Dr. Dan Hayden •
Sometimes we just glance around at things, and at other times we look at things more closely. But on occasion, we get real interested and scrutinize something carefully. That’s what John did when he saw God’s glory in Jesus Christ.
In John 1:14, after telling us that “the Word [became] flesh and dwelt among us,” John goes on to say “…and we beheld his glory.”
I’m sure that John looked at Jesus a lot. Sometimes glancing around to see if Jesus was there—at other times, watching Him as He taught the disciples or a crowd of people—or as He performed a miracle. But there was one occasion where John (also with Peter and James) saw Jesus like they had never seen Him before. They were up on a mountain alone with Jesus when suddenly He was transformed before their very eyes! Matthew says, “His face did shine like the sun, and His raiment was as white as the light” (Matthew 17:2). John simply says, “we beheld His glory.”
This word “beheld” is an intense word, more expressive than simply seeing something. It means “to gaze at something so as to penetrate and absorb it.”
They didn’t just see Him in His glory. They stared at Him in wonder and amazement. They were mesmerized. John says, “…we beheld his glory.”
Say—do you know that that is how Jesus looks now? Read John’s account in Revelation 1—it’s amazing!