The Light of God in the Incarnation and the Earthly Ministry of the Son of God

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman…” — Gal. 4:4

The uncreated and eternal Son of God existed forever in eternity past as a divine member of the Trinity. The endless ages of eternity were filled with divine love until the genesis of time, and after 4,000 years of human history, the fulness of time had come for the Son of God to become a Man in the form of Jesus Christ.

The Sovereignty of God in the First Verse of the BibleIn Eternity Before the Beginning

An eternity transpired before the beginning. An eternity! The stillness and silence of eternity was filled with God. The divine being of God inhabited eternity. Mortal men cannot fathom such greatness.

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“Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” — Isa. 7:14

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” — Isa. 9:6

The incarnation was a genuine act of creation in that, “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” The incarnation made this invisible Son of God physically tangible and visible in bodily presence as a Man. Literally, He was miraculously “conceived” by “the Holy Ghost” in Mary’s womb and brought to birth Referring to this, John affectionately called Jesus Christ, “the Only Begotten Son of God” Having no earthly father, it can be correctly stated that God was Jesus Christ’s one and “only” Father by birth.

“the Only Begotten of the Father” — John 1:14

“the Only Begotten Son” — John 1:18

“His Only Begotten Son” — John 3:16

“the Only Begotten Son of God” — John 3:18

God came down from the height of Heaven. The Creator, Himself, was incarnated. God became a Man—fully God and fully Man simultaneously. God came down to our world presenting Himself as one of us! A new Man! The Living God walking among men. God came down from Heaven to physically and spiritually reveal Himself to sinners. “The Dayspring from on High hath visited us” The coming of God as a Man is a new genesis because in Him was life; and the life was the Light of men

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” — Gen. 1:1-3

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” — John 1:1-5

The divine Word, “Let there be Light” was spoken on Day #1 in the genesis of time. The incarnation was yet another dawn of Light upon the darkness of the world. John spoke as though the incarnation was a Light comparable to and more excellent than the dawning Light of Genesis, saying, “That was the true Light…”

“That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” — John 1:10-11

“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” — Isa. 53:2-3

Amazingly, the visible revelation of the Son of God was rather inglorious in the eyes of sinners. How is this possible? “He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” One would expect that the incarnated Light of eternity would be beautiful to everyone, even as the sunlight of the Heavens reveals the glory and power of God Speaking in this sense, it could be said, the radiant glory of the Son of God was concealed in the uncomely, unattractive, and unbeautiful flesh of a Galilean from Nazareth.

“Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
— Jn. 1:46 (Jn. 7:41-42, 52)

Nevertheless, John was very bold to say, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John specifically stated, “we beheld His glory” which means that “the true Light” is one that “lighteth every man that cometh into the world” This raises a very important question.

How could the radiant glory of divine Light be universally seen and mostly rejected as inglorious and uncomely in the 1st century?

Doctrinal answers to this question are set forth in the Gospel of John. First, let us observe We need to understand how the Light in question relates to the incarnation. Light and Darkness correspond with the bodily presence or absence of the Son of God as a Man. We are talking about worlds of Light and Darkness, even as we experience them naturally every Day and Night on Earth.

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of life.” — John 8:12

“I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is Day: the Night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” — John 9:4-5

“Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the Day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the Light of this world. But if a man walk in the Night, he stumbleth, because there is no Light in him.” — John 11:9-10

“Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the Light with you. Walk while ye have the Light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have Light, believe in the Light, that ye may be the children of Light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:” — John 12:35-37

The visible appearance of Jesus Christ was the dawning Day of salvation! The incarnation of the Son of God was effectively the Light of Day, spiritually speaking. The death of Jesus Christ was the Darkness of Night, respectively, because it was the extinguishing of this Daylight from the earth. God coming to our world to live as a Man on Earth was a spiritual Day. God leaving our world by dying as a Man brought about a spiritual Night. The Light visibly appeared and disappeared with the bodily presence of the incarnated Son of God.

