Monday November 19th

Do you recognize Jesus?  It sounds like a silly question but it is a good one.  You can spend time reading the bible, praying, singing worship songs but when you go out into the world do you recognize Jesus in your daily life?  The disciples, the women who went to the tomb, the devoted followers of Christ who spent many days, weeks, months, and even years with Jesus didn't.  After his death and resurrection several of them had trouble recognizing him.   Mary and the women at the tomb thought he was nothing more then the gardener.  The men on the road to Emmaus thought him a stranger until their eyes were open.  Even Peter and others by the Sea of Tiberias did not recognize him at first.  Why not?  I don't know the exact answer but I do believe that we can learn something from this.  Perhaps Christ wanted them to learn to look for him in people and places that they were not used to looking, in people with whom or places were they hadn't spent time before this point.   Maybe he was trying to make a point.  Were these Christ followers only willing to take steps of faith if the faces around them were familiar?  If the road they had to travel was recognizable?  If the situation was easy to discern?  Christ was calling them (especially Peter) to follow him wherever he would lead and that often meant going into the unknown and the unpleasant.   They had to learning to recognize him leading them in ways they hadn't seen or thought of before.

Mother Teresa is a very good example of following Jesus when he isn't easily recognizable and the following is a story of how she would recognize Jesus in her everyday life:

Many of Mother Teresa's admirers would ask her, "How can you keep serving the poor, the sick, and the dying with such vigor? What's the secret? How do you do it?"

Her answer was surprising and profound. "Whenever I meet someone in need," she said, "it's really Jesus in his most distressing disguise."

Jesus in the child abandoned by the road.
Jesus in the beggar hoping for a meal.
Jesus in the leper whose limbs have turned to dust.

"It's him I help—him alone."

When pushed further, she referenced Matthew 25 where Jesus confirms her response:

"Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'

And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

 

I challenge you this week to look for Jesus in disguise.  To strive to see him in ways you haven't before and serve him in ways that are new, and possibly challenging.  Then next week ask yourself the same question I started this post with:

 

Do you recognize Jesus?  Then see how your answer differs from this week to next week.

On a final note if you are interested, Brandon Heath's newest album: Blue Mountain (The whole album is great), has a song on it called Jesus in Disguise.  The song was inspired by the above quote from Mother Teresa.  I have included the link if you would like to listen to it.  Maybe it can be a reminder to you to have your eyes opened, liked those on the road to Emmaus, and to see Jesus in ways you haven't before.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VEyouQhBtY