How Do You See Jesus?

How to See Jesus

Pastor and Author
2004 24 Jun

In order to seek God in simplicity, Francis of Assisi stripped naked and went out of the city, a decision that has influenced millions of others.He came upon a leper on the side of the road not long after.He walked by him, then paused and returned to embrace the sick guy on the street.

Francis then proceeded on his travels farther.After a few feet, he turned to search for the leper once more, but no one was there to greet him.For the remainder of his life, he thought that the leper was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.It’s possible that he was correct.Jesus is found in the forgotten places.He has made himself at home in the land of the unnoticed.

He has built a palace in the middle of the sick.To see God, we must first go among the shattered and battered, and it is there that we shall encounter him.The promise is found in Hebrews 11:6, which states that ″He rewards those who honestly seek him.″ Matthew 25:40 states that ″whatever you did for even the least of my people here, you did likewise for me.″ This is the strategy.

Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the man from Philadelphia who went to a flea market and saw a frame that appealed to him.This dusty poster of a rustic church cost only a few of dollars when I bought it.It was damaged and faded, but the frame appealed to the gentleman, who purchased it.Upon arriving at his residence, he opened the package and out tumbled a neatly folded sheet of paper.It was the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776.

What everyone believed was a two-dollar artwork at a flea market turned out to be one of the original one hundred copies of the Declaration of Independence, which was produced on July 4, 1776, and was on display at the museum.
In the most improbable places, valuable surprises are uncovered.
This is true at both flea markets and in everyday life.
Consider making a financial investment in the individuals the rest of the world has shunned—the homeless, AIDS patients, orphans, and divorcees—and you might just uncover the wellspring of your own freedom.
When Jesus says, ″How you treat people is the same as the way you treat me,″ it is powerful.
The one who sees Christ is the same person who sees the person who is hurting.

If you want to see Jesus, go to the convalescent home and sit down alongside the elderly woman, holding her hand firm while she places the spoon in her mouth.
If you want to see Jesus, go to the neighborhood hospital and ask the nurse to take you to a patient who hasn’t had any visitors yet.
If you want to see Jesus, leave your office and walk down the hall to talk to the man who is resentful of his divorce and longs for his sons and daughters.
In order to see Jesus, travel to the inner city and hand out sandwiches to the bag woman who has created a home out of an overpass.
This is not a sermon, but a meal.

It is necessary to see Jesus, to see the unsightly and the forgotten.Max Lucado’s novel, And the Angels Were Silent, was published in 1992.And the Angels Were Silent can be purchased by clicking here.

Photograph courtesy of Getty Images/Arthit Longwilai

Seeing Jesus is the most wonderful thing you can experience

Throughout this daily devotional, you will be invited to view Jesus through the eyes of your heart and to be astounded by His beauty as you do so.Being able to see Jesus allows you to have a more intimate relationship with Him and to feel His presence more intensely than ever before.Be assured that this is neither occult, new age, or spiritism in the manner in which some may dread.

This is the central theme of the entire Bible: getting to know God on a personal level, heart to heart, spirit to spirit, face to face, via meetings with Him.There is no reason why you should constantly observe Jesus from a distance and with your thinking alone.You are a spiritual being, created by the Spirit of God and created to have a close relationship with God.The sighting of Jesus should be commonplace for any believer who has a personal relationship with the Almighty.

Keys to seeing Jesus

The first key to seeing Jesus is knowing that Christ dwells among us.

The fact that Jesus Christ is physically present among us is the core of the new covenant.The presence of God was housed in a stone temple in the earthly Jerusalem throughout the time of the ancient covenant.God, on the other hand, no longer resides in a building constructed by men, but rather dwells among us in the new covenant.

It is said that you are the temple of the living God.It is said in the Bible: ″I will dwell among them and walk among them.″ ″I will be their God, and they will be My people,″ says the Lord.(2 Corinthians 6:16) We have been promised by Jesus that He and the Father would establish their habitation with us, which implies that they will live among us!In the same way that ″if anybody loves Me, he will keep My word,″ My Father will love him, and We will come to him and establish Our dwelling with him.(See also John 14:23.) Get rid of the old covenant attitude that tells you that Jesus is somewhere far away and discover the glorious truth of the new covenant that He is here in front of your eyes.His presence is among us, and as a result, we can have an incredible contact with Him.

The second key to seeing Jesus is using your spiritual senses.

The Holy Spirit will come upon you when you place your faith in Jesus Christ and genuinely dedicate your heart and life to Him.This will mark the beginning of your new life as a child of God.This spiritual birth was described by Jesus as follows: ‘Most definitely, I say to you, unless a person is born again, he will not see the kingdom of God…’ ‘What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit,’ says the Bible.

(See also John 3:3, 6) Only those who accept Jesus as the Messiah have the ability to be born again of God and become God’s beloved children, according to the apostle John: ‘But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’ (See John 1:12 for more information.) Your spiritual man, who is a child of God, has senses, just like your natural man, and can see things.Seeing Jesus requires you to be conscious of your spiritual eyes and to learn to use them in order to view both Christ and God the Father throughout your worship service.Having a closer relationship with Jesus Christ and enjoying lovely communion with Him is made possible as a result of this.

Seeing Jesus transforms you

During moments of prayer and worship, seeing Jesus through the eyes of your spiritual man has the ability to completely alter you.Once you have witnessed His magnificence and beauty, you will never settle for anything less.He is really stunning, so caring, and so amazing….

Read the following prophetic message and learn directly from Jesus Himself how you might see Him and enjoy His magnificent presence on a daily basis, no matter where you are.

Seeing Jesus in worship

My devoted companion, Your heart was made to know Me, and I was made to know you.Not only with your thoughts, but also from a distance.Merely knowing Me from the depths of your heart is what I desire for you.

After that, you will have a deep and abiding love for Me.I would want to ask you to come to Me today, my child.Not only for a little moment, but from a distance as well.I’m not in a rush.I ask you to open your heart completely to Me.Put everything else on hold for the time being.

