Clothesline 291 "Body of Christ: Eyes"

From the first time Jesus appeared on the scene, everyone wanted to see him. And that brings us to the fourth subject of our Lenten journey: The Eyes of Jesus to see our Needs.

The Old Testament story of the anointing of David comes to mind. The prophet Samuel comes to the house of Jesse where God will choose the next king of Israel. He asks to see all of Jesse’s sons, and Scripture tells us what they look like: tall, handsome, strong. But God tells Samuel that none of them are what God is looking for. God says, “The Lord does not see as mortals see; the Lord looks on the heart.” Yet, even when David stands before Samuel, the human impression is still recorded in Scripture: “he was ruddy, had beautiful eyes, and was handsome.” In the end, it was not his looks that made him worthy of God’s calling. It was his heart.

Still, our eyes are such a precious gift. Jesus himself probably had beautiful, dark eyes…eyes that looked at children and loved them…eyes that looked on the hurting and healed them…eyes that wept at the death of His friend Lazares.

Do you ever wonder how different life would be without the gift of sight? There is an expression: the eyes are the window to the soul. It’s through those eyes that we make a powerful connection to another. It’s personal. It’s invasive. It binds two people together. Think about that when you have a conversation with someone. Do you make eye contact with them, or does it seem as if one of you is disconnected?

Just as hearing and listening are not the same, looking and seeing are not the same. We look at things all the

time, but do we really see them? We press on toward the prize, as Paul says, but have we ever seen the Prize? The ultimate Prize, of course, is seeing Jesus in all His glory. But in the meantime, can we see Jesus now?

Absolutely! Look around you. We can see the glory of God every day…in a glorious sunrise, a majestic sunset, a powerful wind, a torrential rain, a violent storm, a peaceful flowing stream, a tiny flower that springs up out of nowhere among a thicket of weeds, and the beauty of the mighty oak tree. The ultimate gift is seeing God in each other. We can see God in all of creation. And when you see Him, he sees you! And what does He see when He looks at you? Does He see a committed Christian on fire with the love of Jesus, or does he see a dimly burning wick, simply existing by virtue of your baptism?

Give thanks for the gift of sight. And treasure your relationship with God and each other. Focus on the ultimate Prize and remembers God’s words to Samuel: The Lord does not see as mortals see; the Lord looks on the heart.