Epiphany reveals the glory of the only Son of the Father!

Jn 1:14: The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.

Let me repeat the middle line: "We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father."

John is saying that Jesus is God. Like God, Jesus is glorious. In the glory of Jesus, God is revealing himself to man. And he expects the same response to the glory of Jesus than to his own glory - worship, praise, and obedience and faith (Jn 20:31).

When we read through the Gospels, we see glimpses of this glory. The first of Christ's miracles that John writes about is the miracle of Jesus changing water into wine.
(Jn 2:11) This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory ...

What is true for this miracle, is true for all the miracles: they reveal his glory, the glory of God. Read any miracle: the healing of the official's son (John 4:43ff), the cure of the man at Bethesda pool (John 5:1ff), the multiplication of the fish and loaves to feed the 5000 (John 6:1ff), Jesus walking on water (John 6:16ff), sight given to a man born blind (John 9:1ff), Lazarus raised from the dead (John 11:1ff); all of these wonderful, powerful, awe-inspiring acts give us glimpses of glory, they give us glimpses of God!

"We have seen his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father." What is this glory John is talking about? At the beginning of the Gospel, we realise that the complete glory is still to come. The real glory is yet to be revealed. The real glory of Jesus is something we do not see until he has died on the cross and rose from the grave.

Remember what Jesus said to his mother when she told him there was no more wine at the wedding feast in Cana. Jesus said, "My time has not yet come" (Jn 2:4). The time for the fullness of his glory to be revealed had not come. It is only when the cross is an immediate prospect that Jesus says, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" (John 12:23; John 12:27,28a). And, "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you" (John 17:1).

Look at the order. First the cross, then the glory. First the shame, then the highest place in heaven. First the suffering, then the crown. First humiliation, then exaltation.

Paul saw this glory of the risen Lord first-hand. Think of Paul on the Damascus road. He was on his way to persecute and imprison and kill Christians. Then he met the glorified Lord. Listen to the description:
(Acts 26:13-15) ... as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. (14) We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? ...' (15) Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. Acts 9:3-5.

When God showed his glory in the Old Testament, it was always spectacular: Fire, smoke and thunder on Mount Sinai. Pharaoh and his armies drowning. Israel walking through the sea on dry ground. A pillar of cloud and fire. The presence of God filling the Tabernacle and Temple. When John said, "We have seen his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father" (Jn 1:14), the Jewish people would have expected another cosmic spectacle. A display of thunder and lightning and fire and smoke. What they got was a baby, a cross, and a grave. What they got was that God became a human being. Not at all what they expected.

Look at the end of the Bible. John is given a vision of the glorified Christ. Unlike Moses, he does not see only part of God's glory. Unlike Moses, he is not covered with God's hand. Unlike Moses, he sees Jesus as he really is:
(Rev 1:13-16) ... among the lamp stands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. (14) His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. (15) His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. (16) In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance".

Do you hear what is said about all the glory? Do you imagine all the glory? Like Isaiah before him, John was scared by his glimpse of the glory of Christ. But Jesus said, "Do not be afraid" (Rev 1:17).

"We have seen his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father." Why didn't John have to be afraid?
Because of the cross and the grave. Because God became a human being. Because Jesus died and Jesus rose. Because he was dead but now he is alive for ever and ever.
Because all those who receive him, all those who believe in his name, have life in his name and therefore nothing to fear. Jn 20:30.

This is the unique Christian gospel.
It is the only good news we have: The unique glory of God, revealed through becoming and remaining a man for the sake of our salvation and our eternal joy!!