Your challenges, your inquiries, and your ambitions are all important to me.Take a deep breath and put everything aside for a moment.And be willing to expose your heart to Me.

Take a look at me.I’m right here.I’m right next to you.I agree with you.Do you see Me with the eyes of your heart, or only with your sight?

I’m not too far away, darling.
I’m here, or as near as I possibly can be.
Do you see Me, my little one?
Put everything on hold for the time being.
I’d want to extend an invitation to you.
There’s already enough commotion around you.

Work is always waiting for you when you get home.
There’s certainly plenty of difficulty to go around.
But don’t let that deter you from your goals.
Please come to Me, all of you who are tired and burdened, and I will provide you with rest.
Come on, now.

How can you see Jesus?

Instead of using your natural eyes, you must use the eyes of your heart in order to see Me.Your spirit’s eyes are on you.These are the senses that your spirit, which is a child of God, has.

However, your earthly man is the product of your mother, and your spiritual man is the product of God.Your spiritual man has senses as well, and you should learn to use them.Jesus instructs us to see Me through the sight of our hearts.You must direct your entire focus on Me.Take a look at me.I’m right here.

Allow yourself to be free of everything else for a minute.All of your worries, struggles, questions, and requirements are taken into consideration.Allow the needs and expectations of your fellow man to be put on hold for a while as well.

And only I can be seen.Take pleasure in ME.Take pleasure in My beauty.Take pleasure in My magnificence.I’m right here, My little one.

Is it possible for you to see Me?
Inviting Me to open the eyes of your heart is an excellent idea.
If you have never been conscious of your spiritual senses, it may be difficult for you to perceive Me at certain times.
Nonetheless, I created you to worship Me in this manner.
In the spirit and in the truth.
For the simple reason that I am Spirit.

I’m not far away from where you’re at.
You will be able to see Me if you learn to look through the eyes of your heart.
As a result, entirely submit to Me.
My child, this is a crucial step in the process.
Don’t even bother thinking about it.

You can’t see Me because your mind isn’t cooperating.Everything in your head is being questioned.That is of no assistance to you.

Be as innocent as a kid.As a simple youngster who relies and believes in his or her own abilities.Take a look at me when I was a youngster.

Prayer to seeing Jesus

If you’re having trouble, just say this to Me: ″Lord, please open the eyes of My heart, let me see your beauty, and I will completely surrender myself to You.″ Thank you for coming to this meeting with me.Not far, but right here with me, is where you should be.Thank you for making it possible for me to have communion with you.

″I give everything I have to you.″ Pray these simple words from your heart, as though they were prayers for you.After that, I will direct you.Dare to believe that I am present, Jesus encourages.Do not be alarmed.In my role as your Good Shepherd, I protect and nurture your soul.I am your best friend, and I am your adored.

Do not be alarmed.However, you must completely surrender to Me.Every day, spend some time in My presence.

Make it a priority to look at Me with your eyes and your heart.Then you will be able to appreciate My magnificence.By acting in the manner of a youngster.This is accomplished by entirely giving oneself to Me.I invite you, my dear.

Then we’ll be able to spend more time together.
And you will come to know Me better as well.
From the bottom of my heart.
Do you want anything like that?
– The Lord Jesus Christ

Scriptures about seeing Jesus

The prophet Isaiah is one of several prophets in the Bible who had the privilege of witnessing Jesus Christ in His full majesty.In his first vision of Jesus as the Lord Almighty, Isaiah described the scene thus: ‘I saw the Lord seated on a throne, lofty and raised up, with the train of His robe filling the temple.’ The Bible states in Isaiah 6:1 that The prophet David, who penned the world-famous Psalms, advises us to seek the face of the Lord at all times, no matter what.David understood what it meant to be in intimate relationship with God.

When he was all alone in the desert, abandoned by his own friends and family, he came to recognize Jesus as his best Friend for the first time.It was during these periods of loneliness that he built a close relationship with the Lord.″Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always,″ he says, expressing the appeal of God’s heart to us all.″Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face continually,″ he says.Psalm 105:4 (Psalms 105:4) The sight of the Lord in all of His splendor and majesty became such a source of strength and comfort to David that he wrote in Psalm 27 that seeing the Lord was his greatest desire: ‘One thing I ask of the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in your house throughout my life, to gaze on the beauty of your temple, and to seek the face of the LORD in his temple.’ Psalm 27:4 (Psalm 27:4)

How Do We See Jesus?

This year has the potential to be one of remarkable vision.Actually, it should be done every year.However, given that this year is 2020, we should all be wishing for 20/20 eyesight.

As a result, let us take a look at how we see Jesus.Make sure to watch the entertaining video below – you will truly SEE Jesus in just a minute.] It’s safe to say that we don’t perceive Jesus in the same way that people who lived during His earthly mission did.However, the Bible does mention that we will be able to see Him.Given that Paul stated that ″we see Jesus″ (Heb 2:9), the issue arises as to how exactly we see Jesus.The solution to that query was provided by Paul.He wrote to the church at Ephesus, telling them that we had ″eyes of insight.″ Ephesians 1:18 It is necessary that the eyes of your understanding be opened so that you may grasp what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the believers are.

So let us take a moment to study ″the eyes of our intellect and how we view Jesus″ in greater depth.

Believing is Seeing

Jesus informs us that by trusting in Him, we will be able to see Him: As Jesus spoke to her in John 11:40, ″Did I not tell you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?″ he inquired.God showed Himself in the flesh in the Person of Jesus, allowing the lady to whom He was speaking to be able to see and hear Him.Because of this, Jesus is not talking about seeing something in the physical sense but rather about seeing something spiritually.

And since Jesus is the ″radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His person″ (Heb 1:3), we are able to see Him when we believe, which is to say, when we have trust in what He has done.I’ve written extensively about what faith is (see What is Faith?for an example).What is the procedure for obtaining it?What is the best way to expand it?Is the ability to believe in God a gift from God?

