This morning we looked at John the Baptist, who was the forerunner for Jesus prophesied about in the Old Testament, sent to prepare the way for the Messiah (see Isaiah 40:3, Luke 3:4-5). We said that he was a harbinger (someone who announces or signals the approach of another), and that he did not seek glory for himself, but only wanted to glorify Jesus, ‘the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ (John 1:17) In this, he foreshadows our identity as the people of God: we are called to glorify Jesus and are ‘harbingers of glory,’ intended to reflect God’s image and identity to the world.
Glory is the word used to describe the sum of who God is. It’s a word we find frequently in the Bible, and yet it’s not an easy word to describe or explain. The dictionary defines glory as ‘high renown or honour won by notable achievements’ (see Ps 139:14, Ps 19:1). Often in the Old Testament, the manifestation of God’s glory was accompanied by supernatural fire, thick clouds, and a great quaking of the earth. (Ex 19:8, Deut 5:24-25, Isaiah 6:1-4) We see God’s glory descending on the temple in 2 Chron 7:1-3, so that the priests were not able to perform their duties because of the thickness of the clouds. In the New Testament, the transfiguration of Jesus and the revelation of Jesus received by John show us the awesome power and presence of God (see Matt 7, Rev 1).
Exodus 34 explores this theme of how we are called to reflect God’s glory, how Moses’s face shone after He had been in God’s presence on Mount Sinai, how he had to wear a veil because his face shone so brightly. Paul develops this in 2 Corinthians 3, telling us that we are being transformed into God’s image as we contemplate God’s glory. As God works in our hearts, He shapes us so that we are changed. The fruit of the Spirit is grown in our hearts as we yield our will to God’s. Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are developed in us. (Gal 5:22-23) We don’t physically look like Jesus, but His character is being grown within us so that we can shine for Him. After all, Jesus, the Light of the world, said that ‘you are the light of the world.’ (Matt 5:14) Our purpose in reflecting His character, light and glory is to point others to Him, just as John the Baptist did: ‘Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’ (Matt 5:16) Our purpose as God’s people is to be harbingers of His glory.