Articles
Four Ways to See Jesus
In the 1st century, Jesus lived, died, was buried, rose from the dead, and then ascended into heaven according to the gospel records. No one living on earth today has seen Jesus personally and, thus, we must come to a point of faith though having not been a personal eyewitness. As Paul said, “...while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:6-7). So, how is it we can come to a point of faith in Jesus? How can we come to see Jesus through the eyes of faith? How can we see Jesus?
First, we can see Jesus through the lens of types, shadows, and prophecies of the Old Testament. Just before the ascension of Jesus, one of His goals was to help His own disciples realize, “that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Luke 24:44). Thus, Jesus may have explained how Isaac’s trip up Mt. Moriah to be sacrificed by Abraham on an altar of wood was a foreshadowing of God’s only Begotten Son, Jesus, being sacrificed on a cross (Genesis 22:1-14; John 3:16). Or, perhaps He explained how he was “the prophet like Moses” Moses once predicted would come (Deuteronomy 18:15, 19; cp. John 5:46). Or, perhaps Jesus turned their attention to prophecies which would point to the cross such as Psalm 22 or Isaiah 53 (like Philip did in Acts 8:27-35). As the author of Hebrews states, the details of the Old Testament law were “a shadow of the good things to come” pointing us closer to Jesus (10:1). So we can see Jesus, dimly, in prospect. For this reason, the study of the Old Testament has great value as it foreshadows the coming Messiah.
Second, we can see Jesus through the eyewitnesses who walked and talked during the earthly lifespan of Jesus. The eyewitness factor was one of the qualifications for apostleship (see Acts 1:21-22). Paul emphasizes the “eyewitnesses” of the resurrection of Jesus, including himself, in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. Peter also contrasts his testimony with that of “fables” as he notes the apostles were “eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). The apostle John also begins his first epistle saying, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life…” (1 John 1:1). He mentions this precisely because it gives credibility to the firsthand nature of His written account. We can see Jesus through the eyewitnesses who become the primary authors of the New Testament accounts. So, if we have a desire to know and see Jesus more clearly we must do so through the eyes of those who were with Him.
Third, we also can see Jesus in the lives of His followers. We sing the song sometimes “Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen In Me.” This song flows from Biblical principles. Paul would write to Corinth, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). He would tell the Romans “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). Paul would claim himself, “…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” (Galatians 2:20). A “Christian” is a follower or learner of Jesus. Therefore, others should see the influence of our Lord and Master in our lives if we are living in true surrender to Him. Our “light” can only shine if it first reflects Jesus, “the light of the world” (John 9:5). May our lives be filled with the “good works” of Jesus so others may see His light shining in us and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
Finally, if we see and come to know Jesus through the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the lives of disciples then, we will actually and literally see Jesus for all of eternity. This is one of the great promises of heaven—it will be our opportunity to express eternal gratitude to the worthy Lamb (see Revelation 5; cp. 21:22-23). Seeing Jesus our Savior face-to-face in glorified bodies will be a moment of joy inexpressible (cp. Philippians 3:20-21). Just before the death of Jesus, He declared to His baffled disciples, “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). This is why Paul would longingly speak of life after death by saying, “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” Jesus promises that a life of walking by faith will lead to an eternity of living by sight. John would say, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2, NKJV). Thus, the Hebrew author urges those who are tempted to quit to continue “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2).