Some people have it, but not everyone.Describe what it means to ″WALK BY FAITH.″ Comprehending authentic faith is important in understanding our relationship with Jesus.

Defining Faith

Most likely, the reformers were the first to define faith as a process that begins with knowledge (using the eyes of our understanding, about which Paul wrote).The revelation of Jesus in the Word of God, as we all know, provides us with this understanding….

Romans 10:17…Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes through hearing the word of God.We must make a conscious decision to read and study the Bible in order to fully comprehend who Jesus is and what He has accomplished.Then there is the decision of whether to believe or reject what has been read.Because God’s Word is genuine and trustworthy, knowledge should always lead to faith in God.However, true faith can only be found in God’s Word when we receive, believe, and trust in it.

Trust is a conviction that has been exercised.It is possible to believe in something and still not trusting it.Parachutes, for example, are well-known for their ability to save lives.

We also think that if a plane is about to crash, the doors will open and someone will be able to glide to a safe landing.But if someone puts on a parachute but doesn’t place his or her faith in it until after they leap out of an aircraft, that individual will crash along with the plane.They didn’t have faith in the parachute to do the tasks they were aware of and felt it was capable of performing.Alternatively, they did not feel they required it.Trust is a decision, and in spiritual terms, it entails turning away from one’s own self-reliance and placing one’s faith in God.

One can only surrender to God, confess one’s faults, and seek for forgiveness if one knows what he or she is doing, believes what he or she is doing, and trusts what they are doing.
Those are the characteristics of real saving faith (Eph 1:13) and true sanctifying faith (Eph 1:15).
(Prov 3:5-6).

True Faith Produces Seeing

As a result, it is not just a matter of believing.Even the devils have faith (James 2:19).While it is OK to use the term believing (″believing is seeing″), we must recognize that it refers to genuine religious belief (knowledge, belief, and trust).

Only genuine trust results in the pouring forth of God’s love and the regeneration of a sinner into new life in Christ, as well as the sealing of the Holy Spirit on that new life.

20/20 Vision in 2020

For the next year, let us strive for a sharper vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that we may see Him more clearly, follow Him more closely, and love Him even more passionately.″Whom you love, despite the fact that you have not seen him,″ Peter wrote (1 Pet 1:8).In fact, we have not seen Jesus with our bodily eyes, which is true.

The Bible, however, states that all who belong to Him do see Him (Heb 2:9), because we see with spiritual ″eyes″ (the eyes of understanding, Eph 1:18).As a result, make this the year in which you commit to Bible reading.The Scriptures should be opened and read for the purpose of gaining knowledge, believing God, and placing our complete trust in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.Continue to fix your gaze on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2).<

How do you see Jesus?

When I was a youngster, at my junior school, when you reached the age of majority, you were assigned to serve supper to your table of eight.There were just two persons authorized.I was hired for the position!

Along with me, there was a young lady who was hired as well.On top of that, she wasn’t regarded to be a particularly attractive young lady, nor was she particularly popular.She was also seen to be a little stinky!As a result, my excitement at being promoted to a position of responsibility was dampened by the fact that I was associated with someone who would not rank me highly in the school social network!I discovered that she was great, enjoyable, and nice as we worked together in our new role..And I couldn’t come up with a single reason why people wouldn’t like her.

The good news is that I’ve changed my mind.In 2 Corinthians 5:15, Paul states that from this point forward, we will no longer conceive of anybody from a human point of view.However, even if we did conceive of Christ from a human point of view at one time, we no longer think of him in that way.

(ISV) Paul’s attitude toward Jesus had shifted.Why?Paul and Jesus were born at the same time, in the same region of the world, and even practiced the same religion – Judaism – as their forefathers.What happened, and what changed, and how did it happen?According to Jewish tradition, God should intervene in the world and remove all of the negative things.

God had previously stated that he would accomplish this through his deliverer (″Messiah″).
People came forward and claimed to be God’s representatives, but they weren’t.
As a result, many were understandably disillusioned and skeptical of their promises.
When Jesus arrived, he claimed to be God’s chosen one.
Many people became suspicious.
Paul was one of those individuals.

Christ, as well as anybody who followed him, was rejected by him.
We already learned that he went around tormenting Christians, but that God intervened and stopped him in his tracks.
God appears and tells him, ″I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,″ after causing him to collapse to the ground.
(See also Acts 9:5) This occurs after Jesus has been crucified, which is significant.
As a result, he is clearly alive and well again.

And that was precisely the type of proof Jesus said would be presented to establish he was who he claimed to be.Coming back from the dead is a powerful demonstration of someone’s integrity!Jesus predicted that he would die and be raised to life on the third day.

He went ahead and did it!Paul came face to face with him.That’s what made all the difference in the world.

He claimed this because ″even if we did conceive of Christ from a human point of view in the past, we don’t think of him that way any longer.″ In fact, in 2 Corinthians, he provides the following explanation for why he has altered his perspective shortly before stating that he no longer sees Jesus in the same light (v14-15): We are controlled by the love of Christ because we are persuaded of the following: that one person died for all people, and as a result, all people have died.All people died because of him, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but rather for the one who died and rose from the dead to save them.As a result, Jesus not only died and rose from the dead to demonstrate who he is, but he also did it for us.

Why would he do such a thing?Paul informs us once more: Because God was reconciling the world to himself via Christ, he was not counting their sins against them (19) Some marriages end in divorce because of ″irreconcilable disagreements,″ which is a tragic reality for many couples.They are unable to bridge the gap that exists between them.

According to the Bible, we have created a chasm between ourselves and our Creator.Paul was the same way.He didn’t like Jesus; there was a chasm between them.

It wasn’t God’s fault, yet it was his fault.It is referred to as sin in the Bible.However, the situation was not irreconcilable.God, in the person of Jesus, paid the ransom.″I’m not holding their sins against them,″ he demonstrated kindness.

He constructed a bridge over the gulf.
Paul then has a complete and total change of heart concerning Jesus.
Instead of disliking him, he has grown to adore him.

