Epiphany (eBook)

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (John 1:14)

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

(Psalm 29:2 NIV)

Not to us, O Lord, not to us,

but to thy name give glory,

for the sake of thy steadfast love and thy

faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1)

WHAT IS THE GLORY OF GOD?

What resonance does the word glory have in today’s English language? How often is it used, and with what meaning? The adjective glorious is familiar enough—we might say that we saw a “glorious” sunset, and we might hear of a pop star such as Beyoncé “in all her glory.” In the Greek and Roman worlds, glory was associated with fame, reputation, and, especially, honor. These qualities were to be sought above all else, and most often were particularly associated with military glory. In late antiquity and medieval times, warriors and heroes of song and saga went on long and dangerous journeys to “get glory” for themselves. In the present day as in the ancient world, athletes seek glory in Olympic gold, which is given for crowning achievement. Glory in this sense of renown is for the elite. Usually it is earned, but it can also be bought or stolen. It can be taken away or lost; we often hear of “past glory.” It hardly needs to be pointed out that human-based glory is ephemeral. It passes away.

In contrast, the glory ascribed to God throughout the Old Testament is immutable and eternal. Its source is the Creator himself and it emanates from him. It is in the intrinsic character of God to possess this divine radiance. It does not change according to human response or lack thereof. If it is not perceived, it is still there, beyond human power to earn, to give, or to withdraw. At the will of God, it can be withdrawn from humans, but it cannot be withdrawn from the Creator. Therefore it serves as a judgment upon anyone who does not acknowledge it, whether they know it or not.

In the Bible, eternal glory belongs to God alone, and all who are called into service by God know that they can attribute glory only to God. However, we learn from Scripture that in engaging with human beings, God shields his essence from us precisely with its manifestation; he is willing to shrink himself, so to speak, so that we are not swallowed up alive by his glory. When Moses rather presumptuously asks that God show him his glory, God grants the gift but puts Moses into a cleft of a rock so that he will see only God’s back (Exodus 33:18-23).

One of the most memorable biblical visions of God’s glory is when God shows himself to the prophet Isaiah in the temple:

Isaiah is completely overcome with fear and trembling. It is important for us to pause over this:

Most of us don’t realize what we are singing when we toss off the familiar hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy,” or when we sing the Sanctus during the eucharistic liturgy. It seems routine to us, but we should notice Isaiah’s reaction. His vision of the glory of God results in an instantaneous perception of the contrast between God’s purity and his people’s contamination—their “uncleanness” because of sin. God’s glory manifested in the epiphanies of the Bible evoke intense reactions (“The glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid,” Luke 2:9-10 KJV). Epiphanies in Scripture are met with reactions of disbelief (Gideon), awe (the Magi), amazement (Cana), or—most often—“fear and trembling.” It is precisely for this reason that the biblical angels are always saying “Fear not!”

Perhaps the most seminal of all the manifestations in the Old Testament is that of Moses in the desert and the bush that burns furiously but is not consumed. Moses reacts to the phenomenon as a “great sight,” as though it were some sort of magic trick. But God speaks to Moses out of the bush, saying in effect, “Stand back! Do not come near my presence without trembling; take off your shoes; I AM WHO I AM, not who you thought I was.” “And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God” (Exodus 3:6). We should not come to an epiphany too quickly, before we absorb the message from the burning bush: “Stand back! Too hot to handle!” Exodus continues: “The appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel” (Exodus 24:17).4 The glory of God comes upon Moses and Isaiah as a body blow.

The glory of God is not summoned by human striving or wishing. It cannot be conjured up by anything we can do.5 It is pure gift. It comes to us solely at the will of the Creator. It comes from another dimension, over against the world of human bondage to sin and death. It is not accessible to the unaided human eye. Thus Paul teaches us that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 15:50), and John says that “no one has ever seen God” directly (John 1:18); in Jesus Christ the living Word, he has been made visible. Only as God chooses do we see God’s glory; such a vision is not available as a...