Ezekiel 43:1-5

            {Prayer}

            I’m a sucker for scenic views. I love being out in God’s creation and just soaking up the beauty God has wrapped around me. Driving up Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado, there are numerous places where you can pull over, stop, get out of your vehicle and just take in the amazing view. From looking down upon the lake, standing in front of a wall of snow that is at least four times taller than me, to standing on summit and being able to look out for miles and miles, the beauty of God’s handiwork is absolutely stunning.

            But there’s one view that is even more stunning. A view that is so breathtaking that words just fail to capture its magnificence. It’s that moment when the clouds open up just enough and a shaft, a beam of light shines through, illuminating the world below with a golden radiance.

            In that moment, it’s easy to be transfixed by the sheer beauty unfolding before you. It’s as if the very heavens have opened up to reveal a glimpse of something divine, a sight so breathtaking that words fail to capture its magnificence.  

            This image calls to mind the vision of Ezekiel this morning in Ezekiel 43. Ezekiel saw the glory of God descending upon the temple. Ezekiel says, “I saw the glory of the God of Israel” (43:2). But what did this look like?

            “The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River” (43:3). To understand this, we have to back up to Ezekiel 10. It is there when the glory of God leaves the temple in Jerusalem. Surrounded by the cherubim, God exits on a chariot of fire. After God’s departure, the temple and the city of Jerusalem are laid to ruins by the Babylonians. Ezekiel’s vision takes place when he is by the Kebar River, which is in Babylon. Ezekiel is one of the many Israelites who were taken from their homes and forced to live in exile.

            But now Ezekiel sees God returning, just as He had left. He returns on a fiery chariot. Chariots in the ancient Near East symbolized a king’s power over his enemies. Within this King’s chariot are four creatures: a human, a lion, an eagle, and an ox. They symbolize God’s power over creation. Next to each creature are four wheels. Each wheel is full of eyes. They symbolize God’s power to see everything. Finally, there is a King on his throne. Ezekiel 1 says that he’s “in the form of a man” (1:26).

            God’s power over enemies. God’s power over creation. God’s power to see and know everything. And the glory of God in the form of a man.

            Ezekiel doesn’t glance or glimpse. He doesn’t preview or peek. No, Ezekiel focuses and fixed his eyes on God. Ezekiel sees God’s glory.

            While Ezekiel sees God’s glory, others couldn’t. But why? To paraphrase Psalm 137, when your life has been crushed, you can’t see God’s glory. All you see is pain. All you see is suffering and hardship. When your life has been crushed, you can’t see God’s glory.

            But Ezekiel, he saw through the all the pain and suffering and hardship. How did he manage? It wasn’t by something he did. “As the glory of the LORD entered the temple by the gate facing east, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and I saw the glory of the LORD filling the temple” (Ezekiel 43:4-5). “The Spirit”. Where in the book of Ezekiel did the Spirit make His presence? Back in Ezekiel 37. There Ezekiel is placed in a valley full of dry bones. The LORD tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones and when he does, the Spirit cause the bones begin to rattle as they come together. They are then covered with sinew and flesh and they stand up. A vast army stands before Ezekiel.

            It’s by the that same Spirit that caused dried bones to live that Ezekiel sees God’s glory!

            And it’s by that same Spirit that John sees God’s new glory in Jesus. John 1 says, “The Word {Jesus} became flesh and we have seen his glory” (1:14). In Ezekiel, glory is connected to God’s power. Think back a bit to the chariot and the faces and all the eyes in the wheels. And don’t forget the glory of God in the form of a man. Now the glory of God is in the flesh of a man, in Jesus!

            And with all the power connected to Ezekiel’s vision, it’s natural for us to think that God’s New Testament glory is all about power. Jesus walking on water, Jesus calming the storm, Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus healing the sick and making the crippled whole again. That’s what we think of right?

            It may be, but that is not how God’s glory is shown in the New Testament. God’s glory is in the Savior’s bitter suffering and death. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12, “My power is made perfect in weakness” (12:9). Real power is laying down your power.

            On Palm Sunday, as Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He says in John 12, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (12:23). In the Upper Room, right after Judas Iscariot leaves to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, Jesus says in John 13, “Now is the Son of Man glorified” (13:31). Just before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus says in John 17, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son” (17:1). See? God’s supreme glory is made perfect in Christ’s utter weakness. And what does that look like?

            It looks like this. There’s a legionnaire’s whip of leather strips with lead balls and stones on each end, beating His back into a bloody pulp. There’s a crown of throne caking His hair with blood. There’s a crowd screaming, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” And there’s a hammer and three nails pinning Jesus to the cross.

            Being honest and moral doesn’t help me see God’s glory. Being religious and devout doesn’t help me see God’s glory. Trying harder and being more sincere doesn’t help me see God’s glory. It’s only in the Spirit that I see God’s supreme glory in Jesus Christ.

            And that is Jesus suffering for you. Jesus loving you. Jesus forgiving you. Here is the Jesus of the failed marriage. Here is the Jesus of the depressed and the desperate. Here is the Jesus of the bitterly broken.

            It wasn’t enough for the shepherds to see angels. You’d think that angels would have been enough. The night sky filled with light. Stillness erupting in song. And angels! Real angels! A myriad of angels! But that wasn’t enough. The shepherds wanted to see Jesus!

            It wasn’t enough for the magi to see the star. Not that the star wasn’t spectacular. Not that the star wasn’t brilliant. But the star wasn’t enough. They saw the star over Bethlehem, but the magi wanted to see Jesus.

            It wasn’t enough for some Greeks on Palm Sunday to see the temple. Now Jerusalem’s temple was great. It was grand and glorious. It’s where priest sacrificed, kings reigned, and prophets preached. But the temple wasn’t enough. On Palm Sunday, some Greeks say to Philip, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”

            Don’t settle for angels in heaven, stars in the sky, or a temple in Jerusalem. Seek the Savior like the shepherds. Worship Him like the magi. Long to see Him like the Greeks.

            The economy and elections don’t faze or define him. Problems don’t surprise him. Death, death doesn’t stop Jesus. Death will never stop Jesus. “He’s not here. He’s risen. Just as he said!”

            If you’re depleted by a disaster, it’s time to see Jesus. If you’re overwhelmed with melancholy and dark moods, it’s time to take a look. If you need a Savior from sin, a Friend who loves you forever, and a Redeemer who restores and renews, it’s time to fix your eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith, on Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:3).

            Just as the light breaks through the clouds and illuminates the world below with a golden radiance, so too does God’s presence break through the darkness of our lives, illuminating our path with hope and promise. And like Ezekiel, may we ever be vigilant in seeking out God’s glory, knowing that His light shines brightest in the darkest of moments. Amen.

            The peace of God, which surpasses human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ our Lord, now and forever. Amen.