A life given to him: He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer be concerned with their own well-being, but rather with the well-being of the one who suffered and rose from the dead for them.
As a result, Christians have a different perspective on Jesus, and they themselves have changed.
And it is for this reason that Paul says, ″Whoever believes in Christ is a new creation.″ Things that were once familiar have vanished, and everything has been transformed into something entirely new!

(17) From the human perspective, Jesus might be seen as a variety of different things.He’s a self-proclaimed prophet.He’s a decent fellow.He’s a liberator, to be sure.He’s a moral reformer, to put it mildly.He is a philosopher, as you may have guessed.

He’s a shrewd politician who knows what he’s doing.Some people believe that Jesus is a fake prophet.In addition to being a blasphemer and an obscure individual from the past, he is a curse term.However, to be a Christian means to come to the realization, as Paul did, that it is he who saves us.He comes to our aid.

He constructs a bridge across the chasm of sin and death, allowing us to live.
When we return to Paul’s description of how he came to be a Christian, we learn that he was blinded for three days during that time.
He was then visited by a messenger from God who interceded for him.

We are told that as soon as the messenger finished praying, something like scales dropped from his eyes, and he could see clearly again.
He went to his feet and was baptized (Acts 9:18).
Christians are baptized not to convert people to Christianity, but rather to acknowledge that they have ″seen the light.″ Going into the water is a sure way to die.

″As one died for all, so all have died,″ Paul declared.
The act of submerging oneself in water represents burial.
″The old is dead and buried,″ as the saying goes.
In the phrase ″the new has arrived,″ coming out of the water represents the resurrection to a new life.
Dave is a completely different person.

What are your thoughts?What is your opinion on Jesus?Is it better to see things through human eyes or through the eyes of God?

If you see Jesus accurately, it will change your life.

It is the most essential problem in your life how you view Jesus and how you relate to him.Many people believe that the question ″What will you do with Jesus?″ is the crux of all of life’s decisions.Because God has given human beings free will, we have the option of accepting Christ or rejecting him, depending on our circumstances.

This decision makes all the difference in the world for single people who are looking for a partner.Our acceptance of him sets us on the path to holiness, salvation, and an eternity with God in heaven.It is selfishness, immorality, and devastation that result from rejecting him.I understand that this is a controversial issue.In fact, it’s defamatory in nature.Many folks would prefer that I not even use the name Jesus once in this article.

Nevertheless, one of my commitments to you on this website is that I would always give you the truth, and after decades of rigorous searching, I can firmly state that this is the truth.Contrary to popular belief, it was Jesus himself who declared, ″Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.″ (See also John 8:32) My pastor likes to remark that we’re all on the lookout for the God who will offer us the finest bargain possible.Most individuals believe that ″god″ is someone who will allow them to do anything they want with no repercussions.

It would, however, be a pitiful God if that were true.He would be devoid of moral principles.He wouldn’t give a damn about what happened to his kids.Worst of all, he wouldn’t truly care about us or our happiness.When we view Jesus honestly, as the Bible presents him, we come face to face with a being who is so magnetic, so appealing, that he can’t be ignored for long.

The more we get to know him, the more we want him to be in our lives.
In a very genuine way, our Lord and Savior is a source of contention.
Many singles wish he would simply leave them alone so they could pursue their own interests.
They are not interested in getting to know him.
That’s just the way sin works.
Instead of focusing on God’s instructions, we are more preoccupied with gratifying our own self-centered goals.

Satan, whom the Lord referred to as ″the father of lies,″ wants us to believe that there are no repercussions for our actions.
He targets single individuals in particular with this concept, using the traditional ″if it feels good, do it″ justification.
You can practically hear Satan chuckling in hell as singles are condemned to a life of pain and humiliation as a result of their decision to do things their own way.
Let’s face it: Jesus gets in the way of our plans.
The fact that he gets in the way of lying to gain more money, abusing our bodies with narcotics, and having one-night relationships is a major inconvenience.

Currently, our culture believes that Christ’s principles are out of date, that they are the result of old times.In the event that you are a divorced or widowed single parent who has raised children, you are well aware that you cannot allow them to run free and do anything they want.They develop into brats.

They have no regard for the rights of others or for the rule of law.From a spiritual standpoint, we are all children.In our own right, we aren’t mature enough to understand how to act.

That’s why God established a set of guidelines.The Ten Commandments will never be the same again if you begin to perceive them as advice on how to avoid getting into any trouble.Your perspective on God will be dramatically transformed.

I want to be quite clear about something: We cannot earn our way into heaven by performing good deeds, such as slavish devotion to the Ten Commandments.The explanation for this is self-evident.None of us is capable of following their orders.

We are born with a wicked nature that constantly steers us in the wrong way.Do you believe in the existence of an afterlife?Do you believe it’s a real location?

Do you think you’ll get to see Jesus face to face someday?Before we may enter the kingdom of God, we must first see Jesus on the crucifixion and comprehend what that implies.The cross is something that most of us do not want to look at.It has virtually lost its significance in our culture, as seen by the fact that athletes and celebrities are now wearing it as a fashion statement.We’d want to forget the awful price that Jesus suffered on our behalf in order to free us from our sins.

It takes your breath away to realize that he did it just out of love for his wife and children.
It’s a terrible thought to contemplate.
As a result, the Creator of the entire world cares about you so much that he willingly endured suffering and death in order to save you from your sins because you cannot save yourself.

No one has ever loved you as much as you have been loved, and no one ever will.
If you’re a rational person, you’ll eventually come to terms with the fact that you owe Christ an unpayable debt.
Because he did all of this through grace, which is a free gift, you are not only under no obligation to repay him, but you are also unable to repay him.

So, what is your opinion about Jesus?If you are unfamiliar with him or have an ambivalent attitude about him, I recommend that you begin reading the gospels and the letters of Paul.This is the most critical question you will have to answer.It might be the difference between life and death.To return to the top of the See Jesus page, click here.

Why Is Jesus Christ Important in My Life?

