06/12/16—Highland–Meute
“Seeing People”
I Kings 21: 1-10; Psalm 5: 1-8; Luke 7: 36-8:3
Pearl: To see as God sees requires “corrected” vision.
Function: To move worshippers to truly see others, see self, and see God as God sees.
What does God see? It is amazing that so many people do the things that they do and are the way that they are when all the while knowing that the Lord God sees all.
1. Such was the case with King Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel. Ahab was a believer in the Lord God. But he was a seriously corrupt believer in the Lord.
a. All that Ahab could see was what he wanted. All that he saw were his own desires which were larger than anything that he looked at. He could only see himself. This explains his completely childish reaction to Naboth’s response to his request to purchase Naboth’s vineyard. When he did not get his way he acted like a spoiled child.
b. When all that you can see is what you want—watch out. When all that you can see and all that your mate can see is what the two of you want together—this is a formula for disaster. And if those two people are the leaders of a nation—that spells trouble. This was the case for the nation of Israel—their King and Queen were narcissistic megalomaniacs. They would take whatever they wanted and if anyone was in the way—too bad for those persons. Such was the case with Naboth and his ancestral vineyard.
2. Jezebel schemed to get this vineyard for Ahab using treachery and murder. She set up Naboth to be stoned to death and then instructed Ahab to go and claim the vineyard that he wanted. They got what they wanted but they forgot that the Lord God sees all!
a. I don’t wish to scare anyone but the plain and simple fact is that we live under the sovereign gaze of the Lord God! We cannot escape his notice. He sees our wonderful acts and he sees our diabolical acts. So the Lord said to Ahab through the prophet Elijah: “Have you killed, and also taken possession…in the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood…I will bring disaster on you” (I Kings 21: 19).
3. Last week someone told me she has yet to visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. My sons and I visited it about 7 years ago, long after it opened. A pastor friend spoke of it often and visited it on more than one occasion. He often said that everyone has an obligation to visit it. The Third Reich leadership was like Ahab and Jezebel in their complete discounting of other human beings and their inability to see other people. They could only see themselves. The Lord saw their actions and disaster came upon them for their corruption.
One day Simon the Pharisee entertained Jesus in his home with many other guests. Simon had a vision problem in that he did not see his own pride, self-righteousness, or sin. And he saw others as “labels,” not as human beings—“If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—a sinner,” he said. Do people have a problem today of seeing people as “labels?” Aren’t people much more than meets the eye?
Jesus challenged Simon in his way of seeing directly, asking: “Do you see this woman?” Apparently Jesus did not think Simon “saw” her because he proceeded to describe her to him. Jesus described the way in which she gave him true hospitality.
She washed his feet with her tears of repentance and thankfulness.
She anointed his feet with aromatic oil.
She kissed his feet continually.
i. A researcher in Calcutta, India told of an Indian custom she witnessed frequently. When certain people enter another person’s home, they are greeted by the host—who bows before the guest and places their forehead on the guest’s feet in a gesture of love. Can you imagine the dirt and grime on bare feet, feet that walk the streets of a city where there is regular flooding? (“Christian Century,” 05/25/16).
Simon probably saw some of what she was doing but he did not see her as Jesus saw her. Jesus saw her sins—certainly. He also saw her remorse. He saw her desire for mercy and her desire to change. He saw that she was full of love for others and He could see that she “saw” him and she wanted to honor and love him extravagantly.
We know that God sees all mostly because Jesus saw all. Jesus saw very clearly. He saw the content of the heart. He would call a spade a spade as he did that day in Simon’s home. It is possible that Simon talked to himself and not out loud, but Jesus read him. The scriptures only read that Simon “said to himself.” Sometimes you don’t even need to say anything but your body language and your demeanor speak loudly. Jesus was probably noting Simon’s visible reaction to what the woman was doing.
God searches the heart (Romans 8: 27). Jesus was reading Simon’s heart. He was also reading the woman’s heart—thus he accepted her hospitality. He knew her motives were pure. Simon’s motives were suspect. But in the eyes of most, Simon looked like the righteous and upstanding one. In the eyes of most, the woman looked like the one whose life was a mess. In the eyes of Jesus—the reverse!
As his followers, Jesus bids you to see as he sees. This means seeing with very clear vision.
First, as Simon needed to see himself as he really was, you should see yourselves as you are. You should see yourselves as sinners saved by the mercy and grace of God. You are the recipients of so, so much grace and mercy from God. The Choir sang “Kyrie”—“have mercy.” There is no room for pride when you realize how much grace has come your way. There is no room for pride when you realize that all that you have is a gift. Your standing before God is only by his grace. It is all because of what Jesus has done, and nothing that you have done.
There is no room for self-justification; there is no room for self-preservation; there is no room for self-importance. All are sinners saved by the grace of God in Jesus the Christ.
Clear vision requires that you see others. Do you look beyond others? Do look right at people and not really notice them?
Seeing human persons clearly means that when you look at others you see people radically loved by God. That is such a hard truth! When you look at others you see people who are human beings like yourselves with similar hopes and dreams, not as objects who are expendable for your own interests.
i. That young Stanford swimmer viewed the young woman he raped as an object for his own abuse not as another human being. There is justified outrage across the land that he only got a simple slap on the wrist—a mere six month sentence.
ii. For Ahab and Jezebel Naboth was not a human being but an obstacle who was in their way. Ahab’s narcissistic pride was so large that he could not see Naboth beyond himself.
Followers of Jesus the Christ see other people as radically loved by God and as sacred human beings.
Seeing as God wants you to see means that you see Him. Simon did not see God visiting at his table that day. He and others who were there that day even saw the opposite—a blasphemer. When he told the woman that her sins were forgiven they reacted “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (7: 49).
The woman saw Jesus as someone very special. She may not have thought that he was God in her midst. Simon was not really guilty of missing this either. Actually the woman was not better than Simon and neither was Simon better than the woman. They were equally sinners before a holy God.
i. But the woman saw more clearly that day than Simon. Self-pride and self-importance have a blinding effect. You cannot see clearly when all you can see is yourself.
The Lord wants you to see him in everybody. He wants you to see that he created each and every human being. We have so much prejudice in us. We do not see people as God sees them.
i. The flame of prejudice is being stoked and fanned on the U.S. national stage right now in a very unsettling manner!
The Lord wants you to see him. And he wants you to see as he sees. This means that you need Christ-corrected vision. You are called to see the world as God sees it.
i. John Calvin called scripture the “lens” through which Christians view the world. The Spirit of God in you helps you to see as your Lord Jesus sees. His word and his spirit together give you clearer vision.
ii. May Christ Jesus correct your vision and my vision!
iii. Lord Jesus Christ, help us to see as you see!
