What does God look like?
It’s said that half the world’s population lives on less than $2 a day. And half of them live on less than $1 a day. Did you know that in developing countries where people live on less than $1 a day blindness is 500% more prevalent than it is here where we live? What’s amazing is that in many cases sight can be restored to those suffering from blindness with a 15-minute procedure that only costs $300. But when you live on less than $1 a day that’s an impossibility. And in developing countries, being blind can be a death sentence. In fact, it’s said that people typically live only 2 years after going blind.
But there’s an organization called 20/20/20 & they’ve figured out a way to help. They empower local physicians to provide the surgeries needed to help those who can’t see.
That’s what happened for two sisters, Sonia, 12 years old & Anita, 6 years old.
They live in an impoverished area in India & have been blind since birth. Thanks to a simple eye operation they were able to see their mom for the first time. When they took the bandages off of 6-year-old Anita’s eyes, all she could say was, “Mommy, I can see mommy…” over & over again while crying tears of joy.
Can you imagine what it would have been like to have the bandages pulled off & to see your mom for the first time? You’ve known her your whole life but you’ve never seen her. You’ve known her love & felt her touch but you’ve never known what she looked like. You’ve known her presence & you’ve even felt when she was near, but you’ve never been able to actually see what she looks like. You’ve known she’s the one who has provided for you, cared for you, watched over you, but you’ve never seen her. You’ve never seen her smile, the color of her eyes, the way she laughs or the expression on her face when she feels sad. You know her. You know her O so well. But you’ve never seen her. Until one day someone comes along & does something for you that you could never do for yourself, they open your eyes & now you can see, really see for the first time. And the first thing you want to see is your mom’s face.
So let me ask you again…
What does God look like? Maybe you’ve known Him for a while. Maybe you’ve never known Him, but you’ve heard the stories. Maybe you’ve felt his presence, known when He was near. You’ve known all along that it was Him who was providing for you, helping you, watching over you. Maybe you’ve felt His love but you’ve never seen Him. What would it be like to see Him, to see the face of God, for the first time?
Have you ever thought about it?
What would it have been like to be Mary?
Mary’s still living at home with mom & dad when the angel appears & God breaks the silence.
Mary’s parent’s had arranged her marriage to a man by the name of Joseph. But they weren’t married yet. But one day, when she did get married, it would be to Joseph. That had already been decided. Mary thought her life & her path had been decided. She would get married in Nazareth to a carpenter & live out her days raising their children in the little town that no one had ever heard of.
So you can understand why, when Gabriel appeared to Mary, that the first emotion Luke records for Mary is confusion. Complete confusion. This doesn’t add up. This doesn’t make sense. No one has heard from God in 400 years & I’m the one He speaks to? I’m not even married yet. I’m just a girl with no status in a no name town with a life ahead of me that has already been planned & decided. And you say that I am favored by God & that God is with me?
[Tweet “No one has heard from God in 400 years & Mary is the first one He speaks to? #Jesus”]Mary is completely confused.
So the angel explains it to her. Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to give birth to a son. You’re going to call him Jesus. I know you’re not married yet, but this son isn’t going to be like any son that was born before or any son that will ever be born after. You see, the Holy Spirit of God is going to come upon you & when it does, then you will conceive a child. And He will be the Son of God. He will be the promised One. The 400 years of silence is over. All of God’s promises are going to be fulfilled in this son that will be born to you.
The promised One is coming. He is on the way.
Up to this point in the story, no one has ever seen God, but Mary is about to see God face to face because in nine months she will hold God wrapped in flesh in her arms. She will hold & behold the face of God.
What about you?
Have you seen God?
What does God look like?
I feel like so many of us who claim to be followers of Jesus are following a man we’ve never seen. It’s like we’ve been blind since birth. We’ve got bandages on our eyes but no one has ever taken them off. We’ve felt His presence. We’ve experienced His love. But if you asked us, we would probably say that we’ve never seen God.
[Tweet “So many of us who claim to be followers of Jesus are following a man we’ve never seen. #Jesus”]But what Luke tells us is something different. The angel says to Mary that this son will be the Son of the Most High God. That all the fullness of God will dwell in Him.
The writer of Hebrews would say it this way…
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being… Hebrews 1.3
One of Jesus’ closest disciples & friends would say…
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1.14
SO… When you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God.
[Tweet “When you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God. #Jesus”]If you want to see God, take a look at Jesus. Take a look at the picture painted by each of the gospel writers. Matthew, Mark, Luke & John each paint a unique picture of this Jesus. And the longer we look at Jesus, the more we’ll be transformed into His image. The more we look at Jesus, the more captivated we’ll become by Him. The more we fix our eyes on Jesus, the more our lives, our hearts & our prayers will line up with the heart of God. Take time this month to take a long, hard look at Jesus. If you do, you may just see God.
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! – Jesus (John 14.9)
[Tweet “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! #Jesus”]
