Friday, November 14’s devotional.
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature.” Hebrews 1:3 lifts our eyes to the splendour we lost in Eden. Glory once walked with Adam. Glory once filled the garden. Sin drove that glory away. Yet glory returns. Glory draws near. Glory stands before us in the face of Jesus Christ. Andre said, “Treasure Jesus and you are treasuring God.” This is the heart of our text. To see Jesus is to see God. To behold the Son is to behold the Father.
Hebrews tells us that the radiance once seen on Mount Sinai and once settled upon the temple now shines in the person of Christ. The brilliance. The majesty. The holy weight of God’s presence. All of it rests upon Him. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory.” Andre reminded us that when the ark was captured, Israel cried, “Ichabod…the glory has departed.” But in Jesus the glory has returned. Verily, it has taken on flesh. It has walked among us. John writes, “We observed his glory… the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Look at Christ. Watch Christ. Worship Christ. For He shows us the face of God.
But the writer adds more. “The Son is…the exact expression of his nature.” Not a reflection. Not an imitation. Not an echo. Exact. Perfect. Complete. Andre said, “To see Jesus is to look into the very face of God.” Think of a stamped coin bearing a precise image. Think of a mirror capturing every line of a face. Jesus is God’s perfect imprint. His perfect likeness. His perfect revelation. No wonder He says, “The one who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Thus the path to knowing God is simple. Behold Jesus. Read a Gospel story. Watch how He walks. Listen to how He speaks. Notice how He loves. In Him you behold the God who made you and the God who pursues you.
So meditate today. Read a portion of Matthew or Mark or Luke or John. Slow down. Let Christ’s radiance warm your weary heart. Whisper in worship, “Jesus, You show me the face of God.” Glory lost in the garden is glory restored in the Son. And as you behold Him, may your heart say what Andre longed for us to say: “What a great Saviour. What an awesome God.”
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, radiance of the Father’s glory, exact image of the living God, open my eyes to behold You. Drive away the shadows of sin and the fog of my distractions. Let Your light fill my thoughts. Let Your likeness shape my life. Teach me to watch You. Teach me to worship You. May I see the Father by seeing You. Amen.