the Lord of glory. Comp Jam 2:1. In a precisely
analogous wayGodis called, in Ephesians 1:17, Ὁ ΠΑΤῊΡ Τῆς ΔΌΞΗς.
Comp Acts 7:2; Psalm 24:7; Hebrews 9:5. In all these passagesthe expression
of the adjectivalnotion by the genitive has rhetorical emphasis. Comp
Hermann, a[372]Viger. p. 887. This designationof Christ, however, is
purposely chosenby wayof antithesis to ἐσταύρωσαν; for Ὁ ΣΤΑΥΡῸς
ἈΔΟΞΊΑς ΕἾΝΑΙ ΔΟΚΕῖ, Chrysostom. Had the ἌΡΧΟΝΤΕς knownthat
ΣΟΦΊΑ ΘΕΟῦ, then they would also have knownChrist as what He is, the
ΚΎΡΙΟς Τῆς ΔΌΞΗς, and would have receivedand honoured instead of
shamefully crucifying Him. But what was to them wisdom was simply nothing
more than selfish worldly prudence and spiritual foolishness;in accordance

with it Annas and Caiaphas, Pilate and Herod, acted. Comp., generally, Luke
23:34;Acts 3:17.
[366]The simple uniform continuation of the discourse by ἥν has a solemn
emphasis here, as in Acts 4:10, and especiallyoftenin the Epistle to the
Ephesians. All the less reasonis there for taking it, with Hofmann, as
equivalent in this verse to ταύτην(Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 243 [E. T. 282]),
and as introducing a new principal sentence. The asyndetic similar co-
ordination of severalrelative clauses is, from Homer onward (see Ameis on
the Odyss. xxiii. 299, append.), a very common usage in the classicsalso.
[367].τ.λ. καὶ τὰ λοιπά.
[368]l. and others; and other passages;and other editions.
[372]d refers to the note of the commentatoror editor named on the
particular passage.
Expositor's Greek Testament
1 Corinthians 2:8. ἣν οὐδεὶς κ.τ.λ.:“which (wisdom) none of the rulers of this
age has perceived”—allblind to the significance of the rise of Christianity.—
ἔγνωκεν, a pf., approaching the pr[351] sense (novi) which f1οἶδα had
reached, but implying, as that does not, a process—hascome to know, won the
knowledge of.—οἱ ἄρχοντες κ.τ.λ., repeatedwith emphasis from 1 Corinthians
2:6—sc. “the rulers of this (great)age,” ofthe world in its length of history
and fulness of experience (see 1 Corinthians 10:11, and note; cf. Ephesians
1:10; Ephesians 3:5, Romans 16:25 f.). The leaders ofthe time showed
themselves miserably ignorant of God’s plans and ways in dealing with the
world they ruled; “for if they had known, they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory”. The Lord of glory is He in whom “our glory” (1 Corinthians

2:7) has its manifestationand guarantee—firstin His earthly, then in His
heavenly estate (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:43;1 Corinthians 15:49).—τῆς δόξης,
gen[352]ofcharacterising quality (cf. Ephesians 1:17, Acts 7:2). This glory of
the Sonof Godthe disciples saw (John 1:14); of it believers now partake
(Romans 8:29 f.), and will partake in full hereafter(2 Corinthians 3:18, Php
3:21, etc.), when it culminates in a universal dominion (1 Corinthians 15:23-
29, Php 2:9 ff., Hebrews 1). Paul’s view of Christ always shone with “the glory
of that light” in which he first saw Him on the road to Damascus (Acts 22:11).
Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, Pilate and the Roman court (cf. Acts 13:27 f., 1
Timothy 6:13) saw nothing of the splendour clothing the Lord Jesus as He
stoodbefore them; so knowing, they could not have crucified Him. The
expressionκύριος τῆς δόξης is no syn[353]for Christ’s Godhead;it signifies
the entire grandeur of the incarnate Lord, whom the world’s wise and great
sentencedto the cross. Theirignorance was a partial excuse (see Luke 23:34,
Acts 13:27); but it was guilty, like that of Romans 1:18 f. The crucifiers fairly
representedworldly governments. Mark the paradox, resembling Peter’s in
Acts 3:15 : “Crux servorum supplicium—eo Dominum gloriæ affecerunt”
(Bg[354]). The levity of philosophers in rejecting the cross ofChrist was only
surpassedby the stupidity of politicians in inflicting it; in both acts the wise of
the age proved themselves fools, and God thereby brought them to ruin (1
Corinthians 1:28). For εἰ … ἄν, stating a hypothesis contrary to past fact (the
modus tollens of logic), see Bn[355]§ 248;and cf. 1 Corinthians 11:31.
[351]present tense.
[352]genitive case.
[353]synonym, synonymous.
[354]Bengel’s GnomonNovi Testamenti.

