Looking
unto Jesus, (the Author and Finisher of the faith we
embrace) is not an academic assignment. Being able to recite
verses which speak of who Jesus is and what he did is not the meat of the
challenge. The issue does not stop with what or who. It has to do
with whom. As a late-comer to the apostolic circle put it, “I
know whom I have believed.”
After that unexpected mind-grabber at the wedding party, Jesus’
first followers found themselves in for an adventure during which they would
learn a lot about who he was and what he could do. When the
adventure reached its climax their breath would be taken away over whom they had bumped into and what he
accomplished.
Some will accuse me of quibbling in the distinction between “who”
and “whom.” For now, though, it is the best I can do in striking the
difference between learning information about who
Jesus is and looking unto him as he is. It is the difference
between he and you in Psalm 23. The one can be
the exercise of scholarly discussion. The other is an encounter of the soul.
The Gospels are the Holy Spirit’s invitation into that wonder-packed encounter.
Most likely, when the disciples found their tongues, their
questions were about what happened. Jesus may have answered with probing
questions of his own. He was not finished stoking the embers of wonder. I will
not here rehearse all of the recorded wonder moments. My purpose is to provide
a pattern for you to pursue them on your own. I hope the encounters we explore
will cultivate your desire to be loyal to the text and hungry for the wonder it
relates.
Come with me to an ugly scene. A
man approaches. Can you imagine – repulsive?
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