Exodus 20:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This is why the holy Evangelist John proclaimed that "Of the things which were from the beginning, which we have heard and seen, which we have looked at with our eyes and touched with our hands, the Word of life; and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify, and proclaim to you the Life which was with the Father and was manifested to us" (1 John 1:1-2). Hence, the apostles not only heard the Lord but also witnessed Him in His glory; they perceived Him beyond the physical appearance as those who beheld the splendor of the Word alongside Moses and Elijah truly saw Him. Those who glimpsed Jesus in His divine radiance understood Him, while those who merely observed His physical form failed to grasp His true essence, for He is visible not through physical sight but through spiritual vision.

Consider the Jews who saw Him yet did not truly understand Him (cf. Matt. 13:13). Abraham saw Him, as it is written, "Abraham... saw My day and rejoiced" (Jn. 8:56). Abraham did not witness the Lord in His physical form but, because he saw through the spirit, he also perceived Him in the flesh. Conversely, those who viewed Him only with their eyes lacked spiritual insight. Isaiah also beheld Him, and since he perceived in the spirit, he recognized Him in the flesh, declaring, "There was no sight or majesty in Him" (Isaiah 53:2). The Jews were blind to His divinity because their hearts were hardened (Mark 6:52; Rom. 1:21). Jesus Himself attested that the leaders were blind, noting, "The chiefs are blind, which girdle the mosquito, and swallow up the camel" (Matt. 23:24). Pilate failed to see Him, as did those who clamored for His crucifixion (Luke 23:21); had they truly understood who He was, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor. 2:8). Thus, those who truly see God have encountered Immanuel, meaning they have recognized God with us (cf. Matt. 1:23, Is. 7:14), and those who have not acknowledged God’s presence could not comprehend the Virgin-born. Therefore, to reject belief in the Son of God is to dismiss faith in the Son of the Virgin.

What does it mean to behold God? Rather than seeking my explanation, turn to the Gospel, to the Lord Himself, who asserts: "Philip, who has seen Me has also seen the Father who sent Me. How then do you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me?" (John 14:9-10). Indeed, one body cannot be perceived through another body, nor can one spirit discern another spirit; the Father is visible only in the Son, and understanding the Son brings insight into the Father. The unlike cannot be understood through the unlike; it is within the unity of action and power that the Son manifests in the Father, and the Father is revealed within the Son. Hence, the Son proclaimed, "What I do, he also does" (see John 5:19). In the works of Jesus, the Father’s presence is acknowledged. Those who witnessed the miracle at Cana of Galilee recognized Jesus, for only the Lord of the universe can transform one element into another. I perceive Jesus when I read about Him anointing the eyes of the blind man and restoring his sight, recognizing Him as the Creator who formed man, breathed life into him, and granted him sight. I see Jesus in the act of forgiving sins, for only God can absolve sin (cf. Mk. 2:5-7).

I see Jesus when He raises Lazarus, and yet there are those who witnessed the event without true comprehension. I see Jesus and the Father when I lift my gaze to the heavens, observe the seas, or look upon the earth, for His invisible attributes are understood through the things He has made (Rom. 1:20).