[355]E. Burton’s Syntax of the Moods and Tenses in the N.T. (1894).
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
8. which none of the princes of this world knew]These words seemto be
written for the instruction of the class of persons who attach importance to the
opinions of those high in position and influence—the princes, or rather rulers
of this world, its statesmen. Such persons, the Apostle points out, are apt, in
spite of, or rather in consequence of, their worldly wisdom, to make strange
mistakes. The crucifixion of Christ was a memorable instance of the
shortsightedness ofworldly policy. Nota single calculationof those who
compassedthe Saviour’s death was destined to be fulfilled. Pilate did not
escape the emperor’s displeasure. Caiaphas (StJohn 11:50) did not save
Jerusalem. The Scribes and Phariseesdid not put down the doctrine of Jesus.
the Lord of glory] The majesty of the Lord, designedlycontrasted, says St
Chrysostom, with the ignominy of the Cross. Perhaps there is also an allusion
to “our glory” in the lastverse, of which He is the source. Cf. St James 2:1.
Bengel's Gnomen
1 Corinthians 2:8. Ἣν, which) a reference to wisdom.—οὐδεὶς τῶν
ἀρχόντων—ἔγνωκεν, none of the princes—knew)none, almostnone, nay, none
at all, as [quâ] a prince. The antithesis to this predicate is in the but 1
Corinthians 2:9; to the subject, in the but 1 Corinthians 2:10.—τὸνΚύριο, the
Lord) who surpasses allprinces.—ἐσταύρωσαν)The cross, the punishment of
slaves. It was with this the Lord of glory was slain.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 8. - Had they knownit; literally, had they recognized;had they gotto
know it. The apostles oftendwell on this ignorance as being in part a
palliation for the sin of rejecting Christ (see especiallyActs 3:17; Acts 13:27;
comp. Isaiah2:1). Jews and Romans, emperors, procurators:high priests,
Pharisees,had in their ignorance conspiredin vain to prevent what God had

foreordained. The Lord of glory. This is not a mere equivalent of "the glorious
Lord," in Psalm 24:10. It is "the Lord of the glory," i.e. "the Lord of the
Shechinah" (comp. Ephesians 1:17, "the Father of the glory "). The
Shechinah was the name given by the Jews to the cloud of light which
symbolized God's presence. The cherubim are called, in Hebrews 9:5,
"cherubim of glory," because the Shechinahwas borne on their outspread
wings (see, however, Acts 7:2; Ephesians 1:17). There would have been to
ancient ears a startling and awful paradox in the words "crucified the Lord of
glory." The words brought into juxtaposition the lowestignominy and the
most splendid exaltation.
Vincent's Word Studies
Lord of glory
The Lord whose attribute is glory. Compare Psalm29:1; Acts 7:2; Ephesians
1:17; James 2:1.
END OF BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
1 Corinthians 2:8 – Lord Of Glory
When Paul wrote of Jesus as "Lord of glory" in 1 Corinthians 2:8, was he
saying that Jesus is Jehovah?
For had they known it, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory. — 1
Corinthians 2:8, World English.
The claim is sometimes made that 1 Corinthians 2:8 proves that Jesus is
Jehovah(Yahweh), “the King of glory.” The way this allegedlyprove is that 1

Corinthians 2:8 is crossedwith the following scriptures, by which it is
supposedthat this proves that Jesus is Jehovah(Yahweh):
{Psalm 24:7} Lift up your heads, you gates!Be lifted up, you everlasting
doors, and the King of glory will come in.
{Psalm 24:8} Who is the King of glory? Jehovahstrong and mighty, Jehovah
mighty in battle.
{Psalm 24:9} Lift up your heads, you gates;yes, lift them up, you everlasting
doors, and the King of glory will come in.
{Psalm 24:10}Who is this King of glory? Jehovahof Armies is the King of
glory! Selah. — RLIV.
At most, what we cansee betweenthe two scriptures is that both Jesus and
His God have an attribute of “glory”. Nevertheless,any thought that this
means that Jesus is Jehovahhas to be imagined, assumed, added to, and read
into the scriptures. And then to gettrinity into the verses, one has to imagine
and assume and add to the first assumption that Jesus is a person of Jehovah,
and then add this and read this also into the scriptures.
Although many speak ofJesus as the “King of glory,” this expression, as such,
is never used of Jesus in the Bible. It is only used of Jehovah(Yahweh), the
God and Fatherof Jesus, whomJesus spoke ofas the “only true God” (Isaiah
61:1; John 17:1,3). As such, the expression, “King of glory” in Psalm 24
describes Jehovah’s gloryas related to His being King, the ruler of all that he
has created. This glory is not something that anyone has given to Him. It is
innately His glory, and His right as MostHigh to be this “King of glory.”
This is not to say that Jesus is not a “king of glory.” Prophetically, Jesus, in
speaking ofhis secondappearing, said, “the Son of the Man [the sonof the

