What is
it about that shiny stone that seems so desirable? Its glitter. The
extravagance of its luxury. The clear, glass shines and draws our
fascination. We are enticed by its value because when it is sitting on
our finger, or wrapped around our wrists it makes us feel valuable. The
idea of God in His grandeur being enthralled by us is overwhelming. How
is it that our God places such high value on us? How many “karats” are
we in His eyes? “So God created man in His own image; in the image of
God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).
God
sits on his throne radiant in beauty and majesty; arrayed in mystery.
There is an invitation to partake in the undeniable glory that
surrounds and evades from God Himself. He deliberately clothes Himself
in mystery to induce the hungry to search Him out. He beckons us to
come after Him to discover those dimensions of mystery. He provoked
within John the description of Revelation 4:1-3 with language like
Jasper, Sardius and Emerald. What a way to describe the Creator of
Heaven and Earth; as a jasper stone.
What
is a Jasper stone and why choose that to describe God’s radiance? I
Google’d Jasper and found a stone far from brilliant. But John was
describing the Father as a jasper according to the 1st Century stone—a
diamond—not the reddish-brown rock of today. No human words could
possibly describe the glory of God, but John used a diamond as his
illustration. The diamond is distinguished by its blinding brightness
and multifaceted radiance. It is used to describe God’s appearance and
His brightness incomprehensible
God’s being is far more complex
than having jasper radiance. There is much more about the being of God
than the intricate radiance like a diamond. But in this the God of
beauty and wisdom has chosen to cloak Himself. “God puts a coat around
His being” (Psalm 104:2). He puts a garment of light or of jasper
radiance around Himself. The brilliance of jasper and the intricate
beauty of a diamond’s cuts somehow convey God’s glory to our human
minds.
Imagine a
jewelry display case, the lamps carefully placed to exhibit the
elaborate cuts of the stone with the backdrop of velvet so as to draw
attention by the its glamour. Now multiply those lights by the light of
the sun in the middle of the afternoon, the UV burning high and the
glare surrounding every shadow and commanding them to flee. So it must
have been for John as his human eyes beheld the King of Glory and all
that surrounded Him; pure inescapable light surrounding and
encompassing all. Sunglasses anyone?
One of
the reasons God cloaks Himself in a jasper “garment” is so that it
protects those nearest the throne from utterly disintegrating in His
presence. It is a protective garment to the creature and an act of
mercy. “God dwells in unapproachable light” (1Timothy 6:16). He veils
Himself so that we might search Him out and not die in the process of
finding Him. For, He is unapproachable. But He is not a distant God,
unapproachable only means that He is saying, “The light is
unapproachable because I am a billion volts and you are only ten. They
don’t connect yet.” In Isaiah 24:23 when Jesus appears in the sky it
says that the sun will draw back in shame because of the splendor of
the One in the sky. God as a jasper leaves us with an invitation to
look at God and be overwhelmed by His beauty. It is an call to seek him
and find within this Mystery of Mysteries the definition of brilliance;
the very appearance of God.
The
Almighty, all encompassing God of the Ages wants to be found. He
desires to be known, to be discovered, and to see his children
overwhelmed by His beauty. He wants to adorn us in value as a ring on
the hand of His beloved. For He is magnificence, He defines radiance
and splendor. The Father created within us a deep hunger for beauty; it
is one of the longings grafted into the walls of our hearts that He
alone can fill.
Perhaps
in our pursuit of God’s glory we would encounter a deeper level of His
love for us. Perhaps as we are encircled by the revelation of what God
looks like we will begin to see ourselves as God sees us; set apart
vessels, image bearers of Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit. “He
has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in
their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does
from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). God is Radiance. He is
Eternity. He is the beginning and end, the first and the last. He was
before anything is. He defined beauty before beauty was defined. What
he has started within in us he will complete and bring it about
(Philippians 1:6). Perhaps God’s jasper like appearance speaks of his
promises, his love and his perfect will.
We
serve a God of facets, dimensions like a fine cut diamond. If He wasn’t
so we would not serve Him. If a diamond was a flat crystal we would not
be drawn to it. We are attracted to a diamond because we cannot see
through it although it is as clear as glass. God stands with arms open
inviting us to come and partake in His glory. With each ray of light
the diamond shines brighter, and with each beam of revelation God
captivates our wandering gaze with inescapable light.
