Who Is Standing In Front Of You? Potential

Who is Standing In Front Of You? Potential!

1 Samuel 16:6-12 Mark 2:13-17

What do you see when you look at another person? How do you sum them up? When the prophet Samuel went to choose a new king for Israel, he assumed that the new king ought to look like the old king.

The current king, King Saul had been a head taller than anyone else. When God told Samuel to go anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king, the moment he saw Jesse’s oldest son, who was tall and good looking, Samuel said, “surely the Lord’s anointed stands before the Lord.”

But Samuel was wrong. God said to him “This is not the one. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Samuel went through all of Jesse’s sons and all were rejected.

Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse did have one more son, but Jesse had already made up his mind, no way could my youngest son measure up to one day become a king. The best I can see for David is that he might one day become a good shepherd. Yet when they finally went and got David, the Lord responded by saying, “Rise and anoint him.” How often have we rejected the Lord’s anointed because they did not look the way we had thought they should?

Has anyone ever looked at you and dismissed you because of their undervaluing who you were and what you could possibly do? I can remember back in 4th grade at Bryant School in Hornell NY. I was the only black kid in the class, and I was new to the school and had not made many friends.

We would play softball during recess and the captain would line up people in the batting order based on friendship and what they thought the person could do. I was always put at the end of the line. By the time it was my time to get up to bat, recess was over and I wouldn’t get a chance to try to hit the ball.

One day at recess, there was a black fifth grader whose family moved to town. They must have been migrant workers because the kid was not there long at the school. This black kid, took and put me 4th in line in the batting order.

I still remember I hitting that ball over the outfielder’s head. The other kids were shocked. I never got placed at the end of the line during recess again even after that black kid was gone. I learned that my ability did not have to be limited by what others thought I could do or become.

There is this amazing statement in the bible made by Jesus that I think we often fail to understand. Jesus said, “you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit.” Have you ever thought about why did Jesus choose you? What did Jesus see when he looked at you long before you gave your life to him? What does Jesus see when He looks at you today?

Last week, in Mark chapter 2, you looked at a man whose four friends brought him to Jesus in order that he might be healed. The man had been unable to walk and was paralyzed. The man’s friends looked at him and they saw a man who needed to be healed of paralysis. But Jesus looked at the same man, and saw a person who needed to know that his sins had been forgiven. Jesus first announced to the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

But when Jesus’ statement caused an uproar with the religious leaders because they considered his words to be blasphemy. They cried out “How dare Jesus claim to be able to forgive sins. No one could do that but God”.

Jesus then changed the nature of the discussion by saying to the man, “Take up your mat and go home.” The man got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of everyone. People were amazed at this and they praised God saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Jesus saw something in that man, that most of the people there did not see. It would be interesting to have had Mark tell us what happened to this man after this healing took place, but he doesn’t. But I doubt if he went back to the life that he once knew.

After this event the scriptures tell us in Mark 2:13, “Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him and he began to teach them.” No doubt the lake is the sea of Galilee. Jesus had no problems preaching and teaching indifferent venues.