“Everyone was
amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have
seen remarkable things today” (Luke 5:26).
The
phrase “remarkable things” (other translations have “strange things”) are the
translation of the word paradoxos.
The
word “paradoxos” can be translated and used in a variety of ways. I will not
take the normal route today…I will make a detour.
I
will translate it as “the vicinity of glory”.
This
verse then will read, “Everyone was
amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have
seen the vicinity of glory today.”
We
can safely say that on that particular day, the people found themselves in the
vicinity of glory…they have seen the vicinity of glory…they witnessed one
aspect of God’s glory. And the result was that they were amazed and filled with
awe and praised God.
Moses
witnessed a paradox…the sight of that which cannot be sighted. Because God’s
glory cannot be fully sighted, he was allowed to see the aftermath of God’s
glory only.
He
found himself in the vicinity of God’s glory (Exodus 33:18ff).
That
day, people witnessed a healing that could not be medically explained.
They
witnessed a proclamation/declaration unheard of before by any human being and
which could not be explained apart from the miraculous healing: the exercise of
an authority reserved for God only,
John
wrote, “The Word became flesh and made
his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
The
disciples (and others) have seen “the paradox” – the vicinity of God’s glory –
in the Word of God incarnate.
A day will come when we too, will witness the vicinity of God’s glory.