Whenever people see a new baby for
the first time, they will see a particular physical feature that strongly resembles one of the parents. For example, they might say, “he/she has his/her father’s eyes.”
Yesterday I saw this “has-his-father’s-eyes” idiom on a
billboard in San Jose; and immediately in my mind’s eye, I thought, “What if “having
your father’s eyes” meant that you “see things just like your father does?”
Wouldn’t
it be great if, after we were born again, people would say to us, “You have
your Father’s eyes?”
Jesus must have had His Father’s eyes, which would explain why he caught the eye of people wherever he went, especially people who sought healing for various afflictions, including blindness. For them, Jesus would have been a sight for sore eyes! I think there is much more to this
than meets the eye!
I think having His eyes means to have His heart. We cannot look at people as He does unless our seeing comes from a pure heart, a heart thoroughly transformed by His grace. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Purity of heart is to will one thing - according to Kierkegaard. When the eyes of our heart single out our Lord Jesus to behold Him, then our heart is purified, we are gradually changed and become one with Him. "...as He is, so also, are we in this world." NASB :)
ReplyDeletea wonderful Scripture, yes, indeed: "As He is so are we!" And your words also bring to mind Jesus' words about having a 'single eye.'
ReplyDeleteGood morning Greg,
ReplyDeleteGood plays on words.
I think that most people want to take only the parts of God that they like; the "nice" parts and forget the rest. I think this is why there are songs about having the Father's eyes, but only seem to focus on the compassionate vision of God. What about the eyes of God that search to and fro for the righteous? What about the God that looks at the inner person, and judges the intents of the heart? This component of future judgment arising out of seeing rightly (people, things, situations as they are; not as interpreted by my wants) also needs to be activated when talking about having the father's eyes. When we see rightly, we have a greater chance of interpreting rightly, and discerning rightly, and acting rightly. When we don't; we don't.
Am I ever grateful that God saw my needs before I knew I had them, and He provided the remedy in Jesus. And that though God sees my wayward innermost thoughts, God chooses to see the righteousness of Jesus.
Godspeed!
Larry Q
I used to sing the Amy Grant song by this same title...it reminded me to see like the Lord saw. I woke this morning with the thought of Jesus "waxing strong in spirit and growing in stature." I thought of how the Father knew that Mary was the right choice for being the mother of the Messiah--being grounded in scriptural truth as evidenced by the Magnificate when He had the angel announce to her of the Lord's birth to be--. Scripture was a part of her daily outflow...it was in her heart...and she did not sin against God. I believe Mary was one avenue of waxing strong in spirit that was used for Jesus having His Father's eyes. Mary knew that the Messiah would come some day because God promised it. Then she carried the growing baby inside her. She saw the miracle of Elizabeth as further testimony of God's promises. I used to like all the emotional portrayals of the mother of Jesus until I realized she was probably more spirit controlled than modern writers made her out to be. I am sure she was grieved to think about her son being born to die--but on the other hand, she knew the story about the Passover Lamb and what that provided for God's people. "Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel!" I believe Mary understood and was empowered to do what was called upon her to do... We do not see in scripture that Jesus ever said to her, "Get behind Me, Satan" as He did with Peter...so that tells me that she served the Father's purpose as a faithful steward over the child as He grew to have His Father's heart and eyes. Oh, how this has changed my view of my own children and my purpose in being their mother. Once overwrought with emotional mish-mash of worshipping the cute little seedlings that my children once were...I have forsaken that view and now pray for wisdom in equipping them to mature into the man and woman that God has for them to become. I pray for them to have the Father's eyes... RR
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