Finding The Real Jesus - The Glowing Furnace

Finding The Real Jesus - The Glowing Furnace

“His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace.” —Revelation 1:15

When John relates his vision of the glorified Jesus, he notes that the feet are burnished. Burnishing happens when a metal is heated and polished to be made smooth and shiny. Burnishing is a process that requires pressure and fire to it to make it work. That’s why it contains the term burn.

Now, remember that we are taking about Jesus. Jesus is God. How can God be polished? Isn’t God a finished product? He is perfect so how can we polish Him and make Him shinier or smoother - and why?

Human history is the record of people who just didn’t seem to get it. The holiness and purity of God has never really seemed to make an impact on most of us. Time after time, generation after generation, we ignored Him and His call to holiness. Then, all that changed. Jesus became one of us to show us the way to God.

He lived a life just like you and me. He walked on dirt roads, ate bread, went to parties, laughed, cried, worshipped, prayed, observed good, suffered evil, dealt with pain, faced down injustice and managed angry and hateful people.

He lived a life just like any of us but with one huge difference. He did it all without sinning. Here are the implications of that:

Hebrews 4:15

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

That phrase, “tempted in all things as we are” is the key to why His feet are made of burnished bronze. It’s a reminder to every one of us that He went through the glowing furnace of the human struggle with us. He allowed Himself to be tested by fire.

One day, every knee will bow before Him. On that day, when your turn comes, make sure you look at those feet while you are down there. They are the physical reminder that He went through the furnace for you and came out polished and shiny.

Those feet of burnished bronze are the feet of a Savior who has been tested by fire and has won that victory for us!