Gaither Vocal Band - Jesus Will Outshine Them All Lyrics

Video

Jesus Will Outshine Them All (Live At Cornerstone Church Praise Center, San Antonio, TX...

Meaning & Inspiration

Listening to the Gaither Vocal Band sing about heaven, I find myself thinking about how much we fixate on the scenery of the afterlife. We talk about the streets of gold or those mansions, like it's a dream home we’re finally moving into after a long, hard life. It feels easy to get lost in the imagery, which is exactly what the lyrics do. Yet, the refrain keeps pulling it back to the person of Jesus, asserting that He will outshine the literal golden glass and the singing choirs. It made me think of the vision in Revelation where the city doesn't even need the sun or moon because the glory of God is its lamp. If John could barely describe what he saw on Patmos, maybe this song is just trying to put words to that same limitation—that even the most magnificent parts of eternity are just reflections of the One who made them.

It’s strange, though. I wonder if we actually believe that, or if we just like the idea of heaven being a place where we’re finally comfortable. The song claims that even when we are reunited with people we love—those "happy reunions"—we’ll still be looking at Jesus more than them. That’s a heavy claim when you’re currently missing someone you lost. It suggests that our final satisfaction isn't in the restoration of our relationships or the end of our struggle, but in the person of Christ himself. I guess that fits with the idea that He is the author and perfecter of our faith, but it’s hard to wrap my head around being that completely satisfied by God alone when my current heart is so tied to the things and people right in front of me. Is it possible that the brightness of Jesus is actually going to be the only thing we care about, or is that just a nice thing to sing on a Sunday afternoon while we’re still hoping for earthly things?