Recognizing Jesus

How do you handle problems? Ultimately, God’s word directs us in a way that helps us to utilize God’s wisdom and power to help overcome the problems we face (Psalm 119, Proverbs 2, Joshua 1:8). That doesn’t mean that all problems are avoidable, but how we react to the problem is within our control.

For the Israelites living under Roman control, they saw their situation as a problem. But what was the solution? God was revealing His ancient plan before their very eyes, starting with the message of John the Baptist in the wilderness, followed by the teachings, the signs, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. However, the religious leaders didn’t see John or Jesus as a solution to their problem. In fact, these leaders set out to stop their message.

Cna uoy raed htis vrey wlel? Sometimes we only see what we want to see! The religious leaders (and others) had a different picture in their minds of what the Messiah would be like. They failed to 5ee 7he B16 picture because of their lack of faith in the signs that had been there all along.

To recognize something for what it is should be considered a wonderful gift. In time, everything that Jesus taught to them would be recognizable to the Apostles, and those they taught, as the words of God. In Luke 24:44-45, Jesus told His disciples, “‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.’ Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” Also, in Revelations 1:3, “…blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it…” 

Jesus often said, “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 13:9; Mark 4:23). This was said to those willing to “see and hear” what the Scriptures had been revealing about Christ and God’s will.

We are blessed to have a more complete picture of the Messiah than those who stood on the banks of the river Jordan, or the people who first met Jesus. However, we can be just as blind as they were. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

It should be our aim to understand His will, rather than being foolish (Ephesians 5:17). But that takes diligently studying and meditating on God’s inspired word. Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Let us “fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2).