Manifest Glory of God
Ever since the word became flesh, the glory and knowledge of God are found in Jesus by everyone who believes – John 1:14.
In the
prologue of John’s gospel, Jesus is declared to be the Logos, the “word
made flesh” in whom the “glory of God” resides. He is the Greater Tabernacle
foreshadowed by the Tent in the wilderness, the place where Yahweh’s glory is manifested.
And this anticipates John’s later passages that link Christ to the Father.
Thus, Jesus of Nazareth, the same man who
gave his life on the Roman cross, is the ultimate expression of the nature, love,
and glory of the God who created all things.
During her sojourn in the wilderness, Israel
carried the “tent of meeting,” the Tabernacle, wherever she went. That
was where Yahweh visited His people through their priestly representatives, the
temporary dwelling place where His presence was occasionally seen, though
access was limited and often fleeting.
MOSES AND THE TABERNACLE
Only Moses on one occasion was granted the
favor to behold the presence of God, but he only saw Yahweh’s “backside.”
Full exposure to the Divine glory would have ended the Great Lawgiver’s life
then and there - (Exodus 33:17-23, 34:1-6).
The Tabernacle was always a temporary structure,
and its various functions foreshadowed the Greater Tabernacle to come.
Moreover, as John confirms, the “tabernacle”
is none other than Jesus Christ, the “word made flesh.” And his gospel
account applies the verbal form of the Greek word for “tent” to the life of
Christ. In His Son, God now “tabernacles”
with His covenant people.
In him, all believers behold the Divine glory
and experience His presence. Access to Him is no longer confined to the Temple in
Jerusalem or the Tabernacle in the wilderness, nor is it limited to the
geographic boundaries of the land of Canaan or the city of Jerusalem– (John
1:14).
Both the ancient Tabernacle and the Jerusalem
Temple were “types and shadows” of the greater reality that is found only
in Jesus forevermore. In Him, the Father is revealed, and apart from him, there
is no accurate knowledge of God.
Thus, every man and woman who believes the
words of Jesus “will see the glory of God.” The Son of God is the “way,
truth, and life, and no one comes to the Father except through him” – (John
11:40, 14:6).
ONLY IN JESUS
And from now on, the Father can only be known in His Son. Anyone
who knows Jesus knows his Father and “has seen Him.” The man who beholds
him “beholds Him who sent me.”
No one can experience the presence and knowledge of God apart from the “word made flesh.” He is the only place where God’s “glory” is manifested openly to all men who believe in Jesus – (John 12:45, 17:24).
When Philip asked Christ to reveal the
Father, the Messiah of Israel responded - “He who has seen me has seen the
Father!” As he declared
earlier, he “that believes on me believes not on me, but on him, that sent me”– (John 2:44, 14:7-9).
Thus, in Jesus, the glory of God is revealed
both now and forevermore. He is the ultimate expression of God. And though John
maintains the distinction between Father and Son, they speak and act as one.
Jesus only declares the words he first hears from his Father, and the glory
that he manifests is the Father’s own glory.
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