″What is the significance of Jesus Christ in my life?″ 10–13 (New Era, January 2015).It wasn’t long ago that I saw a blog article in which the author discussed how the Savior plays a crucial part in her everyday life.I was relieved that she was ready to share her sentiments, but I was disturbed by one reader’s response: ″He has never been or will ever be of any significance in my life—never has been and will never be.″ That reader couldn’t be more incorrect in his or her assumptions.

We will all require the Savior at some point in our lives.We all make errors that we can’t undo, suffer losses that we can’t recoup, and endure pains, persecution, tragedies, burdens, and disappointments that we can’t bear on our own, but we can work together to overcome them.The good news is that we don’t have to deal with them on our own anymore.It is possible to say in a moment of weakness that no one understands what it is like.″ ‘No one seems to get it.’ Elder David A.Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles remarked, ″But the Son of God totally understands and knows what we are going through because He has suffered and borne our specific afflictions.″ As Alma 34:14 explains, ″And because of His unlimited and eternal sacrifice (see Alma 34:14), He has perfect empathy and is able to extend His arm of mercy to us.″ 1 Our trust in Jesus is crucial to us because, through His Atonement and teachings, as well as His hope, peace, and example, He aids us in making changes in our lives, overcoming hardships, and moving ahead with confidence on our path back to Him and His Father.

Jesus Makes Repentance Possible

Because we all fall short of God’s expectations and require the gift of repentance provided by the Atonement, Jesus is extremely vital to all who truly want to follow Him.Whenever we make a mistake or fall, Satan wants us to believe that we are not capable of getting back up and continuing on our way.Aside from that, he wants us to forget that the Gospel is also known as ″the gospel of repentance″ (D&C 13:1; emphasis added).

Despite this, we are confident that ″the mercy of Christ is genuine, and that it provides both forgiveness and purification to the penitent sinner.″ 2 The power of Jesus Christ’s Atonement is available to everyone of us; however, we must make the decision to let it to be put to use in our lives.Consider presenting a particular gift to a buddy—a gift that your acquaintance truly needs and that you prepared through personal sacrifice on his or her behalf.Now imagine your friend answering, ″Thank you, but I’m not particularly interested in your present,″ or anything along those lines.What would your reaction be?The fact that we don’t invite Jesus to assist us in being clean via repentance is the same as rejecting His gift of salvation.

Jesus Teaches Truth

Jesus asked the Twelve Apostles, ″Will ye also go away?″ on one occasion when a number of individuals declined to continue walking with Him for any extended period of time. ″Lord, where will we go from here?″ Peter inquired. It says in John 6:67–68, ″Thou hast the words of eternal life.″ The scriptures, the teachings of living prophets, and the whisperings of the Holy Ghost are all places where you might find the Savior’s ″words of eternal life.″ It is through them that we can achieve ″pleasure in this life and everlasting life in the world to come,″3 and it is through them that we can return safely to our Heavenly Father and Savior. What are some of the most important truths that the Savior imparted? The following are the four that President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, mentioned in a recent general conference speech: We will have gorgeous, perfect, and eternal bodies, unburdened by disease or incapacity.″
″Our tears of anguish and loss will be replaced with an abundance of gladness and joy.″
″Through the Atonement., we will be able to live forever with our loved ones.″
4

Jesus Offers Hope

When we are confronted with significant difficulties, it might be difficult to place our confidence in the Lord.However, placing our faith in Him provides us with the hope we require in order to tackle our obstacles.The same thing happened to members of the Gatrell family, who reside in Sister Jean A.

Stevens’ ward and were targeted by the authorities.Brother Gatrell was diagnosed with cancer, according to Sister Stevens, the first counselor in the Primary general presidency.Sister Stevens said the family remained steadfast in the gospel and their temple commitments when Brother Gatrell was diagnosed.They gained confidence in God’s promises that they will be reunited after this life as a result of their actions.As she reflected on the tough days leading up to her husband’s death, Sister Gatrell shared her belief that ″the Lord was looking over us.″ ″If you put your confidence in the Lord, you will be able to conquer any of life’s difficulties.″ 5 The gift of the Atonement provides us with the promise of everlasting life, which we need need while we are going through difficult times or grieving the death of a loved one.First Counselor in the First Presidency President Henry B.

Eyring stated that ″our loving Heavenly Father gave us the gift of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior.″ All who are born are given a worldwide heritage through the tremendous gift and benefit of Jesus Christ’s Atonement.This inheritance includes the promise of Resurrection and the potential of eternal life.6

Jesus Offers Peace

Anyone who has dealt with a natural catastrophe, been the target of malicious gossip, faced a life-changing crisis, had a falling-out with a friend, or stood up for what’s right knows what it’s like to be in desperate need of the Lord’s comfort. As Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles put it, ″the peace of Christ subdues the spinning whirlwinds of this world.″ 7 During a recent general conference, Elder Andersen presented a story of a Laurel who was mocked and called names because she spoke up for conventional marriage and refused to be silenced. She discovered that being ″faithful to God and to the teachings of His living prophets″ might occasionally result in ridicule, which she accepted as a price. 8 However, standing up does not imply that one is alone. When we are feeling alone or overwhelmed, when we are sad or anxious, when we are terrified or when we feel useless, we may always turn to the Prince of Peace. We accomplish this by: praying to Heavenly Father for the presence of the Spirit
reading the Lord’s words in the scriptures and as revealed by living prophets
attending temple services
studying the Savior’s life at church and in seminary
applying His Atonement by repenting of our sins
sharing our testimonies of Him
and attending temple services.

There is no need for our hearts to be concerned or scared while we are experiencing the Savior’s peace (see John 14:26–27).″Only the Master understands the depths of our trials, our grief, and our suffering,″ President Thomas S.Monson has remarked of his faith.

″He is the only one who can provide us with eternal serenity in times of adversity.He is the only one who can soothe our broken souls with His soothing words.″ 9

Jesus Sets the Example

Throughout His mission, Jesus does more than merely show the road to happiness; He actually takes the initiative and walks the path himself.He guides us to love as a result of His Atonement.He guides us to everlasting truths via the teachings of Jesus.He directs us to the road of obedience by the example of His flawless life.

″Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the greatest example to have ever walked the face of the world.The teaching, helping, and loving people that he did throughout his mortal ministry, according to Elder Richard G.Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, were the highlights of his mortal ministry.He went on to say that the Savior ″invite[s] us to follow His flawless example.″ 10 When we realize that the Savior makes repentance and resurrection possible, that He teaches essential truths, that He brings hope and peace, and that He sets the ideal example, He becomes the focal point of our life.

And, with Him as our friend, we have the confidence to throw away fear and move on in trust as we face the future.

What Did Jesus Look Like?

In Western cultures, the most popular representation of Jesus Christ has been that of a bearded, fair-skinned man with long, wavy, light brown or blond hair and (often) blue eyes, who has been shown in this manner for millennia.However, the Bible does not describe Jesus’ physical appearance, and all of the evidence we do have shows that he looked significantly different from how he has been shown for so many years.

What Does the Bible Say?

The Bible provides just a few hints as to Christ’s physical characteristics.The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which comprise the first four volumes of the New Testament, contain the majority of what we know about Jesus.According to the Gospels, Jesus was a Jewish man who was born in Bethlehem and reared in the town of Nazareth in Galilee (then Palestine, now northern Israel) around the first century A.D., according to the New Testament.While the Bible informs us that Jesus was around 30 years old when he began his ministry (Luke 3:23), it tells us almost little about his physical appearance, other than the fact that he didn’t stand out in any particular manner.

During Jesus’ imprisonment in the garden of Gethsemane before to his execution (Matthew 26:47-56) Judas Iscariot had to point out Jesus to his troops among the disciples, apparently because they all looked to be the same size as one another.WATCH: JESUS: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Vault According to several academics, the passages from Revelation 1:14-15 provide evidence that Jesus’ complexion was a deeper shade and that his hair was of a shaggy texture.″His hairs were as white as white wool, as white as snow,″ the story claims of his head hairs.In the light of day, his eyes were like a blaze of fire, and his feet were like burnished bronze, purified as though by fire.″ ″We don’t know what he looked like, but if all of the things that we know about him are true, he was a Palestinian Jewish man living in Galilee in the first century,″ says Robert Cargill, assistant professor of classics and religious studies at the University of Iowa and editor of Biblical Archaeology Review.

″We don’t know what he looked like, but if all of the things that we know about him are true, he was a Palestinian Jewish man living in Galile Thus, his appearance was that of a Palestinian Jewish guy living in the first century AD.He would have had the appearance of a Jewish Galilean.″ READ MORE: Who Was the Author of the Bible?

How Have Depictions of Jesus Changed Over the Centuries?

Some of the oldest known artistic images of Jesus date back to the mid-third century A.D., more than two centuries after his death, according to archaeological evidence.These are the paintings found in the ancient catacombs of St.Domitilla in Rome, which were uncovered for the first time about four hundred years ago.The paintings represent Jesus as the Good Shepherd, a youthful, short-haired, beardless man with a lamb wrapped over his shoulders, which was one of the most popular depictions of Jesus at the time of their creation.

Another early image of Jesus was discovered on the walls of a damaged chapel in southern Israel in 2018, adding to the growing collection of early portraits.It is the earliest known image of Christ found in Israel, and it depicts him with shorter, curly hair, a depiction that was common to the eastern region of the Byzantine empire, particularly in Egypt and the Syria-Palestine region, but which was later lost to later Byzantine art.It was painted in the sixth century A.D., and it is the earliest known image of Christ found in Israel.MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT: Is this 1,500-year-old painting a depiction of Jesus’ physical appearance?

During the fourth century A.D., the long-haired, bearded picture of Jesus began to develop, which was significantly influenced by portrayals of Greek and Roman gods, notably the all-powerful Greek deity Zeus.As a result, Jesus began to appear dressed in a long robe and sitting on an elevated platform, such as the fifth-century mosaic on the altar of the Santa Pudenziana church in Rome, and occasionally with a crown of gold encircling his head.Joan Taylor, a professor of Christian origins and second temple Judaism at King’s College London, argued in The Irish Times that the goal of these depictions was never to depict Jesus as a human being, but rather to convey theological arguments about who Jesus was as Christ (King, Judge, and divine Son).″They have progressed through time to become the typical ‘Jesus’ that we know today.″ To be sure, not all depictions of Jesus are consistent with the prevailing picture of him that has been presented in Western art.

In reality, he has been represented as a member of many different civilizations across the world, at least in terms of visual representation.Cultures tend to represent major religious leaders as having the appearance of the prevailing racial identity, as Cargill elucidates.MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT: The Bible asserts that Jesus was a real person.Is there any further evidence?

What Is the Shroud of Turin?

One of the most well-known of the many probable relics associated with Jesus that have appeared throughout the years is the Shroud of Turin, which was discovered in 1354 and has since become a worldwide sensation.According to believers, Jesus was wrapped in the piece of linen after he was crucified and that the shroud has a distinct image of his face.Many scholars, however, believe the shroud to be a forgery, and the Vatican even refers to it as a ″icon″ rather than a relic in its own documents.″The Shroud of Turin has been refuted on a couple of occasions as a medieval fake,″ says Cargill.

″The Shroud of Turin has been debunked as a medieval forgery.″ In the words of the author, ″It’s part of a larger phenomenon that has existed since Jesus himself, of attempting to acquire and, if they can’t be acquired, to produce objects that were part of Jesus’ body, life, and ministry—for the purposes of either legitimizing his existence and the claims made about him, or, in some cases, harnessing his miraculous powers.READ MORE: According to a forensic study, the Shroud of Turin does not represent Jesus’ burial cloth.