Let it be known that the Messiah was serious about people physically following Him as God walked among men in bodily presence as a Man. He publicly called the believers to follow Him repeatedly no matter the cost However, the time finally came when Jesus Christ said, “Whither I go, thou canst not follow Me now…” Seriously, think about this in terms of Light and Darkness Jesus Christ presented Himself to the world, saying, “I am the Light of the world” But He also said, “Yet a little while is the Light with you.” “Night cometh” and “as long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world” Finally, it was written, “Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father”

As the disciples were physically following Jesus Christ, they were walking in the Light When they “forsook” Him and “fled” in Gethsemane, obviously, they were no longer walking in the Light, and thus the darkness was blinding their eyes even though the Light was still in the world Finally, when Jesus Christ died, the dark Night of sorrow had come because the Bridegroom was taken away from the Bride Even now, as we await the visible, physical, and bodily return of Jesus Christ, “the Spirit and the Bride say, Come”

“Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” — Matt. 9:14-15

This manner of speech can be difficult for Christians because we know that God is omnipresent. However, upon realizing that Jesus Christ was using this language to refer to the unique blessings of the Son of God being with us physically and visibly in bodily presence as a Man on Earth, it all makes perfect sense. The visible presence of Jesus Christ on Earth makes all the difference in the world! Therefore, the Day and Night emphasis is entirely appropriate.

Greater than the Temple Albeit the Vail is Accessible and Approachable

The Temple of God in the Old Testament was exceedingly magnificent, great, amiable, and glorious This is especially true because God manifestly dwelt in the Temple, and the Light of God shined from the Temple

The Jews were required to go to the Temple three times a year. They traveled long distances to get there because they were being summoned to stand “before” God. In standing before the Temple in the outer court, the people were standing “before” the LORD Gifts and offerings were put “before the LORD” at the Temple Animal sacrifices of atonement were made exclusively at the altar of the Temple

Nevertheless, the common people could not get too close to God at the Temple. There were walls, barriers, and vails put in place to enforce the prohibitions of holiness that prevented the majority of people from coming near, as it is written, “…the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death” The holy things of the Temple were inaccessible, unapproachable, untouchable, and unseeable And these laws were written in fire and blood so that nobody could forget them. Boldness to draw near was punished with death and the people cried out in bitter lamentation.

“Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish. Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the Tabernacle of the Lord shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?” — Num. 17:12-13

The people were required to come to the outer court of the Temple, but only the Priests were allowed within the walls of the Temple. By praying in the court of the Temple, the people were praying to the God of the Temple If sundered far from the Temple, the people still prayed “toward” the Temple Looking to God necessitated looking to the Temple! Hence, they also “spread forth” their hands “toward” the Temple as they prayed

Now, let us turn our attention to the New Testament by “looking unto Jesus” What do you see? The Evangelists of the Gospels are presenting to us “One greater than the Temple” No small controversy was stirred when Jesus Christ said, “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” This statement wasn’t generic or purely metaphorical.

Something unique and unprecedented was happening everywhere that Jesus Christ was going in the 1st century. The bodily presence of Jesus Christ was performing all the functions of the Temple. Therefore, by standing before the bodily presence of Jesus Christ, the people were standing before God. By looking to Jesus Christ, the people were looking to God! And by praying to Jesus Christ, the people were praying to God. All this is true, and more, because the Man was equal to and greater than the Temple.

