We have a wii at home, and it has a game where you can jog around an Island. But at the end of the circuit it asks how observant you are. The first question was: What colour was the mushroom? I didn’t even see a mushroom! The second question was: How many dogs did you see? I couldn’t remember seeing any dogs! The third question was: Which character did you see at the finish line? And I remember seeing a character there, but I couldn’t remember which one! My skills of observance were described as ‘dwindling fire!’ The truth is, it’s easy to miss something when you’re not looking for it.

There are plenty of people in my church that need to wear glasses in order to correct their eyesight. Glasses help you see better. Well, Jesus glasses help you see people better, to see them like God does. If you want to see what I’m talking about (yes, that was intentional), click on this link and watch this short video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzmWqZS1QSU

Do we see people like Jesus does? The Gospel of Matthew says, ‘When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them. (Mt 9:36a ESV)’ Rather than being annoyed by the crowds, he saw ‘they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Mt 9:36b ESV)’ Jesus looked beyond what everyone else saw. He saw their spiritual condition. The Apostle Paul says, ‘we regard no one from a worldly point of view. (2 Cor 5:16 NIV)’

When Jesus was asked what it means to love your neighbour he told a story about a man who was beaten and left for dead. The religious people looked away and ignored the man’s plight, but when a despised ‘Samaritan saw him, he had compassion. (Lk 10:33 ESV)’ The Priest and Levite saw trouble, whereas the Samaritan saw a person in trouble.

When Jesus saw people far from God, he didn’t just see their sin, he didn’t just see their failures, he saw them as being lost, people he had come to seek and to save (Lk 19:10). Do we really see people as Jesus saw them? Do we regard people from a worldly point of view, or from God’s point of view?

Seeing people as Jesus does, and having compassion for them, builds bridges for spiritual conversations.

This was powerfully illustrated for me a few months back. I was at the Melbourne Airport for the GROW meeting which was held in one of the Qantas meeting rooms. We had morning tea provided and a waitress cleaned up after us and later brought in lunch. I saw her come in and out, but I didn’t really notice her. But our brother Jack de Vries did. He stopped the meeting for a moment and asked if we could pray for her. She was touched and asked if we could pray for her kids and left the room. But 10 minutes later she returned and asked if we could pray for her friend who had to return to Sri Lanka due to a family illness. So we invited her to sit and we prayed for her and her friend, while tears flowed down her cheeks in gratitude.

When we see people as Jesus sees them, and we take the time to engage with them as if they really matter, then we create a bridge across which God’s love can flow, and across which the Good News of Jesus can reach into someone’s heart. I want to encourage you to put on your Jesus glasses today, and see people as Jesus did.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, as I interact with other people today, help me to see them as you see them. Move my heart with compassion, that I might be able to show them Your love, and tell them about Your Son, Jesus. In His name I pray. Amen.