Our local foreshore nature trail is a popular walking spot. This trail leads to a bird sanctuary on a manmade island, which is cut off from the trail during springtime when water levels rise. The view takes in mountains, eagles, hawks, trains, and more; scenery that changes daily according to the seasons and also according to how you look at it. God’s Word is a bit like that, only in a more profound way.
Not that Scripture changes or God changes, but how we see and understand him is altered by circumstances and spiritual maturity; even by the directions that someone else gives us. We need to revisit Scripture regularly because, like my local nature trail, Scripture is alive.
Changing the Angle
There are several angles from which to view Scripture. I’ll just name a few that come to mind:
1. As it pertains to our personal lives.
2. As a chronological story.
3. Thematically.
4. In close detail.
5. With a wide lens.
When I am interested in a subject, I can turn to a section of the Bible, which directly pertains to that subject, such as forgiveness or Sabbath rest, sibling relationships, or anger.
I can also draw back and look at a story as a whole, such as the stories of Ruth and Esther. In other words, the wide lens and story angles overlap.
I might find myself drawn into a word study where I compare translations of, for example, John 14:3. The word paralambanó used in this verse is Greek for “to receive from.” Jesus tells the disciples, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself.”
This is the KJV translation, but the ESV says, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself” while the NLT says, “I will come and get you.”
I would explore what the different translations mean to me; how there are different nuances in those translations, which I can relate to my personal understanding of the idea presented here. Again, angles overlap — the personal perspective with a detailed examination.
What Do I Get from Adjusting My Lens?
I crouch low or stand on a ladder to take a picture. So what? What do I achieve? It’s still the same mountain, river, or duck. The subject hasn’t changed.
Ah, that’s true, but I see the subject differently. Light and shadow, for example, interact to highlight one part and send another into relative darkness; colors and shapes pop out, which I hadn’t noticed.
This afternoon, a ray of light broke through dense foliage to shine on the head of a drake, exposing purple hues which were previously hidden under a lot of bright green.
By standing back and crouching down, I created a claustrophobic scene where the foreground was very wide and prominent but features in the distance were swallowed up at a point at the end of a tunnel.
Drawing back and standing up, the path curved around the foreshore to one side of a much wider scene, where the enormous distance between my location and the mountains ahead of me opened up.
Another angle enabled me to make triangles out of the landscape around me, an intriguing idea given that the rocks, shoreline, and water don’t create sharp angles. They defy categorization along those lines.
When I look at Jesus only as he relates to my personal life, I restrict and limit his omniscience, his Sovereignty.
I have to step back for the sweeping view of all history and eternity, then push in closer for a look at those feet which trekked mile upon mile in the service of the Father.
I have to see how others interacted with him; how they knew him; what he said to them. Then I learn that Jesus is just and wise; firm and empathetic; self-controlled and kind; obedient to God the Father and lifted high, resurrected. My King. My Brother. My Counsellor. My Friend.
What about a Different Lens?
Truth is, I love photography, but I’m not skilled. I love to look at the world through the eyes of someone who really understands how to compose a shot. It’s good to survey the same scenery I know and love from another person’s perspective.
That person will see what I miss and show me aspects of this glorious vista, which opens my eyes to the even deeper riches of creation.
I must also talk to other people who love Jesus and hear what they have to say about him. What was it that made them fall in love with their Savior?
What is their testimony? How do they struggle with suffering and sin? What are their favorite verses? What do they want to say to Jesus right now?
At the eye doctor’s office, the technician changes regular lenses for colored ones and asks me what I see: I see the same things, but certain items in the scene pop out.
Viewing Jesus through another person’s eyes is like that: different features come into view, which had previously been there, unnoticed, because I was fixated on some other aspect of the scene.
Through the Lens of Jesus
This concept works in reverse also. I can and must learn to see other people through the eyes of Jesus.
He sees the Imago Dei in everyone, including the grumpy customer you don’t want to serve, the homeless guy on a street corner, and the leader of an opposing political party whose platforms reject God’s teachings about family, identity, and life itself.
Many of these people do not know the love of God and they will perish unless they change the way they view Christ. God views his own through the blood of Christ. Unless unbelievers accept the covering of that blood, they are doomed to spend eternity away from God.
Lord, teach me to see these men and women through your eyes and to be bold for the gospel, and for their sakes also. I pray with Paul “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, [...], that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19-20).
As Christians, we have the privilege of knowing that one day we won’t view Jesus through a pair of pseudo-eyes. There’ll be no distance — we will see him face-to-face.
It’s a privilege, which prompts us to regard the unsaved state of our neighbors, friends, enemies, and family members with mercy, empathy, and urgency.
Today, Tomorrow, and Even Next Tuesday
It won’t be long: I’ll be out walking on the foreshore again. Today it was muddy in places, icy in others. Parts of the lake were still frozen along the edge of my path, but the sun was warm. In a week, all the snow will have melted, and the crust of old ice will be gone.
More birds will emerge in bright plumage. I will also be a different person, a bit older, perhaps excited by something new I learned from Scripture, which enriched the picture of Christ, which forms in my mind’s eye.
Then I’ll visit a friend and swap pictures; find out how our pictures are different and how they are the same. I can’t wait.
For further reading:
How Do We Correctly Handle the Word of Truth?
What Does it Mean That the Word Became Flesh?
What Does it Mean That the Word of God Is Alive?
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Izabelle-Acheson
