And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, – Hebrews 1:3 NASB

Radiance

In the Song of Songs, the daughters of Jerusalem (these are choir members in the cast of this beautifully romantic dramatic opera) ask the Maiden:

“What kind of beloved is your beloved, O most beautiful among women? What kind of beloved is your beloved…?” Song of Songs 5:9

Her answer begins with:

“My beloved is dazzling and ruddy, Outstanding among ten thousand. – Song of Songs 5:10

What is this radiance, this dazzling aspect of the Lord Jesus?

Most of the time people didn’t see it with their natural eyes. But that inner part of man that connects with God, the spirit of man, sensed it. It’s this radiance of glory that draws crowds to Him. It’s why fishermen were willing to drop their nets and follow. It’s why thousands would hang around in remote areas for days and listen to Him teach.

Oh sure, once the miracles started to be broadcast by the evening news, people would come to be healed or fed. But they were also drawn to him, compelled to seek Him out.

The demons saw it and knew what it was. As soon as He stepped onto the scene in that graveyard in Gadara they addressed Him with fear and respect.

And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” – Matthew 8:29

Peter, James, and John got a glimpse of it with their natural eyes on their hike with Jesus.

And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. – Matthew 17:2

Can you imagine being in that inner circle that day? Peter, James, and John get front row seats for an unveiling with only three other attendees. This transfiguration had a pretty exclusive audience.

Put yourself there for a minute. The boys have just hike up a “high mountain” with Jesus. I can almost hear Peter panting “Why didn’t Thomas have to come today?” as he wipes the sweat from this forehead with the sleeve of his tunic.

Then bent at the waist with his hands on his knees, catching his breath, he sees Jesus’ feet begin to brighten. He straightens up and Jesus is now so bright he can’t look directly at Him. As he shades his eyes he notices they are not alone.

Two guys, he only knew from the pictures in his storybook Bible where standing there with them, Moses and Elijah. Peter wants to honor them. I mean, these guys were God’s big guns–Moses, God’s lawman–Elijah, prophet and false prophet slayer–right here in front of him.

Then the final attendee showed up.

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” – Matthew 17:5

What a day!

And we see something of the brightness–radiance of His glory.

The thing is, if you hang out in the presence of this glory long enough, you might get to shining too. After forty days on the mountain with God, Moses had to bag his face because he too had that radiance.

In Jesus’ high priestly prayer, He said that He had given this same glory that He shares with His Father to us!

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; – John 17:22

This glory we share with Jesus and the Father is intended to create unity. It’s not our agreement that creates unity, it is the glory we share with Jesus and the Father.

We don’t grow closer because we share shame, or because we like the same music. We step into unity when we begin to see the glory of God in each other. When we give honor to one-another as befitting a dwelling place of the Most High God.

Today is a day to shine folks.

Shine with the light, with the glory, Jesus gave us in the new birth.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; … “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:14, 16 NASB

As I have said so many time in the past,

Shine where you’re screwed in.

Love you,

Ben

If you’ve missed anything – check out the Hebrews page to get caught up.