Do You See Jesus?

I am sitting on the sofa watching television. My wife has her android, and she is going through Facebook posts. She shows me a picture of a young woman. I think that it is Jean, but there is another name written on the bottom of the page. Now, I am not sure that this is Jean. It has been several years since I last saw Jean. Her hairstyle, I have never seen her with this hairstyle. Is this really Jean? My wife confirms that this is indeed Jean. Think about this. I am looking at Jean, but Jean looks differently from what I expect. The words written on the bottom of the page cloud my thoughts, and I am confused. In this article I ask the question, do you see Jesus? Are there times in our lives when we are faced with circumstances that prevent us from seeing Jesus even though He is walking with us and talking with us? What are some reasons that we do not recognize Jesus? Our Scripture passage is Luke 24:13-32. It is the third day since Jesus was crucified. Two of His disciples (not apostles) are walking down the road to a village named Emmaus. They are sad because they are confused and disappointed. Back in Jerusalem it has been reported that Jesus is not in the grave. Some of the women that traveled with Jesus report that they have seen a vision of angels that tell them that Jesus is risen from the dead just as He had told them (24:6-7). Peter, one of the leading disciples and an apostle goes to the grave and finds it empty. Where is Jesus? Jesus cannot be found, and the report of an empty grave makes no sense to them. As these two disciples are communing together as they are walking home they are joined by a man that they do not know. It is Jesus, but they do not recognize Him. Do they not see Him? Let us look at verse sixteen. It reads, “But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him” (Lk. 24:16, NASB). As we look at this text I want to raise some issues found in the text, that prevent us from recognizing Jesus, even when He is in our midst, walking with us and talking to us. First, Cleopas (v. 18) and his companion are grief stricken. In their minds they have suffered a great loss. They have not processed all that has taken place over the last three days. They have been following Jesus. They have seen His great works; His miracles and they have heard His words. They have believed His promises, but now all of this seems to have come to an end. They are baffled, bewildered, and befuddled. They do not see Jesus because He appears to them in another form. These disciples are familiar with Jesus looking one way, but now he looks another way. Their last close encounter with Jesus was with a strong vibrant and energetic man. Their vision of Him is based not only on what they see in the physical man. Their vision of Him is based also on what they think of Him. Three days ago Jesus is their hope of redemption of Israel from the Romans. Now, all hope seems to be lost. The last time that they see Jesus He is a dead man. Now, His body is nowhere to be found. They are being told that He is not in the grave. So, where is Jesus? Physically, Jesus is a changed man. He has been beaten to a bloody mess leaving Him dehydrated. He has hung on a cross with nails in hands and feet from the sixth to the ninth hour. With each passing minute the temperature is getting higher and higher increasing the physical, mental and emotional stress; and He gives His spirit into the hands of God His Father (Lk. 23:46). What do we expect from Jesus when we are going through hard times? Do we fail to recognize Jesus because He does not come to us appearing as we expect? Does Jesus do what we expect Him to do? Does Jesus meet our expectations? Is Jesus the One that we think that He is? Secondly, Cleopas and his companion do not recognize Jesus because they have not really understood who Jesus is. Let us look at how they describe Jesus to the stranger that now walks with them along the road. “And they said to Him, ‘The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people” (24:19, NASB). Now, for sure Jesus is a prophet, but Jesus is more than a prophet. A simple definition of “prophet” is one who speaks the words that God tells him/her to say. Indeed Jesus speaks the words of God. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh to come to live among humankind. Moses also was a prophet. Through Moses the Law is given. Through Jesus Christ comes grace and truth (John 1:1-5). Jesus is the Son of God who comes to do the will of the Father (Jn. 5:18,-24). Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, or have you like most of the people at that time limited Jesus to being one of the prophets (Matt. 16:13-17)? Thirdly, Cleopas and his companion do not recognize Jesus because He does not meet their expectations. As stated above they have come to expect Jesus to free Israel from Roman rule, but a dead Jesus or an absent Jesus fails to meet their expectation of Israel’s Messiah. What do I expect from Jesus? Are my expectations of Jesus based on what the Scriptures say and what Jesus says about Himself? Notice how Jesus addresses their concerns; their disappointments. “And He said to them, ‘O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter His glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures’” (Lk. 24:25-27, NASB). What do I believe about Jesus? What determines what I believe about Him? Do we believe what others say about Jesus? Are the religious rulers with their titles and positions the ones that we believe, or have we looked at the Scriptures to see what God says about His Son? Do we get disappointed when Jesus does not prevent us from going through hard times? Jesus does not promise that He prevents difficult circumstances. He does not promise that troubles are not a part of our journey with Him. In His life while here on earth Jesus suffers, and his disciples suffer in life also. The good news is this: If we believe in Him our sins are forgiven; we are reconciled to the Father, and we have eternal life. We should believe what Jesus says about Himself instead of relying on our own thoughts and the thoughts of others. Matthew records that Jesus tells the disciples that He will be crucified, but Peter will not accept the things that Jesus tells him. (Matt. 16:21-22). Peter is consumed by his own ideas. He has his own requirements of Jesus if Jesus is to be the expected Messiah. There are two scripture passages that are favorites of mine when it comes to believing Jesus instead of trusting my own thought. The first scripture is found in the book of Proverbs. It says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And he will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6, NASB). The second scripture passage explains why we are to believe what God says instead of holding to our own thoughts. The prophet Isaiah writes, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the LORD” (Isa. 55:8, NASB). There are many people including some Christians that do not see Jesus as He is. Sometimes we listen to and believe what others say about Jesus. Believe me when I say that there are a lot of things being said about Jesus based on philosophies and religious beliefs. These teachings are found not only in the secular world; rather they also pervade the church. The danger is that people continue to walk in darkness not knowing who is Jesus? For some of us God is too small. We have limited Jesus because Jesus will not allow us to control Him. He does the will of the Father. God is sovereign. Thus, God cannot be controlled. Instead, God is in control in all places and at all times. We need to hear the truth about Jesus told to us in the Scriptures. When we hear the truth about Jesus we come to believe in Jesus as He really is. Do you see Jesus?