All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.

Jesus makes a rather incredible statement here. It is only natural for any man to state that all he has belongs to and comes from God, but to say the reverse indicates a special and unique relationship. In reference to this statement by Jesus that “all you have is mine,” Martin Luther once said that, “This no creature can say with reference to God.”

Jesus goes on to say that He has been glorified through His disciples. Notice that He uses the past tense in reference to this glory. To a large extent, it has already happened. How have His disciples glorified Him? They have believed Him and obeyed Him. How will they glorify Him in their future? The look of Jesus at the glory He receives through His disciples is similar to how He viewed the glory of the cross. To all outward appearances, the disciples were a motley crew of ignorant fishermen, but just as the world had a wrong view of the cross, so were its values wrong in relation to the disciples. The Son of God was actually glorified in them in spite of all their failures and shortcomings.

This certainly gives us something to think about, for we are not much different than they. If Christ can be glorified in His disciples, even though they made numerous mistakes, were self-centered, and fell to temptation quite often, then He can be glorified in us! Christ does not use perfect vessels — there are none! — He uses you; and what mighty wonders He can do through a servant of His who is submitted to Him, even if the submission is imperfect.

Take heart, dear Christian! Jesus wants to use you and be glorified through you, and He will — if only you let Him.