Jesus did not enjoy the prospect of the cross. His heart was troubled. At a human level, His desire was to be saved from the agony, but He could not make that desire His prayer because He was fully committed to the purpose for which He had come to earth. Jesus knew He must die on the cross so that sinners might be saved and receive eternal life.
 
Yet, the salvation of sinners was not the ultimate purpose of His incarnation; that was just a part of a much bigger plan. Jesus’ life and death was a wonderful sacrifice which enabled sinners to be saved from hell, but that was not His only purpose. He knew that His mission would only be completely fulfilled by bringing glory to the Godhead. When Jesus made His Father’s glory the centre of His prayer, all heaven was stirred. An audible voice affirmed, ‘I have glorified my Name and I will glorify it again’.
 
Our sinful nature is so self-centred that we can easily distort the scripture by saying that ‘Jesus came to earth for me’. While that is true, it is not the whole truth. Our salvation is only a part of the greater glory of God which will also be demonstrated in a new heaven and a new earth, and the uninterrupted, undiluted supremacy of God for all eternity. In other words, all who have eternal life have a responsibility to join with the angels and all creation in bringing glory to God: that is the ultimate purpose of all He has made and will recreate. The ‘glory perspective’ is essential to stop us seeing our salvation as God ‘worshipping me’ (by serving my needs). Instead, without His salvation we cannot even begin to bring glory to Him, appreciate His grace and give Him thanks. Without His salvation we have no power to live in such a way that people are drawn to worship His glorious majesty. Bringing glory to God was Jesus’ purpose and must be ours as well.