“But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the House of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the Priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the Priests in the Temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is One greater than the Temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” — Matt. 12:2-6

Now, let us reconsider John’s testimony, when he said, “we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father” We know that sinners were visibly prevented from seeing the infinite beauty and comeliness of the Son of God because of the vailing presence of mortal incarnation Paul is very bold to point out that the “flesh” of Jesus Christ performed the role of a “veil” in the hiding of unfathomable glory Nevertheless, sinners of every rank found the flesh of Jesus Christ to be approachable and accessible even though He walked among men as “One greater than the Temple”

Sinners were permitted to go right up to the “veil” of mortal flesh that contained the Son of God, only inches away from Shekinah glory as it was manifest behind the veil, even as the Priesthood of old stood before the vail of “the oracle” at the altar of incense King Uzziah was struck with leprosy for trying to approach the vail of the Temple Men were cursed and killed for undue boldness to access, approach, and touch the holy things of the Temple, but the exact opposite is true as unclean sinners encountered the Light of Life from the Holy One

Holier than Sinai Albeit the Man is Accessible, Approachable, & Touchable

The holy mountain of Sinai was inaccessible, unapproachable, and untouchable. The apostle Paul emphasized this repeatedly in Barriers were put up to prevent the common people from breaking through to “gaze” upon the forbidden glory “And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart” The Light of God at Sinai was deadly and therefore the holy mount was unapproachable and untouchable. However, looking unto Jesus, the contrast is staggering to behold.

“The people which sat in darkness saw great Light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death Light is sprung up.” — Matt. 4:16

John said, “we beheld His glory” By interpretation, that is to say: Light shined! And what followed was a spectacle of divine goodness. Unholy sinners rushed to “touch” Jesus Christ because they found that “as many as touched were made perfectly whole” The people even “pressed upon Him for to touch Him” Sinners were not prevented from coming close nor were they rebuked as massive crowds drew near in a press of great commotion. They felt no danger as they boldly approached and touched the Man who was holier than Sinai. Rather, they felt the miracle of life in every touch. They encountered “the Light of Life” as they broke through to gaze

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” — John 10:10

Compare these scenes to the royalty of earth in human history. Rulers tolerate the undue boldness of massive crowds with a sense of duty even though it is troublesome and inconvenient. Jesus Christ was different. Sinners felt welcome. Like a passionate Physician visits the sick, the people could see that Jesus Christ wanted to be among them. The people heard the Lord speak from the heart, and say, “I will”, as He went about the country softly and tenderly touching and healing sinners.

“When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” — Matt. 8:1-3

The Son of God was approachable and touchable to the vilest of sinners. The great Prince and Savior even touched the untouchables! He could have healed the “leper” with a word. He didn’t! Jesus Christ wanted to touch the “leper” because he was an outcast. The letter of the law dictates that lepers are untouchable They were justly doomed to be outcasts of society under the curse of the law. On the contrary, the laws of liberty in the Gospel bid the vilest of sinners to come

To the hungry and thirsty, Jesus Christ said: “come” To the restless and weary, Jesus Christ said: “come” To lost, depraved, and criminal sinners, Jesus Christ said: “come” To a dead and rotten corpse of a man, Jesus Christ said: “come” Absolutely no one was excluded! To “whosoever will”, Jesus Christ said: “come”

“…him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” — Jn. 6:37

We can learn a lot about Jesus Christ by watching and listening to everything He says and does in the Gospels. This is an important part of gospelization in the ministry of the Evangelists. Behold! The lepers are touched Unworthy gentiles are welcome at the Table of the Kingdom Cursed, condemned, and demon possessed sinners are blessed This is the Light of Life shining in the land of the dead Armies of demons are rebuked, legions are dispatched, and demoniacs are freed Badly hurting sinners are healed, forgiven, and saved Lost and forgotten sinners are searched for and found

The power of Atonement through the blood of Christ is bridging the gap, crossing chasms, tearing down barriers, and bringing in outcasts The people who are incurable, uncleanable, lost, and dead are cured, cleaned, and coming alive The Pharisees are rebuked with woes the cursed Canaanites are blessed and the condemned adulteress is justified What happened? Sinners were encountering “the Light of Life”

“Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of life.” — John 8:1-12

The IAM died to do the impossible and make sinners live Lepers were untouchable outcasts under the Law Adulterers and adulteresses were unsavable sinners who were doomed to die by public execution under the Law Demon possessed people, witches, and occult practitioners were unsavable sinners who had to be cut off and killed under the Law The Canaanites were an outcast nation of unsavable reprobates under the Law The Light of Life rose upon our world to save and reconcile the reprobate outcasts

