When I think about glory, it looks like money, power, or fame. But when Jesus asked for glory, he was referring to his crucifixion. If I told you that I would be publicly killed by a firing squad for treason against the United States, would you feel some sympathy for me? Perhaps. But if I told you that I knew God would exalt me in my death? You might wonder if I was crazy. Jesus considered the most shameful death in his culture as his appointed hour of glory. Even as the Roman state demonstrated its authority over his body, he understood he had authority over all people. If he had remained dead, his paradoxical views on shame and death would have died with him. But Jesus knew that he would pass through death to eternal life. That's why he asked the Father for glory. His glorification—his shameful death on a cross—is how he gives us eternal life. This life isn't pie in the sky. It begins as soon as you know God and lasts forever. He said, "This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." Jesus is fulfilling the promise given by God to the prophet Jeremiah: "they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them" (Jeremiah 31:34). So, Jesus went to the cross. Isn't that glorious?