There is a scene in the new Robin Hood movie that haunts me. Well there are lots of scenes that do that, but this one in particular stays with me. King Richard the Lionhearted's ship is being pulled up the Thames River and everyone is frantically preparing to meet him. The glory is returning to the castle. They fully expect to see their king come riding in on his white horse and then all will be well.....all will be well.

The scene that I love is when the ship docks and a single man carrying a covered crown walks up the plank. You know who he is but they don't. The tension mounts. They do know that a covered crown means death. The glory is not returning. Or is it?

By the end of the film everyone sees who the King of France surrenders to and everyone knows who slays the dragon with a sharp two edged sword out of his mouth. It is none other than the stone mason's son.

Israel was waiting for the glory to return to the temple. Ezekiel ( Ezekiel 10:18) had seen the glory of the Lord depart and there is no time in the second temple period when it had returned. Yes, Israel had returned to the land and built a second temple but the glory ( God's presence) had not returned. At the end of the book of Malachi they are still waiting.....................

And then he comes. A carpenter's son, a common man walking around Galilee doing all kinds of things; healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead. But they did not recognize him, did not see the glory. They were looking for something else, perhaps a decked out king riding a white horse and yelling "look what they do for Messiah".

This scene haunts me because I wonder would I have recognized him? Do I recognize him? Or am I looking for the wrong thing and missing the glory?

* Godfrey wears the dragon emblem.