But above all you saw His glory when, by the highest vision of the mind, you contemplated Him – I mean the Word – in His beginning, with His Father. There you saw the glory that He has “as the only begotten of the Father.”

  - Eriugena, Homily on John 1.1-14, Irish, 9^th century

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

  - John 12.20, 21

The pulpit in the chapel where I attended seminary has etched in bronze on its desk a simple statement. It reads, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”

The purpose of preaching is to show Jesus, for in seeing Jesus, we are powerfully affected and transformed. As believers we have a high calling from God, a calling to follow Jesus, to be transformed into His image, and to gain Him as the prize of our calling (Phil. 3.14). One day we will see Him face to face, and then we will be like Him (1 Jn. 3.1-3). For now, we press on toward that mark, seeking Jesus wherever we may know Him, and to be made more like Him day by day (2 Cor. 3.12-18).

We only realize our true calling in life to the extent that our lives are hidden with Christ in God, as He increases in us, and we decrease. The goal of Christian discipleship is to learn Jesus, as Paul put it (Eph. 4.17-24), and the duty of all preaching and teaching is to facilitate, encourage, and empower us for that process. The highest goal of every pastor and teacher should be to see those entrusted to their care becoming complete in Christ (Col. 1.28).

All Scripture is, in one way or another, about Jesus (Jn. 5.39). When we read Scripture, we’re reading the revelation of the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. So all our devotions, meditations, studies of God’s Word, and all preaching and teaching of Scripture must, at some point, open up the beauty, goodness, power, majesty, wonder, and love of Jesus for our consideration.

This should be our prayer every day: “Lord, show me Jesus.” Show me Jesus in the Bible. Show me the Christ Who plays in 10,000 places (Hopkins) in the faces of the people I see each day, the colors and forms of the creation, and the vast expanse of the skies. Show me Jesus at work in my soul, willing and doing according to Your good pleasure. Show me Jesus, so that, by Your Word and Spirit, I may be transformed into His own image.

Show me Jesus, exalted in glory, so that I may earnestly seek for His Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, by making Your Kingdom and glory known to the people in my life.

Jesus is the fairest of all mankind. He sits at the Father’s right hand, robed in majesty and strength. His face radiates with brilliant glory, bright and overwhelming, yet kindly and peaceful, and we sit there with Him by grace through faith (Eph. 2.6). To look in the face of Jesus is to see the glory of God (2 Cor. 4.6), the very Presence of the Father, which weighs upon us with transforming power.

Jesus asked the crowds concerning John the Baptist, “What did you come out to see?” We might ask the same of ourselves: What are we looking for in the Bible? In a sermon? In our Sunday school classes and Bible study groups? In the open doors of opportunity for witness and service with which we are presented every day? In the sudden wonder of a glorious sunset or a bird in flight? In our daily times of reading His Word? What are we looking for, what are we hoping to see?

Are we looking to see Jesus?

Let your prayer be, “Lord, show me Jesus,” and you will be amazed to hear Him speaking to You and confronting you everywhere.

For Reflection
1. How would you describe your vision of Jesus at this time? How often do you contemplate that vision?

2. How do you want others to see Jesus in you today?

Psalm 110.1-4 (Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation)
“Sit by Me at My right hand,” the Lord says to my Lord,
“until I make Your foot stand on all who hate Your Word.”
From in His Church the Savior rules all His enemies;
while those who know His favor go forth the Lord to please.

Filled with the Spirit’s power, in holy robes of love,
from early morning’s hour they serve their Lord above.
Christ reigns a priest forever, the King of Righteousness
and King of Peace who ever His chosen ones will bless.

Lord, show me Jesus today and every day; show me Jesus, Lord!

You can see Jesus
Our ReVision study, “We Would See Jesus”, can show you how to make the vision of Christ a more consistent part of your walk with Him. You can download the entire series for free by clicking here.

Free Christmas Gifts
Luther’s great hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, can strengthen our faith, but only as we sing it understanding what he intended. Our book, A Mighty Fortress, walks through each stanza of Luther’s hymn to reveal the powerful testimony this song provides. Order your free copy by clicking here. Order several copies and give them to friends for Christmas. Also, our booklet,Joy to Your World!, can show you how to be more consistent in working your Personal Mission Field. Order your free copy today (click here).

Thank you
Thanks so much to those of you who faithfully support the work of The Fellowship of Ailbe. God uses your gifts and prayers to reach thousands of people every day in over 120 countries. We praise the Lord for His having moved and enabled you to share with us in this ministry.

If you’re not a supporter of this ministry, won’t you please prayerfully consider making a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe? Only God can move you to do this, and we believe He intends to support this ministry from within the ranks of those who are served by it. If this includes you, please seek the Lord in this matter. You can click here to donate online with your credit card or through PayPal, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

T. M. Moore, Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.