Scripture References: John 1:1-18

We Beheld His Glory

Despite the fact that Jesus Christ was clothed in our flesh, having our frail and fragile form and dwelling in the midst of our common life, people saw glory in Him. John says, “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (John 1:14).

Glory means splendor, brilliance, excellence. Phillips’ translation reads like this: “We saw his glory (the glory like that of a father’s only son).” Yet His splendor did not overwhelm people, His brilliance did not blind them, and His excellence did not demean them. His splendor was robed in the coarse garment of human nature; His brilliance shone through the prism of human flesh; and His excellence was seen in the light of our common day.

Glory also meant the presence of God in His life. The glory of God in the Bible means the presence of God. God was present in Jesus the way He has never been present in anybody else. Jesus said to His disciples one day, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). It was such a radical and startling thing to say, they must have wondered. In His face they had seen the light that has its source in God. In His love they had experienced the love of God. In His voice they had heard God speak. And in His touch they had felt God’s healing.

William Barclay has remarked about this glory:

The glory of the Lord means quite simply the presence of God . . . when Jesus came to earth men saw the wonder of God, and the wonder was love. When Jesus came men saw that God’s glory and God’s love were one and the same thing. The glory of God is not the glory of a despotic eastern tyrant, but that splendor of love before which we fall, not in abject terror, but lost in wonder, love and praise. ¹

Full of Grace

In beholding His glory, people also saw that Jesus was “full of grace and truth.” His glory was the reflection of this grace and truth.

“Grace” has two meanings. It is that which is completely unmerited. You could never earn it, buy it, or prove yourself worthy of it. Also, grace implies beauty, graciousness, charm, comeliness. There was a rare beauty and graciousness about Jesus. The finest literary artist, painter, and sculptor can never fully capture and express it.

Jesus was full of grace. John goes on to say: “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16). It was grace heaped upon grace. It is grace that is inexhaustible. It never runs out because it is fed by unfailing springs of love. It is always replenished. We do not therefore have to come to Him bearing gifts or meritorious achievement. We dare come in our moral poverty and with our empty hands. From His abundance of grace He accepts and forgives us. Though we come in our moral rags, He treats us as if we were kings, making us the sons of God.

To Be Continued

¹ William Barclay, John, Volume I
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
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