Do You See Jesus?
Afterward he appeared to two who were walking from Jerusalem into the country, but they didn’t recognize him at first because he had changed his appearance. When they realized who he was, they rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them. -- Mark 16:12-13
Sometimes we don’t see Jesus because He shows up in ways we simply aren’t expecting. The two men didn’t expect to see Jesus as they walked toward the village of Emmaus. Jesus had died on a cross. They didn’t yet understand that Jesus had defeated death.
So Jesus walked with them, talked with them, and taught them from the Scriptures. And still they did not see Him. It wasn’t until they insisted that He stay the night with them, that Jesus revealed Himself. It wasn’t until they helped a stranger (Jesus) that they saw their Savior.
It’s funny how that works. When we receive kindness from a stranger, we see Jesus. When someone who doesn’t even know us goes out of their way for us, we see Jesus. When others help us, we see Jesus.
The reverse is true as well. Those who reach out and help others, feel Jesus in their hearts. Those who give, receive more than they could imagine. Jesus blesses us in amazing ways when we show Him to the world.
Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying here. We must always be careful and never, ever do anything that would put ourselves in danger. But God does give us opportunities to help others. The question is whether we follow the nudging of the Holy Spirit or use our free will to ignore it.
On Easter Sunday, a dear woman told how she’d been rushing home to a family breakfast after an early service. She spotted a woman walking and carrying a Bible. “Something” told her to stop. She found out the woman was walking to church -- a long distance away. She gave her a ride. The woman called her an angel. She was really just living as Jesus told her to.
Another man spoke of car trouble during an early morning drive to work. He pulled over, as did the car behind him. The teenage girl kept her lights shining so that he could fix the problem. Afterwards, he thanked her -- and told her not to do it again. It was too dangerous. She was his angel, his Jesus, when he needed it.
We have opportunities all around us to reach out to others and show them what Jesus looks like. It might be a kind word to a frazzled clerk. It might be a bag of groceries left anonymously on a doorstep. It could be a ride, a hand up, a ray of light in dark circumstances.
We see Jesus when we live our lives as He calls us to live. It’s simple really. We just don’t always do it.
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