³And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high … (Heb. 1:3)

Jesus Christ, as God’s Son, is the radiance of God’s glory. Meditating on the depth of this truth will occupy the minds of God’s people for eternity. The NT writers, including the author of Hebrews, were eager and passionate about telling others about Jesus Christ, the one they knew intimately. They were not promoting an aesthetic lifestyle of monastic isolation but desired to share the joy and the thrill of basking in the light of Christ. Jesus said of Himself, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness” (John 12:46). That is just the beginning.

The Book of Hebrews builds on this in one of the highest, loftiest descriptions of Christ. There is no limit to the use of superlatives and exalted words. We might say words fail to capture this truth completely—but God does supply words to give us a taste. In Jesus, we see the unfiltered, unbridled reflection of God. Jesus mirrors God’s divine brilliance. But it is more than that. He is God in the flesh and continues in His resurrected, incarnate state, receiving the glory from the Father that He set aside when He took on the form of a human (Phil. 2:6-7).

At times, while Jesus walked the earth, God pulled the curtain back so we could gain a peek at His glory. On the Mount of Transfiguration, “He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light” (Matt. 17:2). But this was only a momentary event, and today we recognize that we are not eyewitnesses ourselves.

We gain some insight when we listen in on Jesus’ intimate prayer in the upper room the evening before He was crucified:

“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24)

The glory He reflects is inherently His, for He and the Father are one. And heaven awaits us where we will see the full glory of Christ in all His radiance. Lest we stumble over theological sloppiness, we note that this glory was given Him by the Father from “before” the beginning. That phrase is code for eternity past. In other words, Christ always had the glory of the Father. After having set it aside for a short time, He received it back:

“Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” (John 17:5)

Scripture communicates the nature of God’s radiance using visual terminology we can understand; our human limitations mute our perception. But God’s glory is nonetheless illuminated in infinite ways. Isaiah the prophet described it this way: “The whole earth is filled with His glory” (Isa. 6:3). The psalmist writes, “The heavens declare the glory of the Lord” (Ps. 19:1). All of eternity will show the glory of God in its fullest. Let that sink into your thoughts and your soul. Jesus Christ, the Son, reflects all this. We will spend eternity discovering the infinite parameters of His glory. His radiance will be beyond all measure or limitation.

O Lord, You are to be worshiped because You are so great. I bow my heart in more than my obedience and subjection; I turn my entire self—my heart, mind, and will—toward You, giving You all the glory!