Receive
One great example of Jesus' vision is in John 4, where Jesus talks with a woman by a well in Samaria. She obviously had a need for water or she wouldn't have been at the well. But Jesus looks further. "Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, "Give me a drink," you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water'" (John 4:10, ESV).
She needs more than a quick drink--she needs spiritual life. "Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14, ESV).
It would've been easy for Jesus to ask her for a drink of water and then go His way. But there's more at stake here--she needs life, eternal life, a life that's transformed forever. Jesus also knew the details of her daily conduct but instead of an attack, He gave her an opportunity to believe and experience new life. "So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 'Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?'" (John 4:28-29, ESV).
By contrast, when Jesus' disciples showed up at the well, they couldn't look beyond this woman's status, nationality and moral condition. They "marveled" that Jesus was talking with her. When she left the well, the disciples quickly forgot about her. Their minds turned to the physical need for food, and they urged Jesus to eat. But Jesus had an answer for that too: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest" (John 4:34-35, ESV). Jesus found His fuel in doing God's will, in changing hearts and lives and meeting spiritual needs.
Reflect
Take a look at a few other verses and describe how Jesus saw people.
Matthew 9:36-37
Mark 8:1-10
Luke 19:1-10
John 5:1-15
- What needs did Jesus see?
- How did He meet them?
Respond
So, how do you see people? Do you look at how they're dressed or what they drive or do for a living? Do you ever wonder about their spiritual condition? Or are you distracted or even intimidated by what you see? Often, we're so caught up in people's social status, appearance and lifestyle that we write them off and forget they have spiritual needs that only Jesus can meet. Wealth and good looks can disguise spiritual need just as easily as weird clothes and rough language.
The next time you're at the grocery store or some other public place, look at the around you. Take a moment and evaluate how you see people. What do you notice first? What barriers come up, based on this quick impression? You may not have opportunity for conversation at this point but start re-training your vision. How would Jesus see this person? What questions might He ask?
Use these thoughts to prepare yourself for other conversations you will have--at work, at the store or salon, when you're waiting at the doctor's office or meeting your teen's new friends. And pray for God to open your eyes and to speak His words when those conversations come up.
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