on seeing jesus for the first(ish) time

What did you see when you first saw Jesus?

We saw a baby who the angels said would become the Saviour. We really shouldn’t have left our flocks to see him, but how could we not? (Luke 1:11)

I saw the little baby boy who had been promised by God to save all people everywhere. After all those years of waiting, worrying I’d never see the day, I finally saw him. (Luke 2:25-32)

I saw the one promised by God who’d make things right with God and man. He asked me to baptise him when he should’ve been baptising me! (Mat 3:14)

I saw a man who I thought was trying to tell me how to do my job, only he actually did know. He told me that instead of catching fish I could catch people, and I followed him. (Luke 5:1-11)

I saw a man who I’d thought was just another hick town preacher. But somehow he could tell me exactly where I’d been earlier that day, and I decided to follow him. (John 1:45-52)

I saw a religious teacher who I knew was sent from God. He challenged me to be born again if I wanted to see the kingdom of heaven. (John 3:1-4)

I saw a holy man who not only felt comfortable talking to me, but somehow knew about everything that had gone wrong in my life. But even then he didn’t want to turn away from me. He told me he was the saviour sent by God, and I believed him. (John 4:1-26)

We saw a man who we’d thought would be another crackpot miracle worker, and in fact we were on orders to arrest him. But he was speaking in ways we’d never heard before, and we just couldn’t do it. (John 7:32-52)

I saw a religious man who was not interested in condemning me, and in fact saved my life from other religious men who were interested in doing so. He didn’t care about my past but told me to turn away from it. (John 8:1-11)

I hadn’t been able to see for as long as I could remember, but out of nowhere a man rubbed mud on my eyes and told me to go to the public pool for a wash. Then I saw! At first I was afraid I’d never see that healer, and for some reason the religious men somehow took offence at what he’d done. Later the healer found me and told me he was the one promised by God, and I believed him. (John 9:1-41)

I saw a healer who didn’t care how diseased and hideous I looked. He reached out to me when no one else would, and he healed me. (Mat 8:1-4)

I saw a respected holy man who I knew had authority over things that are unseen. I asked him to heal my servant, and he showed that authority by doing just so. (Mat 8:5-13)

I saw a healer who cared first and foremost about my relationship with God, though I was a paralytic. In the end he healed both my spirit and body. (Mat 9:1-8)

I saw a religious teacher who wanted to and actually did heal my disability, even if it meant getting in trouble with the other religious teachers. (Mark 3:1-5)

I saw a holy man who was not afraid to make friends with criminals and outcasts. He told me to follow him, and I did. (Mat 9:9-12)

I saw a man who drove out an army of evil spirits from me, when everyone else had given up on me. I begged to follow him but he told me to go back home and tell about how much God had done for me. (Luke 8:26-38)

I saw a man who I knew could heal my sick daughter. On the way he stopped to heal another sick woman, which was time enough for my little girl to die. But he came to my house and even brought her back to life! (Mat 9:18-26)

I saw a religious teacher who agreed to have a meal at my house. He somehow seemed less impressed with my hospitality than with my sister listening to him speak. (Luke 10:38-41)

I saw with my own eyes, only because of that man. He took pity on me when no one else cared, and he restored my sight. (Mark 10:46-52)

I saw a religious teacher who thought that loving God and loving other people were more important than looking religious – unlike some other people. (Mat 12:28-33)

I saw a religious teacher who didn’t care for exclusion, he said anybody who followed his God would be part of his family. (Mat 12:46-49)

I saw a foreign holy man who by rights should have had nothing to do with me. But I begged and begged him to heal my little daughter, and he listened to me, and my little girl was well again. (Mat 15:21-28)

I saw a holy man who drove an evil spirit out of my son, when everyone else had tried and failed. (Mat 17:14-18)

We saw a man who was surrounded by a lot of people. We wanted to go see him, but his friends told us to go away. But he told his friends he wanted to see us, and he blessed us. (Mat 19:13-15)

I saw a great teacher who somehow knew the one weakness in my life, and challenged me to tackle it if I wanted eternal life. (Mat 19:16-22)

I saw a holy man whom I’d heard a lot about, but he was surrounded by a crowd and I had to climb a tree to get a better look. When he saw me, he told me to come down so we could have dinner together – me, a crook and a cheat! (Luke 19:1-9)

I saw a friend of the man whose funeral we were attending. This friend was known to be a miracle worker, and some of us were wondering why he couldn’t have kept the man from dying. Then suddenly he had the grave uncovered, he prayed and called the man’s name, and the man came out of the ground, alive and well! (John 11:33-43)

I saw a terrifying man who became violently angry because the great Temple was being used for business. (Mat 21:12-13)

I saw a broken and bruised man who was nothing like the miracle worker I’d heard him to be. He came to me in chains, and I asked him to perform for me, but he wouldn’t obey me. I ordered my men to deal with him like the dog he was, and sent him away. (Luke 23:8-12)

I saw the defendant, a strange man who said he was a king – which is treasonous – and who his accusers said had claimed to be a son of the gods. But in fact the gods had warned my wife not to harm this man, and he didn’t lift a finger to defend himself during his trial. I knew he was innocent, but in the end I ordered his execution to stave off a riot. (Mat 27:11-26)

I saw a holy man who I knew did not deserve his execution, unlike me. We were both about to die, so I asked him to remember me when he came back to life. He told me we’d see each other again right that day. (Luke 23:40-43)

I saw what I’d thought was just another death row convict, another one to snuff out. But for some reason he refused the painkillers we offered, and while everyone yelled abuse at him he stayed silent. Just before he died he let out a loud cry, the noon sky went black and the ground shook violently – how could this not have been a son of God? (Mark 15:37-38)

I thought I’d never see our great teacher again. I was visiting his grave, but it was empty. I was sure someone had stolen his body. I turned around and asked the gardener what he’d done with the body, but then I saw him – it was our teacher, come back from the dead, just like he’d told us! (John 20:10-18)

I saw our great teacher again. I’d refused to believe he was back from the dead, but he just appeared out of thin air, and he showed me the wounds that had killed him. He told me I’d had to see to believe, but those who believe without seeing would be blessed. (John 20:24-30)

I saw my great teacher again, the one we knew was the Son of God. He sat us down and cooked us all breakfast. Now I was the one who’d betrayed him on the night he died – I’d said three times that I didn’t know him – but right there he asked me three times if I loved him, and he gave me back my name. He asked me to follow him again, and I did. (John 21:15-20)

What did you see?