man, David] will sit on the throne of his glory.” (Matthew 19:28) “Theywill
see the Son of the Man coming on clouds of the sky with powerand glory.”
(Matthew 24:30) “He comes in the glory of himself, of the Father, and of the
holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) Thus, at Jesus’secondappearing, his rulership at
that time, the powerand authority given to him by the only MostHigh, could
be described as a “king of glory.” Unlike Jehovah, however, this kingship of
Jesus is given to him by Jehovah, and Jesus’kingshipis that of lineage of
David, who saton the throne of Jehovah(Yahweh). (1 Chronicles 29:23)All
the glory of his rulership is given to him by the only MostHigh, Jehovah, and
reflects the glory of Jehovah, to praise of Jehovah. — Psalm 2:6-8; 45:7;
110:1,2;Isaiah 9:6,7; 11:2; 42:1; 61:1-3; Jeremiah23:5; Daniel 7:13,14;
Matthew 12:28; 28:28;Luke 1:32; 4:14,18;5:17; John 3:34; 5:19,27,30;
10:18,36-38;Acts 2:22; 10:38;Romans 1:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:27;2
Corinthians 13:4; Colossians1:15,16;2:10; Ephesians 1:17-22;Philippians
2:9-11; Hebrews 1:2,4,6,9;1 Peter3:22.
Does whatPaul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:8 support the claim that Jesus is
Jehovah(Yahweh), the “King of Glory?” Paul wrote: “which none of the
rulers of this world has known. Forhad they known it, they wouldn’t have
crucified the Lord of glory.” Jesus is here spokenof as the “Lord of glory.”
“The Lord of glory” was crucified. Exceptin the sense that what was done to
Jesus was also consideredto be done to the God and Fatherof Jesus (John
15:23), Jehovah, the only MostHigh Himself was not crucified. Jesus was
made “Lord” by Jehovah. (Isaiah 6:1; Acts 2:36) Jesus’being made “Lord”
and “Christ” by Jehovahdoes not mean that Jesus became Jehovah.
The trinitarian may say that it was not "God the Son" that was crucified, but
that it was simply Jesus'manhood that was crucified. If so, it would seemto
say that the fleshy body of Jesus is the "Lord of glory", and thus, one would
wonder how such would mean that Jesus is Jehovah, the King of glory, who is
not a man.

In reality, there is no scriptural reasonto imagine, assume, add to, and read
into 1 Corinthians 2:8 that Paul had any intent of saying that Jesus is Jehovah
of Psalm 24. There is definitely nothing there that says that the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacobis more than one person, or that Jesus is a person
of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, etc.
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/2017/10/1cor2-8.html
The wisdom of God is very different from the wisdom of this age. Worldly
wisdom, demonic wisdom, human wisdom and wisdom that comes from the
fallen rulers of this age.. whetherit be from the demonic spiritual realm or
their human agents.. through whom they implement their nefarious plans -
wisdom that is not from Godis foolishness.
The wisdom of God is spiritually discernedand is only given to His blood-
bought children. Indeed God made foolish the wisdom of the world, and we
read that He catches the wise in their own craftiness and causes them to fall
into a pit.. that they themselves have built to entrap others.
The Corinthians Christians, to whom this verse was written, had been quite
strongly criticisedby Paul for division in the fellowship, their lack of spiritual
growth and their carnalway of living. One reasonfor this lack of Christian
maturity was their eagerness to adopt the ways and means of the world's
system.
Paul was eagerto demonstrate the incredible foolishness ofthe wisdom of
prideful men - the 'wisdom of this age,'which these immature Christians
seemedto admire so much. He wanted to show the bankruptcy of the wisdom
of the rulers of this age.. and so Paul used the cross ofChrist to make this
important point.
Paul pointed out that not one of the many spiritual principalities, poweror
demonic rulers of this age would have empoweredand emboldened the
religious leaders of the Jews orthe civic channels of the Romangovernment to
crucify the Lord of glory, if they had known the great and eternal victory that

His death would have over the spiritual and natural realms. It was His
sacrificialdeath and glorious resurrectionby which Jesus defeatedsin, Satan,
death and hell forever.. and put to flight the rulers of this age.
God's plan for the redemption of humanity started in eternity past.. and was
gradually unfolded to us through Old Testamentscriptures, but the rulers of
this age did not know the full implications of the cross and the devastating
effectit would have on the realm of darkness.. whichis why earlier in this
epistle.. we read that Paul determined to preach nothing but Christ and Him
crucified. Paul knew that the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing and the foolishness ofGod is wiserthan the combined wisdom of
men and angels.
Paul was wanting to discourage these Christians from hankering after the
wisdom of this age by pointing out that God has chosenthe foolish things of
the world - like him and them.. to shame the wise, and that God has chosen
the weak things of the world - like him and us.. to shame the things which are
strong.
Paul also wanted to show that God in His wisdomturned the tables on the
wisdom of this age, and Satan's demonic agenda.. forif those in the spiritual
realm had understood the glorious significance ofthe cross of Christ.. they
would never have crucified the Lord of glory.
Paul wanted to discourage the Corinthian believers and all who are God's
children from foolishly following after the 'wisdom of this age,'for it only
produces spiritual bankruptcy. Instead we discoverhim encouraging these
believers.. and us, to seek afterthe wisdom of God and the ways of the Lord..
for in so doing we will grow in grace and in a knowledge ofour Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ.
My Prayer
Heavenly Father, Your plans and purposes are unsurpassedand I thank You
for bringing me into Your family and opening up to my understanding the
wonderful works ofGod and the amazing wisdom of God's plan of salvation. I

