Mike Focht 11/15/2024
They looked at the back of Jesus’ head a lot. I imagine it didn’t change very much, but then again, in another way, it did. As those original Christ-followers walked with Jesus, day by day stepping into what He had for them, their idea of Him was continually being shaped and reshaped.
They thought one thing of Jesus when they first began to follow Him, but when they walked into the synagogue and Jesus cast out a demon with authority, their idea of Him changed a little. They were amazed at His authority and doctrine, but as they left the synagogue, they saw the same back and same back of His head.
They followed Him into Peter’s house and discovered that Peter’s mother-in-law was sick. Jesus raised her up and then proceeded to spend the evening healing many sick of various diseases and casting out more demons. When they found Him praying early in the morning and followed Him to the next towns, it was the same back and same back of His head, but they thought of Him a little differently.
Then, they followed Jesus into a boat and sought to cross the Sea of Galilee. There was a storm. When Jesus calmed the storm, they looked at one another with fear and dread, struggling to conceive of what type of man this was before them. Why did nature obey Him? They left the boat and followed Him, same back and same back of His head, but they thought of Him differently.
Every day, Jesus molded their thoughts. This process continued all through their years with Jesus. They had preconceived notions of God and the Messiah, and Jesus needed to reveal who He truly was and what He was truly doing. By God’s grace and patience, they came to know the Son of Man as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, their risen Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Their idea of God was reshaped through the revelation of Jesus.
The reshaping of God is the standard course for all Christ-followers. We all have more preconceived notions of God than we would like to admit! Just like the early disciples before us, we also need constant reshaping revelations of Jesus. To be conformed into His image we must see Him as He truly is. If we are to be transformed from glory to glory, we must first behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We must keep our eyes on Him if we are ever to truly love Him for who He is. How can we truly know Him if He does not reveal Himself?
We don’t get to look at the back of Jesus’ head, but we do walk with Him through life. We, too, are changed in the day-by-day process of hearing His Words, obeying His commands, and discovering His will in the circumstances, people, and events He leads us to. Far from being burdensome or frightening, this process of discovery and revelation should be a joy to us! Yes, there will be times when we are humbled by our ignorance, dullness, fear, or pride, just like the original disciples.
I don’t think James and John enjoyed remembering when they wanted to call down fire from heaven or got their mom to propose special requests. I don’t think Peter enjoyed hearing Jesus say, Get behind me, Satan, and certainly he was humbled by his denial. I think all the disciples were ashamed of siding with Judas Iscariot against Mary of Bethany as she anointed Jesus for His burial, and I am sure they were not fond of recalling the numerous times they argued over which of them would be the greatest.
Even so, it was in these immature failures that Jesus made Himself known. The good in Christ continually overcame the evil in them, and His infinite good will overcome the same evil in us. Every Christ-follower will discover that Jesus is patient, loving, and strong. Jesus can rebuke our weak faith but still save us from the storm. He is able to reprove the pride that would lead to sin and direct the zeal that would produce life. He is still patient and loving with immature sinners who are learning who He truly is as they seek to follow Him day by day.
Take heart, my brothers and sisters. This path of the Christ-follower is challenging but also enlightening! Jesus will surely bring us to places where what we think we know of Him will be challenged. We will struggle at times to accept seemingly incongruent truths of His character. He will reprove us and yet shine light upon us. There will be times when we are confused, humbled, and tempted to turn back. Just keep following Him, and everything will become clear in time!
We all need to give Jesus space to reveal the truth of who God is to our fallible hearts and minds. He will reshape our idea of God through the Holy Spirit’s revelation of Jesus Christ, and in doing so, He will make us like Himself. He is God, not us. That is why we are following Him and not our own path. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.