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” — 1 Pet. 2:9-10

Sinai was inaccessible, unapproachable, and untouchable The heavenly Man (and consequentially Heaven itself) is accessible, approachable, and touchable The blood of Abel cried out for justice and Cain became an outcast The blood of Jesus Christ cries out for reconciliation and far away strangers and hopeless aliens become saints, citizens, and sons The Man of Atonement is a touchable redemption that shines as the Light of Life.

“And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” — Matt. 8:14-17

The Man of Atonement was touching and taking away the “infirmities” and “sicknesses” from people one by one with a single touch. This picture is worth a thousand words in all languages! Bystanders were shocked to behold the boundless nature of these wonders. Who could deny that this is the Man into whom sin was imputed and from whom righteousness is imparted? The Light of Life is shining at the Cross

All these miracles are unexplainable, indefensible, illegal, and impossible without the blood of Jesus Christ. Hence, the greatest and most difficult exploit that the Son of God ever performed was the miracle of the Atonement Success here has given sinners free access to boundless blessings Badly hurting sinners came for help and they all got what they wanted, even though they weren’t asking for the right things The streets were lined with sickbeds as sinners were waiting for the Lord to come and, as always, “as many as touched Him were made whole”

Greater than Angels Albeit the Man is Accessible, Approachable, and Touchable

God, the Creator, has always wanted to intimately engage creation. The dread Sovereign is personal, emotional, relational, and familial. God wants to be touched. This explains the abundance of theophanies in the Old Testament. God was not content to sit in the background. God came to Abraham, Jacob, and Joshua visibly and tangibly in bodily form as the Angel of the LORD Through the body of the Angel of the LORD, these men were able to approach and touch the otherwise unapproachable and untouchable God of Heaven. However, even though God was the friend of Abraham, the same could not be said of the Sodomites

God physically and visibly manifested in the bodily presence of an Angel to Abraham, and from there went to visit the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah And the Sodomites did not find God to be friendly at the end of the day. Of course, this isn’t about race or nationality, but depravity God’s holy eyes could not look on that scene and do nothing! God is dangerously holy and violently reactive to sin Sodomites in hell right now dread the memory of seeing the Angel of the LORD walking into “the midst” of “the city” on that fateful day. Once again, this is not about race or nationality! The LORD almost did the same thing to the Jews.

“I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people; lest I consume thee in the way” — Exodus 33:3

“I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee”
– Ex. 33:5 (Num. 16:21, 45)

“How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.” — Hos. 11:8-9

The sin of the Israelites became so provocative to God that the people deserved the fiery fate of Sodom. Nevertheless, as an act of mercy, God refused to go into “the midst” of the people. This was an act of holy self-restraint in God. He had the desire to but ultimately decided not to enter the city like the Angel of the LORD walked into Sodom Had the LORD entered “the city” it would have suffered a sodomite destruction. God knows His own boundaries. Evil cannot endure the presence of God, nor can God endure the presence of evil. Speaking of this, the following words were spoken about the Angel of the LORD.

“Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for My Name is in him.” — Ex. 23:21

The peopled learned by experience that it is a fearful thing to “meet” God because it meant facing divine justice You can count on it! They expected it. The manifest presence of God in the Angel of the LORD would not “pardon your transgressions” On the contrary, Jesus Christ looked compassionately upon the most scandalous sinners, and said, “Thy sins are forgiven.” The differences here are shocking to behold.

