Jesus Reveals the Glory of God

The Old Testament reveals God as entirely glorious, but also as unapproachable in His glory. It shows that His glory is too bright, too radiant, too pure for sinners like us to approach. Of course, the New Testament picks up on this theme, but it shows us that, in the coming of Jesus, something radical and wonderful has taken place.

A verse that I continue to return to when I think about the attributes of God is found at the start of John’s gospel. It is one of the most important verses bridging the Old Testament and the New. Referring to Jesus, John wrote, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Moses longed to see the glory of God, but God told him he could not do so and live. Isaiah saw something of the Lord in His glory in a vision, but he feared he would be consumed by the display. But now, in Jesus we have seen the glory of God. As the Son became flesh in the incarnation, the glorious God came to us in a way that we could see and know Him, without us being consumed by the sheer radiance of His holiness.

Our God is the God of glory. I wonder if you know Him?

The revelation of the glory of God in the person and work of Jesus is a theme that John in particular explored and developed in his gospel. John wanted us to see that as we watch and listen to Jesus, there is a revealing of the very glory of God. When Jesus performed His first miracle in chapter 2, turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana, John wrote, “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11). The miracles of Jesus reveal His glory and give us a window into His majesty, power, and beauty. Yet as the gospel account progressed, Jesus made it clear that the true moment of glory—the moment when His glory would be revealed most profoundly and radiantly—would be as He died on the cross.

In chapter 12, Jesus gave one of the most significant predictions of His death:

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” (John 12:23–28)

What is the moment of “glorification” according to John? When would the glory of God shine most clearly through the person and work of Jesus? It is at the cross, where the kernel of wheat fell to the ground and died to give life to many. It is at the cross, the place of torment from which Jesus might have asked to be saved. He came for that hour because the Father’s name would be revealed as glorious, lifted up and exalted, as the Son died for sinners like us.

It is worth pausing for a moment to take this in. God is glorious—radiant in power and majesty and holiness and goodness. He is so glorious that Moses could not look on His glory without being destroyed. But in Jesus, through the miracle of the incarnation, we have now seen the glory of God. We have seen His glory in the miracles He performed and the words He spoke, but this revelation of glory reached its pinnacle at the very moment when God the Son died in agony and humility for the sin of His people.

What does this say about our glorious God and His character and nature? If that is the moment of the revelation of the glory of God, what kind of God is this? If the ugliness and agony and shame of the cross is the glory of the all-glorious God, then who is this God we worship and this Lord we adore? He is the God of mercy and compassion, of grace and justice. He is the God of love untold, of grace unfathomable. He is the God whose glory it is to die for His rebellious, lost, and hopeless creatures. He is the God whose radiant glory is revealed as He gives His one and only Son for you and for me.

Our God is the God of glory. I wonder if you know Him? I wonder if, with the eyes of faith, you have seen Him in His glory in the person of His Son? I wonder if the sheer radiance of His glory has transformed your life and shone into your heart? If you do not know Him, you can know Him. If you have not come to Him, you can come to Him. You do it by trusting in His Son and receiving the love and grace and mercy He poured out at the cross. That is, quite simply, the offer of the gospel and it is for you and for me. It is for all who will believe.