We begin our Lenten Series for this year under the theme of ‘The Body of Christ.’ I picked this theme because I believe that it ties in with the two themes that we have already studied this year: being a peacemaker and a missionary. I also picked it because I believe as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:27, ‘Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.’ Therefore, we are the eyes, the ears, the hands, the feet, the mouth, and the heart of Christ.
Today, we begin, with the ‘eyes of Christ.’
(Slide 1) And the question I ask of us this morning is, ‘What does Jesus see?’
The short answer (and the correct one) is that Jesus sees everything. And this is something that we have heard and taught throughout our time in the Christian church – God sees everything. I think that there are moments in which we really hope that Jesus sees us and sees those that we care about. We need, desperately need at times, to have Jesus see us. We desire His caring and loving gaze on us.
Yet there are also times when we don’t want Jesus to see us. We wish that His gaze would turn elsewhere.
I remember a time over two decades ago, when, in a challenging time of life, a pastor sat across a lunch table and said to me, ‘Jim, I see the call of God written all over you.’ My silent response was, “That is the last thing I want to hear!”
I was done with ministry and I never wanted to go back to it. But a man of God, God’s servant, was seeing what God was seeing. So Christ sees us with His eyes all the time. Such sight we often feel in the convicting and stirring power of the Holy Spirit.
For a few moments this morning, I want us to look through Christ’s eyes from a place that we can only imaging look out from… on the cross.
Let us first go to Luke 23 and verse 34: Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing. And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.”
One of the sources that I have read indicated that crucifixions took place along the roads people travelled. However, we read that Jesus went to a hill called Golgotha that was located on the northwest side of Jerusalem and was near the location of several tombs. So it seems probable that given the frequent use of crucifixion by the Roman authorities and the proximity of tombs, that it was a place frequented by the family members of those being executed as well as those already executed. This leads me to wonder just how close those who mocked Him were to Jesus.
No doubt they were close enough and the Roman soldiers were there not just to be executers but also security. But in all of this Jesus ‘sees’ the injustice being done to Him and, as we read in verses 35 and following, ‘hears’ the mocking and ridicule as well. He cannot escape it. But, He sees those who have crucified Him and those who have judged Him and those who mock Him, with a different set of eyes.
But in spite of the tremendous cruelty being administered and the tremendous pain be experienced, Jesus looked around at all that was being done and said to Him and said, ‘Father forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing.’
What would see? What do we see when we are despised and rejected by others? “How” do we see those who say and do to us things that are harsh and mean?
(Slide 2) With these words of forgiveness, we realize that Jesus sees them with eyes of forgiveness and not revenge. So, Jesus sees us, those we care for, and even those we have trouble liking and even getting along with, through eyes of forgiveness.
Now Jesus not only sees with eyes of forgiveness, (Slide 3) He also sees with eyes of hope and promise a man who is spending his last moments of life next to Him. In verses 39 through 43 we read, ‘One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”
But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you are dying? We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Notice that two people in the same circumstance saw Jesus differently. One echoed the mocking of the crowd and sought, as others had, for Jesus to ‘prove’ Himself the Messiah by saving not just Himself but also them. This dying criminal, I must confess, has an attitude of ‘what can you do for me Jesus?’ that I think is a very common attitude these days. Yet the other man saw Jesus for who He was and asked merely to be remembered by Him in His Kingdom.
Jesus went further than merely remembering and said to Him, ‘I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.’ To ‘assure’ someone is to reassure, to promise, or to pledge that a guarantee given is a guarantee keep. Jesus assures the dying man with the hope that instead of the reality of eternal death and damnation, there is going to be the reality of eternal life with Him.
Jesus sees us through the eyes of hope and promise. Instead of the reality of an eternal death Jesus looks at each one of us and assures us, as we confess our sins, that there is eternal life with Him.
Jesus not only then, looked those who had crucified Him through eyes of forgiveness and those who mocked Him through eyes of hope and promise, but, I think, during one of the most poignant moments of His death, (Slide 4) He looked through eyes of love and concern at the woman who had birthed and raised Him.
Please turn to John 19:25-27 and follow along with me, ‘Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Woman, he is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “She is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.’
Jesus said many interesting things about family during His earthly ministry most of which gives the impression that family was not important to Jesus. For example, in Luke 14:26 He said, “If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.
Then in Luke 8 verses 19 through 21 we read, “Once when Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, they couldn’t get to him because of the crowds. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to see you.” Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear the message of God and obey it.”
But Jesus took the Pharisees to task over their treatment of their parents as we read in Matthew 15 starting with verse 3 and concluding with verse 6: ‘Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? 4 For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘You don’t need to honor your parents by caring for their needs if you give the money to God instead.’ 6And so, by your own tradition, you nullify the direct commandment of God.’
What Jesus was saying in all of this was two-fold, ‘God must come first in your life,’ and ‘God commands you to honor your parents.’ Jesus does both in this act of love and concern for Mary. In His dying moments, our Savior addresses His mother’s need to be taken care of in the years ahead.
Jesus sees us through His eyes of love and concern everyday. He knows that we have many needs, good needs, and right needs for work, food, clothing, and shelter, but also the need for love, respect, dignity, and the need for the forgiveness of our sins.
Jesus however not only sees us with eyes of forgiveness, eyes of hope and promise, and eyes of care and concern. He asks us, commands us, in the commission to ‘go and make disciples,’ to do the same. We do so as the ‘body’ of Christ.
We are to see the world as He sees the world. We are to love the world as He loves the world. We are to care for the world as He cares for the world. (Slide 5) Let me suggest then this morning, as a summary, that we see people as Jesus sees them as we follow God, care for others, and serve our community.
As we prepare for communion this morning, let us do so by confessing to God that we have not always looked at others with eyes of forgiveness but unforgiveness, not always with eyes of hope and promise but fear and gloom, and not always with eyes of care and concern but those of disregard and disrespect.
Let us change our ways. Let us repent of our sins and let us choose to see what, how, and who Jesus wants us to see. Amen.
