WE REFLECT HIS GLORY

Jesus’ glory is the essence and evidence of His being, His authority. His glory revealed is God visible; the holiness of God incarnate with us. John wrote, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”(John 1:14) The disciples saw His glory for the first time in Cana of Galilee and saw His glory again and again throughout the three years of their walk with Him. From that experience they wrote, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3)

When Jesus left them to return to the Father, He didn’t leave them orphaned, but as He promised, He sent His Holy Spirit that His glory might remain with them and be in them. His Holy Spirit remains with us to this day. Thus every generation in its own time can know the fullness of His glory. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (II Corinthians 3:17-18)

The wonder of it all is that we are given the joy of reflecting His glory. John wrote, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) Paul picked up on that theme and said, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings, in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:17) Thus if Christ lives in us and has first place in our lives we do share in His glory. “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”(Colossians 1:27) “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”(Colossians 3:3-4)

Paul follows that statement with his well known “therefore” after which he goes on to explain what having died and our lives hidden in Christ in God implies for our lifestyle and behavior. “Therefore, put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:5-17)

John in his Epistle also speaks about this. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” (I John 1:1-3)

REJOICE WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY

Jesus averted a major catastrophe; or so it seemed to His mother and the wedding hosts of Cana. Their joyful celebration was on the verge of an abrupt and embarrassing termination because they ran out of wine. Their problem was solved when Jesus became involved and provided an abundance of wine that exceeded their expectations and restored the joy of their celebration. His miraculous sign turned water into the best of wine that met their immediate need. But His glory that was revealed that day would meet a much greater and eternal need of all humankind. The sign of His glory pointed far beyond the wedding in Cana to a cross on Calvary where He would shed His precious blood. And on beyond that we could see the joyful Wedding Feast of the Lamb in the Kingdom of God.

The solution to their quandary in Cana became the world’s first opportunity to see the wonder of Jesus’ glory and to recognize Him who had come to bring His divine solution to the problem of mankind’s sin. The miraculous sign that revealed His glory not only restored joy to the celebration in Cana, but His glory brought the joy of the hope of salvation for all mankind. Rejoicing broke out in heaven over the arrival of the Bridegroom who had come to save sinners. And as His glory came into view as the water turned to wine His victory upon the cross became visible in the sign.

Appropriate to the unfolding events of the wedding banquet was the fact that “nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing.” (John 2:6) These jars, symbols of Old Covenant ceremonial washing, became the source of the water Jesus turned into the wine of celebration. Later at a Passover supper Jesus would take the wine of an Old Covenant celebration and establish it as the New Covenant in His blood. On the night before His crucifixion Jesus took a cup of wine and said to His disciples, “this is the New Covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:20) In Jesus the water of the Old Covenant became the wine of celebration which ultimately became the New Covenant in His blood. The water of the Old Covenant could only ceremonially clean the outside. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (Matthew 23:25) But the wine of the New Covenant in Jesus’ blood cleanses the soul completely from sin and restores the joy of the glory of God in the hearts of mankind.

“The gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.” If “the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean; how much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences (the inside) from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant…”(Hebrews 9: 9-10; 13-15) And “the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purifies us from all sin.” (I John 1:7) “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (I Peter 1:18-19)

The joy of the wedding banquet in the Kingdom of God was restored when we beheld the glory of the Bridegroom at His arrival. He is “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” And as John the Baptist, friend of the Bridegroom said, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.” (John 3:29) Our joy is also made complete by the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What joy will be ours when we see Him return in glory to receive His bride.

John saw a vision of it and wrote, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” “One of the seven angels…came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. (Revelation 21:1-2; 9-10)