Fix Your Eyes!
One of my favourite songs is How Deep the Father's Love for Us. There's a line in that song that says "behold the man upon the cross."
Behold! This is a word we don't use anymore. It sounds a little outdated. It means, take special note! You don't behold something by giving it a passing glance. When you behold something you fix your eyes and thoughts on it, and gaze at it with awe and delight.
When Jesus started His ministry, He came walking towards the area that John the Baptist was doing his baptising, and we read that John said this: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29 ESV)
Behold!
Beholding the Lamb of God
I wonder sometimes about John the Baptist. If he hadn't died when he did, would he also have been at the cross on this day? Would he have been cowering away with the other disciples, or would he have looked up at Jesus on the cross and said again: behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!!!
For the last weeks we have spent much time looking at everybody around Jesus on the day He died. We looked at:
Judas and the chief priests who plotted to kill Him
The disciples who fell asleep and then woke up with their swords swinging
Peter denying Jesus even though he promised not to
The mocking guards, the stubborn Sanhedrin, the compromising Pilate
We've been looking at everybody except Jesus Himself!
Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus This Easter
I can almost hear John the Baptist crying from heaven, saying behold the Lamb of God! I can almost hear Paul saying "fix your eyes on Jesus!" I can almost hear Peter saying "I took my eyes off of Jesus, and I began to sink!"
So this week, we are going to fix our eyes on Jesus. We are going to behold Him, as we walk towards Easter weekend.
My prayer is that this becomes not just something we do around Easter time, but that every day, we behold the Lamb of God, keeping Him in our sights as our Saviour, our Lord, our Master.
An extra devotion for you my supporters! Thank you for your kindness. Jesus rested in the tomb on the Sabbath - a profound picture of the rest He now offers to all who trust in Him. This Easter Saturday, cease from your striving and find true rest in the finished work of Christ.