The Radiance

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” (Hebrews 1:3-4)

Jesus is God and all of Scripture points to that truth. Every attribute that is ascribed to God, Jesus also displays to a perfect degree. Jesus perfectly matches the brilliant glory of God.

When we consider the human nature of Jesus, and how he is truly man, we might lose sight of the fact that he is also truly God. When we read passages of Jesus’ birth, Jesus preaching in the synagogue, Jesus weeping over the death of a friend, or Jesus himself facing death, we might lose sight of Jesus performing miracles, being transfigured, and rising from the dead.

It would seem that even the disciples who walked with him every day were often caught off guard by the glory and deity of Jesus. When Jesus displays his authority over nature the disciples can’t help but ask “Who is this?” (Luke 8:25). Before the news of Jesus’ resurrection was widely known, his disciples spoke sadly of how they had hoped he might have been the Messiah (Luke 24:21).

In the time that Jesus was with his disciples, they didn’t have the whole picture. They had promises and prophecies, ideas and hopes, and they had the Messiah face-to-face! But they still had many questions even after all the events had unfolded! Now we have a much fuller story. It may still take lots of reading, remembering, and considering, but let us recognize that Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. Let us recognize Jesus for who he is!