Seeing God’s Glory by Seeing Jesus

In Exodus 33, we’re given a fascinating glimpse into a conversation
between God and Moses. In the context, the Israelite people have just
worshipped the golden calf while Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the laws
of God. The Lord was furious and declared that He would not personally lead
the Israelites to their promised land in Canaan, but would send an angel to do
it instead. In the “tent of meeting” outside the camp, Moses successfully
pleaded with God to change His mind. After God revealed that Moses had
found favor in His sight and that He knew Moses by name, Moses
reciprocated with a plea to know God: “Please show me your glory” (Exodus
33.18). God revealed that it was possible for Moses to view His “back” from
inside a rock cleft, but seeing God’s true glory was out of the question. “Man
shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33.20).

In the beginning of the apostle John’s gospel, I believe we see this
conversation referenced in a remarkable way. John wrote that Jesus took on
human flesh among us and as a result, “we have seen his glory, glory as of
the only Son from the Father…” (John 1.14). Four verses later, John said that
“no one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has
made him known.” Since it was not possible for sin-tainted human beings to
view the holy God with unveiled eyes, God took our human form so we could
see His glory in that way. Therefore, when Jesus walked the earth, people
could truly say that they saw God. Since Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s
nature (Hebrews 1.3), John and those with him truly did behold the glory of
God when they were with Him. As Jesus said Himself, “Whoever has seen
me has seen the Father” (John 14.9). The kind of intimacy with God that
Moses craved is possible when we have a relationship with Jesus.

Do we grasp the significance of seeing God through Jesus? When we study
the actions and words of Jesus in the gospel accounts, we’re not merely
reading accounts of a gifted teacher or charismatic leader, we’re reading
about who our Creator is at His very core. When we see Jesus warmly
embrace small children (Mark 9.36, 10.14), we are seeing God’s profound
love for the small, helpless, and unimportant people of the world. When we
see Jesus shed tears of sorrow and anger when he’s confronted by death and
its’ evil effects (John 11.35), we are seeing God’s deep abhorrence of sin and
what it does to human beings. When we see Jesus willingly endure emotional
and physical torture at the hands of brutal enemies, we are seeing the extent
of God’s zeal to save us from our own hideous wickedness. Do you want to
see the glory of God and know Him personally? Look closely at Jesus of
Nazareth.
– Nathan Combs