pray that I may grow in grace and in a deepening knowledge ofthe Lord
Jesus Christ, with every passing day, and in Whose name I pray, AMEN
https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/1-corinthians-2-8
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1 Corinthians 2:8
None of the rulers of this world understood it, because if they had, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory.
To me, it seems the speakeris saying that all the rulers from every part of the
world crucified Jesus somewhere on33 AD.
Since it doesn't make sense to me, I'm starting to think that either the
crucifixion of Jesus on 33 AD is symbolic (Jesus really died on the cross
represents that every human has "crucified" Christ within him/her) or [all the
rulers from every part of the world crucified Jesus]which is the symbolic one.
But that's only in my own understanding. That's why I postthe question here.

Thank you.
1-corinthians
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askedJul 29 '17 at 2:19
karma
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It would be helpful i evaluating this question to recall that even the educated
man Paul, who wrote the passage,likelyknew few of the"rulers of this world"
at the time he wrote the epistle. The phrase is probably a bit of hyperbole, and
refers mainly to Christians, and perhaps mainly Christians at Corinth. –
brasshatJul 29 '17 at 2:38
Even if Paul knew all the "rulers of this world" it still strange if all those
rulers crucified Jesus atGolgotha :). So yes, maybe it's hyperbole. And now
I'm thinking, maybe it refers to the evil spirit beings, the demon - "the rulers
of this world". I don't know :). Thanks brasshat. – karma Jul 29 '17 at 2:55

He refers to the rulers who crucified Jesus as "rulers of this world" because
they were not rulers for God. Likewise, Satanis "the prince of this world"
John 12:31. – BeestocksJul29 '17 at 12:56
@Beestocks, Iacceptedyour answer. I understand it now. Thank you. –
karma Aug 1 '17 at 3:42
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To me, it seems the speakeris saying that all the rulers from every part of the
world crucified Jesus somewhere on33 AD.
"But we speak the wisdom of Godin a mystery, the hidden wisdom which
God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this
age knew;for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory." (1 Cor. 2:7-8)
The speakeris saying that none of the rulers of this age understood the
wisdom of God.
Then he says, if they had knownthe wisdom of God (the fact that Jesus was
indeed the Son of God), they would not have crucified Him.
The last"they" in verse 8 is probably referring to the rulers complicit in
Jesus'crucifixion. 3 come to mind.

Herod the tetrarch of Galilee:"Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him
with contempt and mockedHim, arrayed Him in a gorgeousrobe, and sent
Him back to Pilate." (Luke 23:11)
Pontius Pilate the governorof Judea: "But they were insistent, demanding
with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the
chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they
requested. And he releasedto them the one they requested, who for rebellion
and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their
will." (Luke 23:23-25)
Caiaphas the high priest and president of the Sanhedrin: "And one of them,
Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,
nor do you considerthat it is expedient for us that one man should die for the
people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say
on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus
would die ... Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. (John
11:49-51, 53)
"the high priest answeredand said to Him, “I put You under oath by the
living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus saidto him,
“It is as you said... Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has
spokenblasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses?Look, now
you have heard His blasphemy! What do you think?”. They answeredand
said, “He is deserving of death.” (Matt. 26:63-66)
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answeredJul 29 '17 at 7:45
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I acceptedyour answer. I understand it now. Thank you Bible Explorer –
karma Aug 1 '17 at 3:43
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Your question is taking a single verse out of context and expecting it to be
literally understood. That's a regrettably easymistake to make by students of
the Bible, both new and practiced. Let's look at what Paul was saying, and
you'll immediately realize that I'm not even going back far enough to
completely understand Paul's original point — I am only going back far
enough to understand the verse in your question. 1 Corinthians 2:1-8:
(1–5)And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellencyof speech
or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. ForI determined not
to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I
was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my
speechand my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but
in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand
in the wisdom of men, but in the powerof God.
Paul starts this part of his letter off by referring to an issue he's addressing in
a largercontext, one that's found in chapter 1 but not here. I'm not going to
go into that because it would only distract us from answering your question.
What Paul is doing is setting up a "sub-lesson."He does this a lot in his
writtings — taking advantage of his primary subjectto teachone or more
secondarysubjects.

