JESUS “SAW” — DO WE? Dec. 2018

by Prof. Dr. Soundararaj Chelliah (President)

Greetings in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. On behalf of Shalom Family Enrichment Mission, I greet you all a very happy, blessed and Spirit filled Christmas 2018. May the miracle of Christmas fill your heart with warmth and love. Christmas is the time of giving and sharing. It is the time of loving and forgiving. May you and your family experience this joy during this Christmas!

As we read through the New Testament, we cannot miss the way in which Jesus saw people. Crowds weary from travel, hungry from listening to a lot of preaching, beggars, the marginalized, the sick, and the lost were all embraced in His sweeping gaze. It becomes obvious that Jesus did not merely look; He saw. It would be of interest to look through the Bible and note how active the eyes of the Lord are (2 Chron. 16:9). I call attention to the seven times that we read “Jesus saw” in the Gospel by John.

1. He saw the anxious enquirers, and bade them come to and with Him (John 1:38).
2. He saw the devout worshipper, and commended him (John 1:47-50).
3. He saw the impotent man, and healed him (John 5:6).
4. He saw the hungry multitude, and supplied their need (John 6:5).
5. He saw the weeping mourners, and was troubled for them (John 11:33).
6. He saw the distressed mother, and cared for her (John 19:26).
7. He saw the blind man, and revealed Himself as “The Light of the world” (John 9:1).

Too often, the busyness of our lives removes from us the possibility of truly doing the latter of the two. We look at an accident on the interstate, but do we see the damage to the people involved? We look at a husband and wife straining to appear normal, but do we see the widening gaps in the marital foundation? You may be a teacher, but do you look at the girl in your class yearning for love from her own mother or father?

Looking takes but a moment; seeing requires us to process information, connect dots, sympathize, and understand. It also requires action. In John 9, we have an underlying lesson that we tend to forget in the midst of Jesus amazingly giving him physical and spiritual sight. The disciples saw him and asked about what caused his condition. They could see the cause of blindness, his profession of begging, and his position in his community and church.

But Jesus saw him as one suffering due to his blindness and He wanted to bring him out of his darkness in life. Having experienced a change in life, he could see through bad arguments, refusing to be drawn into them. He didn’t allow his thinking to be swayed by the power or education of the Pharisees. The Pharisees ridiculed him, “Give glory to God. We know that [Jesus] is a sinner” (John 9:24). The man who was blind replies, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25). And the more they used bad arguments, the bolder he became in pressing his own argument, building to a logical conclusion.

They come back, “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from” (John 9:28-29). Now he asserts: “You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing” (John 9:30-33).

How do we see people? Are we limiting their opportunities to boldly proclaim the glory of God? Do we write them off like what everyone did to the man born blind — everyone but Jesus? All around us are people who need Christ. Do we see them? All around us are believers who are struggling to walk with Christ. Do we see them? All around us are believers desperately wanting to be connected, but are entrenched in loneliness. Do we see them?

To help more people along the path of discipleship means that first, we must see them. Then, involve them. With that in mind, here are three keys to help us learn to see with Jesus’ eyes:

1. Go beyond the surface.

It’s Christmas, and my family helps the needy with new dress! That’s good. But do I see their real need? How many people in our church are going to celebrate this Christmas with pain deep down in their hearts? There are families in the verge of splitting, the children are going to lose the love and affection of one of their parents!

2. Learn to see with Jesus’ eyes.

Whenever Jesus saw people suffering, He had an eye to see them and had compassion on them. He rushed to them. In Matthew 9:36 we read “When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion and pity for them, because they were dispirited and distressed, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Compassion alludes to kindness and sympathy, but there is something deeper, something even more profoundly powerful, – Compassion means someone else’s heartbreak becomes your heartbreak. Another’s suffering becomes your suffering. True compassion changes the way we live.

3: Pray for Christ-like compassion for yourself and the body.

Often in the gospels, we are told that Jesus had compassion on a certain group of people. This usually led to an action on His part, like healing the sick or feeding the crowd. Seeing with Jesus’ eyes is directly tied to compassion with action. As we see with Jesus’ eyes, we will experience compassion as He did and be moved to reach out to others both inside and outside the family of faith.

‘Therefore, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper]’. (Col. 3:12). ‘Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love].’ (Gal. 6:2). ‘Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, Who comforts and encourages us in every trouble so that we will be able to comfort and encourage those who are in any kind of trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.’ (2 Cor.1:3-4). May God shower His blessings on you and your family.

Prayer: Lord let this Christmas be a meaningful one for me and my family. Bless us so that we may be a blessing to others. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Prof. Dr. Soundararaj Chelliah (President)

He serves as the President of Shalom Family Enrichment Mission and as a facilitator for the Counseling program.

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