We’re to “fix our eyes upon Jesus” (Heb 12:2). But how?
What does he look like: The grotesque shadow of the Turin Shroud? Robert
Powell? Mel Gibson? Or even our own CMM soloists Mike Stanley, Gordon Lee, Simon
Cooper, Devon Brown? Is he black, white,
yellow, purple? We’re all conditioned by
culture, ethnicity and education, so have our own ideas, notions and
expectancy.
So how do we
picture him? For those of us who believe
in him, when we see him, it will be a sight beyond our wildest imagination – a
person who is pure, unconditionally accepting and loving us – the ultimate look
of love! Consider the love displayed for
the beloved: “Let me see your face…” in Song of Songs (2:14).
I’ve often
been helped by the idea of him being a friendly guy in a check shirt and jeans
on a park bench, inviting me to come and sit, rest and chat. We all have our own ideas and conceptions, but
I’m certain he won’t be some kind of ‘Star Trek’ alien being that would
frighten or threaten. The Bible says
we’re made in his image, so in some way, no matter how much that image has been
tarnished, something of him remains. He’ll
be a person we recognise, who smiles and speaks, with a facial expression that
says love without limit. He’ll look like
one of us, although of course, we will be incredibly changed. Will my white hair be blonde? I don’t know,
but I’m looking forward to finding out!
We’re to
fix our eyes upon Jesus, but also to “walk by faith and not by sight”
(2 Cor 5:7). Are these irreconcilable
commands? Maybe this idea may help:
Imagine
walking backwards! What does it feel
like? Pretty scary? We might trip up or get completely lost. That game of falling backwards into someone’s
arms has never really appealed to me: what if they drop me? What if they’re not there? It’s more about the strength and reliability
of the one behind us as it is about our own faith. Would you trust a stranger no matter how much
they promised? We walk by faith because
we know him already, at least in a small way, and that knowledge grows as the
walk progresses.
“Fix your
eyes upon Jesus” begins chapter 12 of Hebrews, which (amazingly!) follows straight
on from chapter 11, which is all about looking back at ordinary, very imperfect
men and women who exercised faith in their ‘walk’ with God. We learn by experience, by reading of the
great cloud of witnesses, and recognising the ‘still, small voice.’ Common
sense and conscience may play their part, but we can have a personal
relationship with God through Jesus, and that means hearing and knowing his
daily direction.
In John 10, Jesus
talks of the shepherd’s relationship with his sheep: “He goes on ahead of them,
and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” This gives the clue. We walk by faith having first got to know his
voice, even if in a very small way. In
one of my early radio interviews, our toddler son Tim heard me speak, and
instantly responded “Daddy!”. Above all
the local radio jingle-jangle he knew it was me.
The Psalmist says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me,” which in the Hebrew suggests “chases after me”. It’s not just that we leave a legacy of a faith-walk behind us, although Enoch’s enviable obituary “he walked with God” is what I’d like to inherit. But he is there in our history, and we make history every second. A voice from behind (if we’re walking backwards it comes from behind!) says “This is the way, walk in it”. How do we know it’s him? Because we’ve already experienced something of him.
At one point
the Old Testament people of God laid an “Ebenezer” (a stone of help, not of the
Scrooge variety!) to remind them of how “so far the Lord has led us”. (I Sam 7:12). It’s not that we should live in the past, but
at times when life is confusing or we feel God is far away, remembering how he
spoke and acted may help us find him in the present. Learning to hear his voice, to know what he
sounds like, know how he speaks, is the walk of faith that accompanies the
eye-fixing challenge of Hebrews 12.
How do we
learn to walk in the Spirit? By making
small steps as the Spirit leads us. How
do we learn to witness? By being a
witness. How do we learn to pray and
minister in the Spirit? By praying and
ministering in the Spirit, obeying, and discovering how it works – just as the
first disciples did in their response to Jesus’ direction.
But looking
back involves discernment, because we all have a chequered past, “skeletons in
the cupboard” of past experiences, good and bad done to us or by us. We can’t change our history, but he can
change the way it affects us, as Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, and
today, and forever.” (Heb 13:8) He can changes
the power of past hurts, break chains that have bound us, and change the way
past memories feel and taste!
The Psalmist
wrote “Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
(Ps 119:11). We have so often believed
lies, accepted curses, and made destructive vows by believing and accepting
views about God and ourselves that are simply not Biblical. “You knew me in my mother’s womb” says the
Psalmist (Ps 139:13) so no one is a mistake or unwanted, and there is no place
he can’t go to put matters right. But we
do need to put more Bible into our memory-banks!
Allowing
Jesus into our past, may at times require allowing others to come alongside us! But we can look back in wonder: wonder at how
he could love us so greatly despite everything and wonder at what he might show
us next.
Fixing our
eyes upon Jesus, turning away from that which hurts us, is not a denial of the reality
of past pain. It’s a choice we can make
daily, moment by moment, letting him be the Lord and healer of our past, present,
and glorious future!
Blessings,
Roger
Finally, don't forget to tune into Heart & Soul every Wednesday evening at 6pm (repeated Thursday morning at 11am) on Brumside Radio. In August we are starting a series featuring different christian Songwriters and performers, beginning with Graham Kendrick tonight!
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