The Upward Calling (3)

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3.1, 2

We cannot follow what we do not know
Henry James’ short story, “The Beast in the Jungle,” is about a young man who feels certain life holds something really special for him. Something exciting, maybe even a little dangerous, but something that will give complete meaning and purpose to his life. He’s not sure what that something is, but he insists it’s like a beast in the jungle: When it springs out of the forest before him, he’ll recognize it and wrestle it into submission. Then his life will be full and complete.

As it turns out, the young man failed to recognize what would have been for him the supreme happiness of his life. At the end of the story he is reduced to bitter tears. Because he didn’t really know what he was seeking, he was not able to recognize it at precisely the moment his life might have come together and made sense.

For many who call themselves Christians, Jesus Christ is like that beast in the jungle. They know, or at least they claim that, Jesus is the most important thing in their lives, the thing that makes them happiest and most completely fulfilled. But because they don’t really know Him, they don’t know how to follow Him, and so the true joy and fulfillment Jesus promises (Jn. 10.10) consistently eludes them, and they wonder why their Christian lives aren’t more joyful, powerful, fruitful, and full.

Consider Jesus  
Put succinctly, we cannot follow what we do not know. And if we do not know Jesus, if our vision and understanding of Him are vague or merely general, following Him, in any sense, will be an act of self-deception.

We say that we know Jesus. To know Jesus Christ is to have eternal life (Jn. 17.3). To know Jesus is to be caught up in the Kingdom and glory of God and to have embarked on a life above the merely mundane plane of existence – life “under the heavens,” as Solomon explained it, rather than merely “under the sun.” To know Jesus is to recognize Him, and in order to recognize Jesus we must consider Him carefully and well. Otherwise, we will not stay the course of our discipleship – following Jesus, even if necessary, to the death.

The writer of Hebrews understood this. Twice in his epistle he instructs us to “consider Jesus.” We must consider Jesus if we have any hope of persisting in the faith, no matter the struggle or threat that comes our way (Heb. 3.1). And we must consider Jesus if we are to run our own particular race as fully and swiftly as possible (Heb. 12.3). Following Jesus, it seems, means considering Him carefully.

The writer uses two different words which we translate by the term, consider. The first, in Hebrews 3.1, is the same word Jesus used to instruct us to consider the lilies of the field. It seems to have an aesthetic sense to it, implying wonder, admiration, mystery, and awe. To consider Jesus in this way is to wonder at His beauty, majesty, mystery, and power, and to delight in meditating on Him and lingering in His presence.

The second use of consider, in Hebrews 12.3, encourages a more analytical, logical, and even theological consideration of Jesus Christ. We must study Jesus, think about all the implications of His life, death, and resurrection, and apply our minds to taking every thought captive for obedience to Him (2 Cor. 10.3-5).

In short, to consider Jesus we must focus on Him in all His spiritual and moral excellence, as well as in all His glory and work. And there is no better way to do this than to follow Paul’s advice and set our minds on Christ, exalted at the right hand of God.

Glorious in His exaltation
Jesus Christ is exalted in glory, reigning at the right hand of God in a glorified body, carrying on the work He began on earth of destroying the works of the devil and advancing the Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit of God (Rom. 14.17, 18). Many passages of Scripture give us a glimpse of Jesus exalted – in the Psalms and prophets, in Revelation, even in the epistles of Paul, Peter, and John. It can be difficult to bring all these glimpses together into one cogent and beautiful portrait of Jesus exalted in glory, but this is precisely what Paul intends for us to do. He even prayed for us – when he prayed for the church in Ephesus – that the eyes of our hearts may be opened and the Spirit of God might illumine our minds to the beauty and wonder and majesty and greatness, and to the finished work and glory of our exalted Savior and King (Eph. 1.15-23).

To seek Jesus like this is to encounter jaw-dropping beauty, and to have our minds filled with the scope, majesty, and power of His work of redemption and restoration. It is to want to be like Jesus, to shed everything which makes us ashamed or reluctant to be in His presence, and to join in His work with all our soul and strength, though it cost us our own lives in the bargain.

When we see Jesus like this, considering Him carefully and well, then we will be ready to follow Him, wherever He leads.

For reflection
1.  How would you describe your approach to seeking Jesus at this time?

2.  Explain the two uses of consider outlined in this article. Is this part of your practice of seeking Jesus?

3.  What’s one thing you could do to begin seeking Jesus more consistently every day?

Next steps – Transformation: How might you improve this discipline of “considering Jesus” in your spiritual life? Talk with a pastor or church leader, and come up with one or two things you will begin to practice more consistently.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, The Upward Calling, is Part 1 of a 5-part series on Following Jesus.Each week’s study is available in a free PDF which you can download by clicking here. Watch the video on our Mission Partners Outreach for more information about how you can begin to follow Jesus in your Personal Mission Field (click here).

Want to learn more about your Christian worldview? Our free online course, One in Twelve, is available any time, and at no charge. Click here to learn more about this exciting introduction to Christian worldview, presented by T. M. Moore.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.