Jesus Christ was even friendly to the spiritual Sodomites of the 1st century. I’m talking about how the bodily presence of Jesus Christ walked into the city of Capernaum and filled it with the sunshine miracles of gospelization. The city of Capernaum and others ended up rejecting the Messiah, thus proving that they deserved the fiery fate of Sodom

“And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.” — Matt. 11:23-24

The incarnation and earthly ministry of Jesus Christ was the Light of Life. Jesus Christ entered into Capernaum and brought with Him a miracle ministry of grace that was completely void of punishing judgments. The apostles piped and Capernaum didn’t dance. Can you image the Angel of the LORD piping to the Sodomites in You can’t put new wine into old wine skins No other beloved can compare to our Beloved This brings us to

“And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.” — Lk. 9:52-56

How can we explain this difference in behavior as we compare the angelic theophanies of biblical history to Jesus Christ? We know that Jesus Christ is much greater and far holier than Angels (-2:8). It stands to reason that Jesus Christ should be more inaccessible, unapproachable, untouchable, and unforgiving to sinners. All the glory for these unprecedented miracles of love should be credited to the blood of Jesus Christ.

The Son of God has come to perform miracles that infallibly prove the merit of the blood in how it makes a thrice holy God accessible, approachable, touchable, and forgiving where it was formerly impossible and illegal. Speaking of this, Jesus Christ boldly declared: “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” The word “judge” here is speaking about the punishment of sinners in the execution of divine justice. On the contrary, the Lord was on a mission to prove the power of the blood in everything said and done, even that people would ask questions about the miracles of mercy, so that the gaze of sinners would eventually land upon the Cross.

“And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. I am come a Light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” — John 12:45-47

A universe of divine love was hidden in the Father and impossible to reveal without the bloody passion of the Cross. We are talking about unknown and unseen glories of the Father’s love being brought to Light because of the blood Now, in the Person of Jesus Christ, we see the Father running from eternity to embrace the lost prodigals

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in him is no darkness at all.” — John 1:1-5

God manifested physically and visibly in bodily presence as a Man and created shock and awe by being friendly and welcoming to sinners. Jesus Christ was even publicly named, “The Friend of Sinners” The accessibility, approachableness, and touchableness of the Savior is an unspeakable joy to countless sinners. Even the apostles were proven to be failures and disconsolate prodigals in the end. Their track record wasn’t good! Who could forget the defiance of doubting Thomas? Everything got better when Jesus Christ appeared to them and said, “handle Me, and see” This is what John was speaking about, when he said, “our hands have handled…the Word of Life” The apostles don’t exclude us like some elite group. They are saying to everyone else, “have fellowship with us” Our boldness to come will be rewarded with unspeakable blessings.

Greater than the Ark Albeit the Man is Accessible, Approachable, and Touchable

Uzzah died the day that he dared to touch the Ark. He reached out his hand with good intentions as he tried to prevent the Ark from falling on the ground Others, out of curiosity, drew near and looked into the Ark and this provocative violation occasioned the death of 50,610 men This is serious business! These men were sorely punished for their undue boldness to approach and touch the untouchable. Even the High Priest, who was “Holiness To The LORD”, would have died when approaching the Ark in the Holy of Holies without wearing bells on his robe.

“A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he die not. And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holiness To The Lord.” — Ex. 28:34-36

What does this mean in the Theater of Typology? Approaching the manifest presence of a thrice holy God is dangerous, deadly, and difficult under the Law. Real wrath in the heart of God was unsatisfied without the blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, a sudden and unannounced approach would be an inexcusable intrusion. Boldly touching the Ark would have been an unbearable invasion. Now, let us compare this with the scenes presented to us in the Gospels.

“And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” — Lk. 7:36-50

Sinners boldly ran to Jesus as “the Friend of Sinners” The worst of sinners! “Seest thou this woman?” Unclean and scandalous harlots were allowed to approach, touch, and minister to Jesus Christ with staggering intimacy. Their liberties with the Christ of God far exceeded what the High Priest could do with the Ark. Those beholden to the Light of Life were found weeping at His feet and anointing His head. Sinners found miraculous healing in His touch and love in His arms Sometimes sinners approached in surprise and completely unannounced and they were the better for it! The most famous example of this was when unclean outcast secretly reached out and touched His garments in a desperate attempt to be healed

Poor and needy sinners felt power and protection in His shadow They experienced the Holy Ghost in His breath They found secrets in His bosom And they saw angels ascending and descending upon the Man Sinners of every rank stood in awe of the divine miracles Yet only believers correctly interpreted the meaning of the miracles as the work of the Atonement.