What Research and Science Can Tell Us About Jesus

An international team of forensic anthropologists and computer programmers led by retired medical artist Richard Neave collaborated on the creation of a new image of Jesus in 2001, using an Israeli skull from the first century A.D., computer modeling, and their knowledge of what Jewish people looked like at the time.However, while no one asserts that this image is an exact reconstruction of what Jesus himself actually looked like, scholars believe that this image—roughly five feet tall and featuring darker skin tones and eyes as well as shorter, curlier hair—is more accurate than many artistic depictions of the son of God.The author of What Did Jesus Look Like?(2018) analyzed archaeological evidence, historical writings, and ancient Egyptian funerary art to reach the conclusion that Jesus, like the majority of people in Judea and Egypt at the time, had brown eyes, dark brown to black hair, and olive-brown skin tone.

The typical man’s height at the period was around 5-feet-5-inches (166 cm), so he may have stood about that height.In spite of the fact that Cargill believes that these more contemporary depictions of Jesus—which include darker, maybe curlier hair, deeper skin tone, and dark eyes—are likely to be closer to the truth, he emphasizes that we will never be able to know precisely what Jesus looked like.″Can you imagine what Jewish Galileans looked like 2,000 years ago?″ he wonders.″That’s the question,″ says the author.

″It’s likely that they didn’t have blue eyes or blond hair.″

What It Means to See Jesus

In the trunk of a chestnut tree, a young man once claimed to have seen Jesus’ face, with the bark moving as if it were flesh, and he told me about it.An elderly woman informed me that Christ had appeared to her in the late afternoon sunlight that streamed through her hospital window during her hospitalization.A father who was dying of lung cancer confided that he had looked up at a crucifix in a church years ago and watched as the body hanging there writhed and wriggled, seemingly coming to life in front of his eyes; the experience had been so terrifying that he had never told anyone about it before; he was now dying of lung cancer.

Such stories hold a special place in my heart, and I collect them in the same way that others collect rare pieces of art, first editions, or antique automobiles.
In this case, even secondhand accounts will suffice, which is why Robert Hudson’s ″Seeing Jesus: Visionary Encounters from the First Century to The Present″ provided me with so much joy in the first place.
The images of Jesus are all around us, but Hudson’s book is about people who claim to have seen him in the way that his apostles did in the days and years after his death: with his crucifixion wounds still fresh, descending and ascending from heaven onto hilltops, blinding rays of light all around him: the sort of psychologically upsetting seeing that we all experience from time to time, such as when we see our ex-husband and go ashen, or when we see our future Hudson’s book is arranged into two taxonomies: kinds of seers (disciples, ascetics, mystics, trailblazers, and moderns) and types of seeing (disciples, ascetics, mystics, trailblazers, and moderns) (appearances, apparitions, and visions).
The first of these taxonomies is basically a chronology, beginning with individuals who saw Christ immediately after his death and concluding with those who have seen Christ more recently.

It is less useful than the second taxonomy, which is derived from mystical research and provides a method of categorizing and arranging these types of occurrences.When Jesus appears in the physical world, it appears as though anyone can see him, but only the visionary actually does so; when Jesus appears in the physical world, it appears as though everyone can see him, but only the visionary actually does so; when the visionary only sees Jesus, the visionary is fully aware that no one else can; when the visionary sees Jesus, it is fully aware that no one else can see him.Early witnesses, those who saw the risen Christ in the years immediately following his resurrection, are discussed in detail by Hudson, including the apostle Thomas, who touched his crucifixion wounds; the disciples who encountered him while traveling, first Cleopas on the road to Emmaus and then Paul on the road to Damascus; and John of Patmos, whose apocalyptic writings are included in the Book of Revelation.

These are all canonical accounts that are well-known to everyone who has even a passing familiarity with the New Testament.Hudson, on the other hand, follows them with accounts of ascetics who are a little less well-known, such as Anthony of Egypt, one of the so-called Desert Fathers, whose monastic life included visions of Christ as light that banished the beasts and demons who were said to torment him; Martin of Tours, who went on to become the patron saint of conscientious objectors after dreaming of Jesus and leaving the Roman army in order to become a monk; and Je Among the four intriguing people featured in the section on mystics is Saint Francis of Assisi, who is perhaps the most well-known of all.Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, and Margery Kempe are the other three, all of whom are well-known today for their paintings, music, and writing: Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, and Margery Kempe Hudson takes a more direct stance against the scholarly literature on visionary experiences, including the straightforwardly physiological explanations advanced by some researchers.As an example, in his biography of Hildegard, Oliver Sacks describes the ecstatic, multisensory visions that she had of lights, stars, blazing fires, and human figures as ″a shower of phosphenes in transit across the visual field, their passage being followed by a negative scotoma,″ which means ″a shower of phosphenes on their way.″ She was suffering from migraines, to put it another way.In addition to medical answers, psychological explanations for similar visions abound in the literature.

Many of these theories make use of pareidolia, which is the tendency to create meaning where there is none—often by seeing faces in inanimate things, such as a man in the moon—as their basis.Apples, ice cream, grilled cheese, pancakes, potato chips, pizza, pierogis, pita bread, pretzels, fish sticks and Cheetos are just a few of the foods that have developed in this vein in the last few decades alone.Perhaps the most renowned of these is a tortilla.

