Since the Word became flesh, the Divine Glory has been manifested in Jesus of Nazareth and all who follow him behold it – John 1:14.
Jesus is the Logos in the Gospel of John, the
“Word become flesh” in whom the “Glory of God” resides. He is the
True Tabernacle foreshadowed by the Tent carried by Israel in the wilderness
where the Glory of Yahweh was manifested in impressive but limited ways. The Crucified
Messiah is the true and full manifestation of the Glory of the Living God.
It is through this same Messiah
that God is redeeming men and women and the creation itself, a process that
will culminate with the “arrival” or ‘Parousia’ of Jesus at the
end of the age when he raises the dead and overthrows Death once and for all.
Then he will usher in the “New Heavens and the New Earth” – (1
Corinthians 15:20-28).
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| [Photo by John Lee on Unsplash] |
During Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness, the Levites carried the “Tent of Meeting” wherever the Israelite nation went. The Tabernacle was where Yahweh met His people through their priestly representatives, the temporary dwelling place of His presence on Earth, although access to it was limited.
Only Moses, and on only one
occasion, was granted the favor of beholding the Glory of God, but he only saw His
“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 a temporary
structure. Its functions and furnishings foreshadowed the Real Tabernacle.
As the Gospel of John confirms, the permanent “Tabernacle” was
none other than Jesus of Nazareth, the “Word become flesh.” Moreover, John
applies the verbal form of the Greek word for “tent” to the life of Jesus. In His
Son, God began to “tabernacle” among His People – (John 1:14).
In Jesus, believers behold the Glory
of the one true God and experience His presence. Access to Him is no longer
confined to the Temple in Jerusalem, the Tabernacle in the wilderness, or the
Levitical priests, nor is it limited to the geographic boundaries of the Land
of Canaan or the City of Jerusalem– (John 1:14).
The Ancient Tabernacle and the Jerusalem Temple were “types and shadows” of the reality found in Jesus. The Father is revealed and found in Jesus. Apart from him, there is no accurate knowledge of God.
The Son now “sits” in the
very presence of God interceding continually for his “brethren” as their
faithful High Priest, having “achieved the purification of their sins”
through his “one for all” sacrifice – (Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:14-18, 8:1-6,
10:12).
Thus, every man and woman who
believes the words of Jesus “will see the glory of God.” The Son of God
is the “way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except
through him” – (John 11:40, 14:6).
The Father can only be
known in His Son. Anyone who knows Jesus has seen the Father and His
Glory. The man who beholds the Nazarene “beholds Him who sent me.” No
one can experience the presence and knowledge of God without the “word made
flesh.” Only in him is the Divine “Glory” manifested openly – (John
12:45, 17:24).
When Philip asked Christ to
reveal the Father, Jesus 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 who sent me”–
(John 2:44, 14:7-9).
In Jesus of Nazareth, God's glory
is revealed now and forever. He is the living expression of the Life-Giving
God. Though the Gospel of John maintains the distinction between
Father and Son, they speak and act as one. Jesus declares the words he hears
from his Father; the Glory manifested in him is the Father’s Glory.
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SEE ALSO:
- His Name is Jesus - (‘Jesus’ means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In the man from Nazareth, the salvation promised by the God of Israel arrived in all its glory)
- The Son of Man - (The one like a Son of Man in Daniel is the source of Christ’s self-designation as the Son of Man and his authority)