How Do You See God

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31 (NIV)

Jesus was talking with the religious leaders one day and they asked him about his teaching. They were asking Him about following God and being faithful to God. You see they were taught, as it says in your Gospel reading from Mark:, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” They couldn’t figure out, however, how Jesus fits into that command.

And of course, they accepted the command to: “Love their neighbor as themselves.” You can remember the story of the good Samaritan, because they really wanted to know, and define exactly who “a neighbor” is. You see, they wondered about the Gentiles and maybe the tax collectors and other people that they thought were unclean.

So, Jesus told him in John chapter 5, verse 39: “you study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life, but these are the very Scriptures that testify about me.”

At the beginning of the Gospel of John, John makes it very clear that Jesus himself is the Word of God. In John chapter 1, verse 14, we have, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

Jesus is saying to us, if you look at the Bible and you only see Moses you’ve missed it. If you look at the Bible you just see a bunch of rules and commandments, you missed it. If you look at the Bible, and you just see principles for living, how to be happy and joyous or how to be prosperous, make money, or how to be healthy or whatever, you missed it. But if you see Jesus, you got it!

As Martin Luther taught, you will see Jesus reaching out to you, loving you, caring for you, speaking to you, guiding you as you read its pages through the Spirit. You’ll learn and inwardly digest the words. And not unlike anything that you inwardly digest, that’s healthy for you, it’s going to strengthen you in the love of Jesus Christ.

This is a lifetime adventure of living God’s salvation. Living a life of love in Jesus Christ, through Jesus Christ in the Spirit and through the Word. Please don’t get sidetracked with all the times you’ve might not have done that; where you’ve failed. It’s only the devil in your flesh that would want to distract you in such a way. We need to look to Jesus. He’s given our lives back to us to live them for Him. He is patient loving and kind and most of all, he is forgiving and encouraging. That’s what God looks like; that’s the way that he wants us to see Him; and, and that’s why he took on flesh and blood in Jesus.

So, as a word of encouragement, to look up to and follow Jesus, check out this video entitled, “What Does God Look Like.” As the expression goes, “a picture tells a thousand words.” God bless you in living a life of love in Christ. May the Lord help you to love ever more in Christ.