Hudson doesn’t bother with many of these culinary sightings, but he does a good job of conveying the excitement that Christians have felt throughout history when they have had an experience with Jesus.
As well as uncovering details that bring the distant past to life—for example, the highest-paid athlete in history is likely not Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, but Gaius Appuleius Diocles, a Roman charioteer who lived in the first century AD.
According to the author, this fact is generated in the service of providing an introduction to the hermits, anchorites, and stylites whose paradoxical renown attests to the fascination that the Christian world had with asceticism from the fourth century onward is.
Several of the most interesting chapters in ″Seeing Jesus″ are in-depth examinations of single visionaries and close readings of the direct testimonies that they left behind, such as the four chapters devoted to his quartet of medieval mystics—or the chapter on John of Patmos, which has the intriguing title ″Voom!″ and begins with a lesson on hermeneutics based on ″The Cat in the Hat.″ Those chapters stand in contrast to others that are rushed, such as one that contains a cursory account of Sojourner Truth’s visions, padded by boilerplate biography and stock political commentary, and another that, like a spiritual clown car, jams the lives of Emanuel Swedenborg, Jacob Boehme, George Fox, Mother Ann Lee, Public Universal Friend, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of vila, and John of the Cross into a dozen ″Seeing Jesus″ is more of a devotional experience than an academic one.
Hudson describes it as a ″anecdotal history,″ one that will ″accept each narrative of seeing Jesus at face value, neither believing nor disbelieving, and claiming no more for them than the individual claimed for himself or herself.″ Hudson describes it as ″anecdotal history.″ It will strike some secular readers as too credulous, and it will strike some devout readers as too incredulous; it lacks the revelatory strangeness of something like Phillip H.
Wiebe’s clinical account of twenty-eight contemporary ″encounter experiences″ with Jesus, which is a clinical account of twenty-eight contemporary ″encounter experiences″ with Jesus.

Hudson worked as an editor for Zondervan, one of the Christian publishing divisions of HarperCollins, for more than thirty years.His book ″Seeing Jesus″ is published by Broadleaf Publications, an imprint owned by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Hudson is the author of several other books.Another type of publishing division is seen in other religious organizations; for example, Zondervan, which publishes over three hundred books and Bibles every year, was founded by two nephews of William B.Eerdmans, whose own independent Christian publishing firm is still in operation.Despite the fact that Christian publishing is a billion-dollar industry, it is difficult to tell from reading the best-seller lists that appear in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.Zondervan, for example, has sold approximately thirty million copies of such titles as Hal Lindsey and Carole Carlson’s ″The Late Great Planet Earth″ and Rick Warren’s ″The Purpose Driven Life.″ I find Hudson’s hesitation to legitimize any or all of the visions that he has chosen to include strange in a book that has an unmistakably loyal tone and has been produced by a religious publishing house.

Even while he admits to having a personal Christian faith, and confesses to desiring for a vision of Christ, he remains dubious of all such visions.A childhood memory of a chalk artist—if not Esther Frye, then someone similar to her—who traveled around town giving ″chalk talks,″ in which she used a handful of colors to draw and narrate stories from scripture on a chalkboard while also sharing her own testimony serves as the starting point for his book.The artist recalled a time when she was a young woman praying while looking at the trees in her back yard, only to have Christ’s face appear before her, blinding her to everything but his features, then hovering smaller and smaller in her field of vision for months after he’d first appeared, she said.″I was captivated by her presentation, but I was also wary,″ Hudson recalls, ″and the truth is, I didn’t believe her at the time.″ And, may God forgive me, but I still don’t believe that.″ When confronted with such a presentation, or with any other visionary claim, skepticism is unquestionably the prudent response, but it can make ″Seeing Jesus″ seem a little tepid.

When it comes to the visionaries in his book, Hudson never outright endorses or debunks any of them, even when his own characterizations of them seem to demand it, as with his description of the extravagant life style and scurrilous fund-raising tactics of televangelist Oral Roberts, who Hudson describes as ″a scurrilous fund-raiser.″ Nonetheless, at its heart, ″Seeing Jesus″ possesses a theological conviction that may pique the interest of skeptics—while also assuaging the fears of the faithful, because it comes directly from Christ.″Centuries of Christian thinkers—the vast majority of whom were not mystics—have reminded us that we see the face of Jesus every day, strolling the streets of every city, on the face of every individual,″ Hudson says in his epilogue.As Nicholas of Cusa wrote: ″In all faces is seen the Face of faces, cloaked and hidden in a mystery.″ He uses this statement to illustrate his point.

Rather than a riddle, Jesus offers his judgment in the Gospel of Matthew, in which he declares that on Judgment Day the virtuous will be separated from the unjust like a shepherd separates his sheep from his goats.Because, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer subsequently said, ″he comes in the shape of the beggar, of the dissolute human infant in tattered clothes, pleading for help,″ they would be judged according to how they treated the least among their brethren.He confronts you in every individual you come into contact with.While there are humans on the world, Christ will walk among them as your neighbor, as the one through whom God summons you, talks to you, and makes demands on you.″ When most Christians hear this, they interpret it to mean that if they were to meet Jesus, he would not look like the guy depicted in Warner Sallman’s iconic picture or the sitting figure depicted in Leonardo da Vinci’s painting ″The Last Supper.″ Rather from being supernatural or ghostly, the images of Jesus that Christians are specifically instructed to seek are modest and human: we are instructed to look for Christ in the faces of one another.

In spite of the fact that Hudson isn’t sure what to make of all the visions that have occurred to him throughout his book, Hudson believes this as well, and he concludes ″Seeing Jesus″ with a story from the pandemic, in which he comes face to face with a panhandler outside a café and cannot help but want to assist him, partly because he has been thinking so much about what it means to see Christ.The man’s name, Hudson learns after giving him a twenty-dollar bill, is Josh, Hudson adds as he walks away, an Anglicized variant of Yeshua, the Hebrew name of Jesus.″’How did you know it was him?’ argues the skeptic in me.″ This is what Hudson writes in the book’s final sentences.

″The mystic in me wonders, ‘How do you know it wasn’t?’″ says the author.

Learn How to Pray in These 4 Easy Steps

Prayer is the means by which we communicate with God. It is also the method via which He interacts with us at times. He has given us the order to pray. The information that follows can assist you in learning how to pray.

Prayer Has Four Simple Steps

A prayer may be broken down into four easy steps. They are clearly expressed in the Lord’s prayer, which may be found in Matthew 6:9-13:

Greetings from Heavenly Father
God’s benefits are to be acknowledged.
Inquire of Him for benefits
In the name of Jesus Christ, I close this document.

Prayer can be spoken silently or aloud, depending on the situation. Praying aloud can sometimes help one to concentrate their thoughts. Prayers can be said at any time of day or night. For genuine prayer, it is preferable to select a peaceful spot where you will not be interr