What is he setting up? The idea of believing what God teaches us versus what
the World teaches us — "that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of
men, but in the powerof God." Remember, that's the secondaryissue that
he's talking about and it applies to verse 8.
(6–8)Howbeit we speak wisdomamong them that are perfect: yet not the
wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which
God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of
this world knew: for had they knownit, they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory.
"[Speaking]wisdomamong them that are perfect" is talking about the people
who become perfectedin Christ. It's the wisdom of God that does this, not the
wisdom of the world, nor the wisdom of the leaders of the world.
Paul talks about the wisdom of the world later in this chapter. He identifies it
as the yearnings of the "natural man" (1 Corinthians 2:14), who sees the
things of God as foolishness andcan't understand them.
The wisdom of world leaders (the princes of the world) is, like that of the
natural man, self-centeredto perpetuate their power base. The leaders of the
world have the capacityto make things right, but so often do not. Paul's
readers may have recognizedthe phrase from the Gospelof John, chapter 14,
verse 30:
HereafterI will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh,
and hath nothing in me.
(See also Ephesians 2:2; John 12:31; and John 16:8-11)
This reference to Satan, who tempted Christ with (among other things)
worldly power, is reflectedin his complaint about the princes of the world,
who also seek power. Theirwisdom is not equal to God's, which John explains
with what @brasshatcorrectlyidentifies as a bit of hyperbole. Had the
princes of the world instead soughtthe wisdom of God, they (using what
would have been the well-knownstory of how Jewishleaders and localRoman

leaders conspiredto kill Christ with hyperbole to label all worldly leaders)
would never have killed the Messiah.
Therefore, Paulis not saying that every leader in the world contributed to the
death of Jesus Christin A.D. 33. I don't believe it was even possible at the time
for all the leaders of the world to know of one another. As you read Paul's
writings, you will realize that he often uses hyperbole and grandiose
descriptions to keephis audience's attention. Here, Paul is merely using the
reference to underscore his purpose for teaching this sub-lesson:the wisdom
of God is better than the wisdom of the world and the wisdomof world
leaders. And the death of Jesus Christ is proof of that fact.
https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/59067/what-does-it-mean-of-
1-corinthians-28
What does 1 Corinthians 2:8 mean? [⇑ See verse text ⇑]
Paul has written that God's secretwisdomfor the world, establishedbefore
time began, included His plan to sacrifice His Sonfor the sins of humanity. In
the previous verse, Paul wrote that God decreedthis for our glory.
Our sin made it impossible for us to share in Christ's glory. We fell far short
of it (Romans 3:23). God's plan, His secretwisdom, would make it possible for
our sin to be forgiven by Christ's death instead of our own and for us to be
declaredrighteous based on Christ's righteousness and not our own.
All of this hinged on the crucifixion of Jesus, whomPaul now calls the "lord of
Glory." The rulers of this age—the Jewishreligious leaders and the Roman
government that killed Jesus—didnot, of course, understand this. They didn't
know that they were fulfilling a role in God's plan. If they had known, they
would never have killed Jesus.

It's unclearwhether Paul means that they would not have wanted to bring
God's plan to pass or that they would not dared to kill the Son of God. In
either case, their blindness to God's secretwisdomcausedthem to do exactly
as God had decreed.
Context Summary
First Corinthians 2:6–16 describes the difference betweenhuman wisdom and
God's wisdom. Human wisdom is limited to what can be observedand worked
out with human reason. Scripture points out the value of reasonand
knowledge (Colossians 2:8;2 Timothy 2:15), while demonstrating a difference
betweenwhat man's mind canachieve and what God's Spirit canreveal.
God's wisdom, including His plan to offer salvationthrough Christ's
crucifixion, must be receivedand believed spiritually through God's Holy
Spirit. Without the help of the Spirit, people cannot believe what is spiritual,
so they rejectall spiritual truth as foolishness. Christians, though, have access
to the mind of Christ because ofGod's Holy Spirit with us.
https://www.bibleref.com/1-Corinthians/2/1-Corinthians-2-8.html
Did You Kill the Lord of Glory?
Resource by John Piper
Scripture: Acts 2:22–36 Topic:The Deathof Christ
"Menof Israel, hear these words:Jesus of Nazareth, a man attestedto you by
God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in
your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, deliveredup according to the
definite plan and foreknowledgeofGod, you crucified and killed by the hands

of lawless men. But God raised him up, having loosedthe pangs of death,
because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning
him, 'I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may
not be shaken;therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
moreovermy flesh will dwell in hope, for thou wilt not abandon my soulto
Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption. Thou has made knownto me the
ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.'
"Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both
died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a
prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would
setone of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the
resurrectionof the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his
flesh see corruption. This Jesus Godraised up, and of that we all are
witnesses.Being therefore exaltedat the right hand of God, and having
receivedfrom the Fatherthe promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out
this which you see and hear. For David did not ascendinto the heavens;but
he himself says, 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I make
thy enemies a stoolfor thy feet.'Let all the house of Israel therefore know
assuredlythat God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whomyou
crucified."
I am going to ask you this morning if you killed Jesus, the Lord of glory. And
I am going to assume that your first reactionwill be a feeling of denial and
resentment that something so far awaycould even begin to be laid at your
feet. But the reasonI ask it anyway is because I think that would have been
the reactionof hundreds of the people Peterwas talking to when he told them
they had killed Jesus.
How Can PeterSay, "YOU Crucified Jesus"?
Remember that he is talking to severalthousand Jewishpeople in Jerusalem
(3,000 are going to be converted, v. 41!). Many of these people had nothing
directly to do with the death of Jesus. Evenif many of them were among the
mobs that shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" you know that in a crowd
this large there were a goodnumber who did not do that—theyweren't even

