Acts 9:1–5

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

This is the ultimate example of Christian eyes.

Jesus doesn’t say that Saul is persecuting His people, or even His kingdom. Jesus says that Saul is, “persecuting Me.”

This takes the concept that we are His body literally. It’s not just a metaphor. This illuminates other passages.

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. — Romans 12:4–5

For in fact the body is not one member but many.

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. — 1 Corinthians 12:14–22

This takes the concept of Christian eyes beyond just seeing everything else in terms of the kingdom. Christian eyes see the kingdom differently.

We saw earlier that the kingdom doesn’t function like a hierarchy where, “the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.” (Matthew 20:25b)

Now we see that the kingdom functions like a body. Persecuting us is persecuting the king.

We shouldn’t just see people as created in the image of God. Christians are part of Him.

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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. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.