Not even a quarter of the miracles performed by Jesus Christ existed in the combined ministries of all the Prophets of biblical history. How is this possible? Why the sudden flood of formerly unseen acts of divine love? The character of God hasn’t changed from the O.T. to the N.T. The scope of possibilities in the realm of grace has been radically expanded because of the legal and substantial presence of an Atonement for the first time ever in human history Let all the miracles serve their purpose to gospelize you! We should allow the Gospels to evangelize us personally. God wants us to “know” that these things are now possible because of the blood of Jesus Christ

The Light is Revealing the Unseen Glory of the Father’s Love

Jesus Christ was greater than the Temple and its Ark, holier than Angels, and equal to the Father And the meek and lowly “Lord of glory” chose “the poor” for company ( Php. 2:3-11, ). Our gracious Lord dispensed the riches of Heaven upon the “poor” Those who felt their need for the Lord perceived power and glory in every word Literally, every word uttered by the sacred lips of Jesus Christ was the word of God The people were hearing the word of God in a unique and exceptional way that was beyond prophetic because every word the Man ever spoke was the word of God coming directly from God Himself

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.” — John 5:19-20

“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” — John 5:30

God waited 4,000 years to say and do these things we are seeing in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ – things that God could not legally do without the blood of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ was the living manifestation of the Father in both word and deed Literally, whatever Jesus Christ was saying, this is what the Father was speaking in real time, and if the Father wasn’t saying anything, Jesus Christ wasn’t speaking anything The Father bore witness of this fact through the unique and unprecedented miracles

“And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” — John 12:45-46

As crowds gathered to gaze upon the Man, Jesus Christ, they saw the Father manifesting as the Light of Life. Jesus Christ said, “And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me.” The personality of the Father in word, thought, and deed was on full display. The staggering reality of this personal revelation is all the glory of the Light. When Jesus Christ said, “I am come a Light into the world” in the same breath, He said, “He that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me” Seeing Jesus Christ is beholding the Father. No wonder then, that Jesus Christ said, “I and My Father are one.”

The disciples were shocked to come to this realization during the upper room discourse of John 13-17. Philip looked at Jesus Christ and boldly asked for one more revelation. Philip declared that he would be content at the granting of one final request, and he claimed to speak on behalf of all the apostles.

“Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.” — Jn. 14:8

Philip remembered how Moses prayed to God, “I beseech Thee, shew me Thy glory.” and in response, God said, “Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live.” Philip wanted to see all the Sinaic glory and beyond, even as Moses requested on the holy mount. The curious apostle stood there, face to face with Jesus Christ, and the poor man was distracted with longing to see the Father. Now, let us learn from this discourse.

“If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?” — John 14:7-9

A perfect revelation of the Father was on full display through the Son of God, and this was something of incomprehensible greatness, but the apostles stood there dumbfounded. Now we know the truth of what was written, “And the Light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” Let us keep in mind that most people didn’t even like Jesus Christ! His preaching was too narrow, authoritative, and hard-hitting (-7:29). His words were heavy with reproof and rebuke. Sin was exposed and hypocrisy was denounced There was something different about Him that displeased proud sinners. What was it? The Light.

“And this is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved Darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the Light, neither cometh to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the Light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” — Jn. 3:19-21

Ultimately, we know where this leads. Blind and visionless sinners “crucified the Lord of glory” And the most spectacular revelation of glory was displayed at the Cross! It is explicitly stated in Scripture that this is where Jesus Christ was “glorified” And those beholden to this glory do freely confess that Jesus Christ is the great I AM