there on that day. But Peter doesn'tseemto be worried about that. In verse 23
he says, "This Jesus YOU killed by the hands of lawless men." And at the end,
in verse 36, he says, "This Jesus YOU crucified." How can he say that?
He can say it because everybodyin that crowdwas involved in the crime
againstJesus that brought him to his death. The essenceofthe crime against
Jesus was not the ending of his physical life. The essence ofthe crime against
Jesus was the rejectionof God in Jesus'life. Think with me carefully about
this. It is tremendously important and has major implications for us today.
Jesus was handed over to be crucified on the grounds of blasphemy. He
claimed to be the Son of God (Luke 22:70–71). He claimed that Godwas
endorsing him as Messiah(Luke 22:67–69). But the Jewishrulers rejectedthis
role of God in Jesus'life. They calledhim a blasphemer. Therefore, if a person
rejects the true role of God in the life of Jesus, that person votes for the charge
of blasphemy. And to castyour vote on the side of blasphemy—to rejectGod's
endorsementof Jesus—is to sayin your heart, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
So what I am asking you this morning is not: "Were you bodily there on Good
Friday voting againstJesus and sending him to his death?" I'm asking, "Do
you join Godin his affirmation of Jesus, or do you stand againstGod in the
life of Jesus? Do you agree with God about Jesus? Ordo you rejecthis
endorsementof Jesus?"
Five Ways in Which God Endorses Jesus
Before you answerthat question, let me show you from Peter's sermon that
this is really the issue. What Peterdoes in this sermon is show at leastfive
ways in which God endorses Jesus. And the point of preaching in this way is
show the stark contrastbetweenthe way God treats Jesus and the way the
Jews treatedJesus—andperhaps the way you have treatedJesus. So as I
unfold these five ways that God stands up for Jesus, examine yourself and see
if you are standing with Godfor Jesus orcasting your vote another way.
1. By Working Signs and Wonders Through Him

God endorsedJesus by working miracles and signs and wonders through him.
Verse 22: "Menof Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested
to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which Goddid
through him in your midst, as you yourselves know."
Notice:two times in that one sentence Petersays that God is the one at work
in the miracles of Jesus. First, he says Jesus is "attestedto you by God with
miracles." The miracles were God's certification of Jesus. Theywere God's
vote, God's testimony. When Jesus did a miracle, it was God's endorsement—
"This is my beloved Son with whom I am wellpleased, hear him!" (cf. Luke
9:35).
But the sentence goes onand says, " . . . signs which God did through him in
your midst." There it is again. He was "attestedto us by God," and, lestwe
miss the point, Peter emphasizes that God himself did the miracles through
Jesus. God's was the power. God was in Christ to heal the sick and still the
storm and castout demons and raise the dead. While he was on the earth, God
gave Jesus the fullest endorsement any human ever had. He gave him his
Spirit "without measure" (John3:34). Are we with God in this or against
him?
2. By Planning His Deathfor the Sins of His People
God endorsedJesus by planning his death for the sins of his people.
Verse 23: "This Jesus, deliveredup according to the definite plan and
foreknowledgeofGod, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men."
I can hear a superficialcynic respond to this and say, "What kind of
endorsementis that? If God planned to hand over Jesus to be killed, then all
he did was link arms with lawless menand help them put Jesus to death!
That's not much of an endorsement."
The reasonthat's a superficialresponse is because it ignores everything else
the Bible has to sayabout why God planned the death of Jesus. Listen to what
Jesus saidat the end of Luke's gospelabout why God planned his death. Luke
24:46, "Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day

rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness ofsins should be
preachedin his name to all nations."
In other words God planned the suffering and death of Jesus so that
forgiveness ofsins could be preached to all the nations (cf. Isaiah53!). The
difference betweenGod's plan to crucify Jesus and Pilate's plan to crucify
Jesus was that Pilate was rejecting Jesus as mere pretender and God was
honoring Jesus as the Servant of the Lord and the Saviorof the world. God
planned the death of Jesus not to disown him or dishonor him or reject him,
but to glorify him as the perfect, flawless Lamb of God, who takes awaythe
sin of the world.
God's plan for Jesus to die was not an indictment like the plan of the Jews, but
an endorsement of his infinite worth so that he could save the Jews. Are we
with God in this or againsthim?
3. By Raising Him from the Dead
God endorsedJesus by raising him from the dead.
Verse 23 ends, "This Jesus you killed and crucified." Then, in stark contrast,
verse 24 gives God's powerful response to that act, "But God raisedhim up,
having loosedthe pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be
held by it." You voted no againstJesus. ButGod voted YES for Jesus. You
denounced him, but God endorsedhim. You killed him, but God raisedhim
up.
Then, in verses 25–31, Petershowsthat the resurrection of Jesus fits with Old
Testamentprophecy and that it means that Jesus is the son of David (v. 30);
he's the Messiah(v. 31). So it was the Messiahhimself that they had killed.
But God raisedhim up.
Petermeans for his audience to feel the clash betweentheir rejectionof Jesus
and God's acceptanceofJesus;their defamation of Jesus and God's
affirmation of Jesus. Whatmatters here ultimately is not that they killed a
man, but that they are againstGod.

Now this is a shocking and stunning thing for people to hear and extremely
hard to admit. These are religious people that Peteris talking to. They are
moral people. They are worshiping people. They are people who know
hundreds of verses in God's Word by heart. And he is telling them that their
minds are totally at odds with God. They claim to know God. They claim to
love God and worship Godand follow God. And Petersays that they are
diametrically opposed to God. They are anti-God.
The testof whether we are anti-God or not is not whether we say we believe in
God, or whether we say we know God, or love God, or serve God. The testis
whether we embrace God's endorsementof Jesus. If we say we know God but
rejectGod's endorsementof Jesus as the workerof miracles; if we say that we
know God but rejectGod's endorsement of Jesus as the predestined Passover
sacrifice that takes awaysin; if we say we know God and reject God's
endorsementof Jesus by raising him from the dead, then we don't really know
God. In fact we are againstGod. We are anti-God.
This is what cut Peter's hearers to the heart. They saw that in their zeal for
"God" they had been againstGod. This is so utterly important for us today.
Becausein our live-and-let-live pluralistic societyhardly anyone would dare
say to another person, "You claim to know God, but in factyou are anti-God;
you are againstGod." Why? Because youdo not embrace God's endorsement
of Jesus. Jesus is the test of all true knowledge ofGod. Are we with God in his
endorsementof Jesus by raising him from the dead, or are we againstGod?
4. By Exalting Him and Subjecting All Enemies to Him
God endorsedJesus by exalting him to his right hand and putting all his
enemies under his feet.
Verse 33: "Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God . . . " Then in
verses 34–35Peterquotes Psalm110 to show the significance of this
exaltation. He says, "ForDavid did not ascendinto the heavens;but he
himself says, 'The LORD [that is, God the Father] said to my Lord [that is the
coming Messiah, Jesus], Sitat my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool
for thy feet.'" In other words, David already foresaw that God would exalt the

risen Messiahto his right hand and give him a place of rule and supremacy
over every other person and powerin the universe.
This endorsementof Jesus exposesthe ultimate horror of rejecting him. In
rejecting Jesus not only have they rejectedthe one God declaredto be
Messiahby raising him from the dead (cf. vv. 30–31);they have also rejected
the one whom God declaredto be the Lord of the universe by exalting him to
his right hand.
This is the decisive thrust of Peter's sermon as he sums it up in verse 36, "Let
all the house of Israeltherefore know assuredly that GOD [!] has made him
both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whomyou crucified."
God endorsedhim as Christ—the Messiah—byraising him from the dead.
God endorsedhim as the Lord by exalting him all the way to the highestplace
in the universe and making him supreme over all his enemies. So do you see
that the crucial issue in this sermon—Peter'sand mine—is not the killing of a
man, but the repudiation of GOD!
God endorsedJesus as the workerof miracles on the earth. God endorsed
Jesus as the perfect sacrifice forsins. God endorsedJesus as the risen
Messiah. GodendorsedJesus by exalting him to be Lord of the universe. To
rejectJesus is to repudiate GOD! To vote no on Jesus is to oppose GOD.
That's the issue. And that is what cut them to the heart (v. 37).
So I ask again, Did you kill Jesus? Not:Were you bodily there? But: Do you
join God in his affirmation of Jesus, ordo you stand againstGod in the life of
Jesus?
There is one more endorsement of Jesus that God gives in this sermon. I save
it for lastbecause it is full of hope.
5. As One Worthy to Receive and Pour Out the Spirit
God endorsedJesus as one worthy to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit
and pour him out in greatblessing on sinners who repent.
Verse 33: "Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having
receivedfrom the Fatherthe promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out

