I received this picture from a cousin in Ohio a couple of months ago. Although I had seen the illusion before, it’s still intriguing, you know, you can see an image of what we think Jesus would have looked like. Some how I don’t think Phillip would have inconspicuously handed out the illusion to those Greeks who came to worship at the feast requesting, “we would see Jesus” John 12:20-21. If you read further into this gospel account you will find no evidence that the Greeks ever saw Jesus, unless they saw Him, by His own admission, in His death (suffering), burial and resurrection (glory). Jesus answered them saying “The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified”- John 12:23

     It’s true for us today. We must see Christ in this same light. The writer to the Hebrews said it like this, “but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man”-Hebrews 2:9. To expound this verse exhaustively I have neither the time nor the space, but consider these two important things. No man took Christ’s life from Him- He laid it down willingly. That was His suffering. He not only laid it down He had the power to take it again. That was His glory-John 10:18.

     Under Gods decree the wages of sin is death-Romans 6:23, and for sure there is none righteous, no not one-Romans 3:10. So Righteousness (Christ) became flesh and blood that through death He might destroy him that had power over death, that is the devil-Hebrews 2:14. His glory was not revealed in His suffering but His resurrection. There in lies the victory. “O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ-1 Corinthians 15: 55; 57.

     There is no greater decision that one must make in life than that of what “will you do with this Christ”? Our parents, friends or even the church cannot make the decision for us; we must make it alone. Friend have you seen Jesus? I’m not talking about seeing the image in the illusion- I’m talking about the way He instructed those Greeks to see Him.

God bless.

Brother Dennis Daniel

St. Paul Community Church

http://www.saintpaulcommunitychurch.org

This article was posted in the Atmore Community Magazine- July’ 2004