there are lots of fun things to wonder about that we will never know the answers to…

for example, our senses, is what i perceive green to look like what you see as well? do we all see the wavelengths of light the same way? you would think we would, we have near identical make-ups when it comes to how those processes work, but that doesn’t mean that what happens in the process of perception is the same. (and then there are those who are color blind in varying degrees, those are a whole other set of questions.)

when i taste a cup of coffee, or a bagel or a hot ham & cheese sandwich, it what i taste what you taste? we may have a similar description of what it is, but that is because it is a learned response. we may both perceive the sandwich to taste good, we may both enjoy what we understand to be the mellow undertones of the ham mixed with the sharper flavors of the swiss cheese or the bite of the brown mustard…

i know, it’s a big mystery, right? (okay, not a real big mystery) it’s not one we’re usually concerned with. it’s not something we care much about, because we all assume that we share a common experience in these basic areas of life. and in truth, we probably do. it’s going to be those odd times (like when someone is color blind) that things divert from what is ‘normal.’

so how do we determine what reality is? how do we come to some sort of understanding or common ground? colossians 2:17 tells us that reality is found in Christ. everything else is gauged from Him. What we see today must be seen through the filter of the cross in order for us to truly see. the images the world places before us are coated in opinion and propaganda and distorted by sin. 

so, when people were coming out to see Jesus, when those crowds started to grow to the point where there were always people pushing in from all sides, we may wonder what their motivation was, what were they seeing in Jesus that compelled them so strongly?

Jesus tells those who witnessed the feeding of the 5000  that they returned because they got a free meal…their stomachs were filled. but that’s not what His main concern was when people came together. if they weren’t after physical things, then maybe they had a political agenda to be fulfilled, or maybe they had more questions than anything. there were also those who wanted to desperately find fault in Him so they could feel better about their own choices in life.

were their concerns carnal or spiritual? what drove them? what were they after?

and the same questions need to be asked of us today. what do we see  when we look at Jesus? what is it that we are after? are we trying to fulfill a base desire? or do we seek something more? what draws us to Jesus? just what are we in pursuit of?

Jesus will meet us wherever we may be in the process, but His desire is to obviously bring us to the point where we experience and see things in the same way that He did and does. then, and only then, will we have a proper idea of what reality is, just how great the love of God is, and why sin brings His wrath.

Jesus, please give us Your perspective. help us to truly see.

amen.