this which you see and hear [the praise and the prophecy and the languages of
Pentecost]."
God has given into the hands of Jesus—the Lordand the Messiah—the
privilege of pouring out the Holy Spirit—the privilege of baptizing with the
Spirit (Acts 1:5) and filling with the Spirit (Acts 2:4) and clothing his people
with the Spirit's power from on high (Luke 24:49).
What is at stake here and at every point in this sermon is God. The miracles of
Jesus, the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, the exaltation of Jesus, the
privilege of Jesus to baptize his church in the Holy Spirit, all these are
endorsements from God almighty, makerof heaven and earth. Are we with
him or againsthim? Do we join him in his exaltation of Jesus?
How Is Jesus the “Gloryof God”?
The book of James has an unusual sentence constructionthat links the word
glory with the name of Jesus: “Mybrethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality” (James 2:1). In this verse the
words Lord of glory have alternate renditions. Some translations read, “Our
glorious Lord.” Still anotherpossible translation reads, “Jesus Christ, who is
the glory.”
B. B. Warfield, in his book The Lord of Glory, says, that Jesus was the glory
of God, the shekinah. According to the Old Testament, the shekinah was the
visible manifestationof the invisible God. The shekinah was a radiant cloud or
brilliant light within a cloud that signaledthe immediate presence ofGod. For
Jesus to be identified with the shekinahwas to be equated with the presence of
God Himself. In Jesus we see the full manifestation of the majesty of God.
That the New Testamentwriters ascribedglory to Jesus was a clearindication
of their confessionofHis full deity. Glory, in the sense it is used with reference

to Jesus, is a divine attribute. It is the glory of God that He refuses to share
with any man.
The angels sang “Gloryto God” at Christ’s birth. The heavenly elders give
glory to God around His throne. Why don’t you follow their example and give
God glory today in every circumstance of your life?
https://www.christianity.com/jesus/is-jesus-god/names-of-jesus/how-is-jesus-
the-glory-of-god.html
1 Jesus, Lord of life and glory,
bend from heav'n thy gracious ear;
while our waiting souls adore thee,
Friend of helpless sinners, hear:
Refrain:
by thy mercy, O deliver us, goodLord.
2 From the depth of nature's blindness,
from the hard'ning pow'r of sin,
from all malice and unkindness,
from the pride that lurks within, [Refrain]
3 When temptation sorely presses,
In the day of Satan's pow'r,
In our times of deep distresses,
In eachdark and trying hour, [Refrain]
4 When the world around is smiling,

in the time of wealth and ease,
earthly joys our hearts beguiling,
in the day of health and peace, [Refrain]
5 In our wearyhours of sickness,
in our times of grief and pain,
when we feelour mortal weakness,
when the creature's help is vain, [Refrain]
6 In the solemn hour of dying,
in the awful Judgment Day,
may our souls, on thee relying,
find thee still our rock and stay: [Refrain]
Source:Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #569
Jesu, Lord of life and glory, Bend from heaven Thy gracious ear
Author: James John Cummins (1839)
Jesus the RisenKing of Glory
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Audio (42:28)
Free E-mail Bible Study Apostle Paul: Passionate Discipleship

Bkmrk
Detailof 'Resurrection'stainedglass window, Co-Cathedralof the Sacred
Heart, Houston, 2008, full size is 40ft x 20ft. Designedand constructedby
Mellini Art Glass and Mosaics in Florence, Italy. Photo © 2010, Lea McNulty,
used by permission.
As I write this, my wife and I are looking forwardto hearing our daughter
sing in a greatcommunity production of Handel's Messiah, which is full of
arias and choruses putting to music the greatmessianic prophecies of the Old
Testament, including most of those we've studied in this series. And I know
that I will hear the stirring chorus: "Who Is the King of Glory" takenfrom
the messianic Psalm24. I can hardly wait!!
"7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?

The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD of Hosts -- he is the King of glory." (Psalm24:7-10)
There's a sense in which it was fulfilled when David brought the ark into the
city of Jerusalemwith shouting and celebration(2 Samuel6). And then I
think of Jesus riding a donkey as he rode into Jerusalemto take his rightful
place as Messiahin the City of his God (Matthew 21:1-11). But there is a sense
in which it will be ultimately fulfilled in the Last Day, when the Messiah
returns to reign at his SecondComing and enters the New Jerusalem, having
defeatedall his foes (Revelation11:15). The King of Glory is coming!
We studied Jesus as Messiah, the Son of David. The Jews expectedthe
Messiahto overthrow the Romans and set up the Kingdom of God again in
Jerusalem. When they realized that Jesus had no such intentions, they saw
him as a threat to their powerrather than the Romans, and they delivered
him up to be crucified. And so Jesus fulfilled part of his Messianic role, to
deliver his people from their sin.
But in this final lessonwe'llexplore Jesus the King of Glory, who conquers all
enemies and reigns forever. We've lookedat many titles of Jesus, mainly from
the perspective of his earthly ministry. Here we see him primarily in his final
resurrectedstate, the Glorified Christ. We'll be looking at eschatologicaltitles,
those referring to his role in the Last Day. ("Eschatology" is from eschatos,
"last," a study of the Last Days.)
God's Shekinah Glory
We'll begin to study the Glorified Christ by reviewing what we know about
the Shekinahglory of God.

Jesus was the lord of glory

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