"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
Today I'm still happily parked inside of this passage, meditating now on the second part of this beautiful revelation of our Lord Jesus. It says we have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
As I kept in mind that the Word who clothed Himself in our humanity is Jesus, it became clear to me that grace and truth though defined in many ways, ultimately is a Person. They are a Man who lived and breathed, suffered and died so that by Him and His grace and truth, I can be set free from sin's grip, sin's condemnation, and sin's sentence of death, to live, have life, and do life with Jesus. Oh, how this deeply endears Jesus to my heart so much. This refreshing reminder that the message of the Cross isn't just a religious doctrine that we believe but a MAN that we embrace.
Another thing here that grabbed my attention is the word "glory." It reminded me about a passage I read in Isaiah 40 that prophecies about the Glory of God.
"You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, 'Here is your God!'" Isaiah 40:9
"Good news" and "high mountain" are the words that piqued my interest in Isaiah 40. This verse has to be talking about our Jesus, right? It was on Mount Calvary that the Man of Grace and Truth screamed with the voice of His wounds, the shouts of His suffering, the herald of His dying love the Good New of our forgiveness, our pardon; mercy for the sinner and Justice to our God. By the death of the Man of Grace of Truth and what appeared to be His humiliation and degradation, His discredit and disgrace as He became my sin and died my death is, in reality, a beautiful, jaw-dropping display of His Glory.
"Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!" Isaiah 40:5
"Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." John 12:23
"It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end" John 13:1