SEEING JESUS

I was talking the other day with one of my best friends, he is a bit of a deep thinker and by his own right a theologian..I tend to turn to him when I need a perception slightly different from what I would get from most of my peers, because he offers a depth most do not- and he challenges me to re- think some of the mindsets I have had, but in this instance I was the teacher and he was the grasshopper, I hope at least.
We had gotten into a conversation regarding the disciples, how cool it would have been to walk and talk with Jesus, right there, seeing miracles and majesty in action.  The topic turned a tidge towards faith in Christ but still centered in  this  walk with the disciples and Christ at the core. We talked about how they fell short, bickered and desired positioning. and why that was-
Flesh has this tendency to want to be approved, to desire to get  ahead, titles and pomp, fighting for recognition. Thats flesh, and pride, and we all fall short to it from time to time. and the disciples day by day, saw the crowds, saw the miracles, saw the power . They saw, a great advantage. They had moments of flesh just as we do lovies, have we not regarded some  church folk highly, and then sat satisfied in our acquaintance,?Or bragged on some encounter with a person of renown' we had run into? Sure, and so it was with the disciples, it is not that they lacked belief so much as it was, they didn't see the fullness of Christ.
He asked why they behaved that way when they were right there with Christ. And I replied, because even though they were right there with him, they STILL had not fully SEEN Him.
" You  don't think they did" " No," I said "They didn't" ' But they were right there with Hhm, watching him do miracles, watching what He did. Yes, and they percieved it was a miracle. But remember  the devil had some miracles to. There were majicians, there were false messengers, its not like it is any different today. We see a miracle, and we question its reality, we see its possibility we see its work, but we do not always accept it for what it is. The old mind tends to render it less than. Just the humanity in us.
"Well, If I had been there I would have recognized him" I smiled. Couldnt help it, I smiled.
 We have this second hand view, you know,? this perception of a mighty God, from a view the disciples did not have . We can look at the facets from a past tense perspective, and because we can gather the information and make a really good case for Christ, we think with what we know now, we would recognize him , then.
Oh Lovies, not even remotely.
I will tell you why, and this is a truth , that is pretty much gonna split this message apart, and it is one I spoke over my friend as well, if ever so gently.
"No , Hun the disciples did not recognize him fully, only a very few did. Only ONE showed him that sense of recognition  He deserved." And that was? Mary. hmmm, not even a disciple.
You see lovey, Mary, sweet humble, broken by the love of Christ Mary- she saw Jesus, not for just the miracle of transformation in her life, not for merely the miracles of his hands, not merely for his authority, but for his divine nature. She saw Him as God, worthy of praise, worthy  of her full heart and all her devotion. the others, they rested at his feet, they slept through the MOST vital hour of prayer with him,  they grappled for postioning when Christ had spoken humility into them,they watched, but they did not SEE.
 Mary, took the roll of servant to Christ, without thought. Why? Because she recognized the out and out  GOD in Him. SHE saw God as WORTHY  of devotion, she saw herself as small and gave Him only what she had to give in that positioning, worship. Peter refused to wash Christ feet, at the last supper even when the Lord told him the first would be last, the leader a servant. See Peter sat at the end of the table, the end where the water bowl stood, and the Lord had sat through a meal, unwashed. It was absolute necessity to be clean for eating, the world in that day didn't carry packs of disposable lysol. Clean hands before a meal, clean feet for where you sat- was a sign of regard,  and honor. and respect .
Where Jesus sat, was the place of authority, the most honored place,nearest the door at the front of the table, flanking him would be the two people he chose to honor, and who would protect him from any enemy, (thus the need for the knife rendered when the military came to arrest Christ, it was already on hand. )Those sitting near him were chosen, those furthest away, were not outside of His reguard, but not whom he favoured at that moment. Interesting is it not? The beloved on one side, and Judas  next to the beloved. ( but thats another story all together) Understand a guest of high positioning, you ALWAYS, ALWAYS, washed their hands and feet, you anointed the person with oil, because it was a signature to them, and to others  of their Importance. No one had done that for Christ at the last supper,  which IS very telling.
You see the LAST person at the table, was alloted that positioning, it was the FIRST job you did to honored guests. Those who sat nearest to Christ were those he honored. It was the pecking order, and Peter, he was at the very end of that order, in the foot washing place. the servants place. UG!I imagine Peter was pouting. the last thing he wanted was to wash peoples feet. How lowly. So he neglected Honoring God. SO God, came to Peter, picked up the towel, picked up the water, and removed the shoes, of he who SHOULD truly have served God. OHHH instantaneous conviction, and collosal error hit Petey in the face!
 Think he learned after he said no Lord let me wash your feet? Think he recognized his error? NOPE- when Jesus died. Petey went back to fishing rather  than follow the positoning the Lord had commisioned him to, a thankless position,.In  fact a  changing position, of continuous servant hood. Peter was to be the ROCK, the foundation others looked up to, was he? not at that moment he wasn't! Peter was to be the  Pastor of wandering,always needy , Sheep. Yet he fished, why? Because though he understood all Jesus had spoken, he had not let it click in his brain- JESUS, SON OF GOD. had commissioned him. So when Christ reprimanded him for "SAYING  he loved Christ as God" in John 21- He also turned him back to the mission, feeding the sheep. See if Peter saw GOD, he would have recognized what he was doing wrong, and changed it, right? RIGHT. But it took  three I LOVE YOU's LORD,  before he saw his error, He saw he had been lying to GOD, even about his love and devotion to him, because he flat out had failed to serve God as he promised. MMMM devotion to the Holy is a sure sign  of SEEING GOD and it  ALWAYS begins with the lowly heart of a servant.
So who Saw CHRIST of the disciples, in reality ? None of them did,  I know you will want to argue with me on this, the mind says, but they followed him.. but they did miracles, mmm, yes. Many today follow signs and wonders and STILL fall short of sold out devotion. Many today , can preach a great gospel, but are the farthest thing from HIS SERVANTS. Many see and know OF Christ, But few  truly DESIRE to KNOW HIM.KNOWING HIM, requires time, adoration, and a colossal sacrifice of SELF..
See if they had seen Christ as Mary saw Christ, they would have been grappling to be at HIS feet! His head would have dripped with the oil of a loved and honored guest, as was custom in that time, the fragrance of the oil would have pervaded into the city and every where Christ would have walked would have been a trail of the drip drip drip of twelve bottles of tear filled devotion. RIGHT?  See there should have been the fight to be under his hand, there should have been a deep calls to deep ,reckoning- there should have been an almost agony of self loathing and of love unfathomable, of forgiveness undeserved, that the very floors Jesus sat in should have been wiped clean with tears, they should have been spotless, for a place of worship. RIGHT?  THEY should NOT have been sprawled all about him, rather  laying at his feet. There should have been words of adoration, sprinkled with tender touch, there should have been a clinging to God, and a desire to only be near him,so near they were right there, right within touch, hair mingled with oil, dirtied by the  dusty trails of comprehension, of devotion, of desire, of adoration.RIGHT?
Beloved, SEEING Him, means serving HIM. It MEANS STAYING devoted, pure, driven to be near HIM. It means  to be willing to be NOTHING so HE CAN BE EVERYTHING. It means falling back into servant hood,and under HIS Feet, with Great Joy.
Mary saw HIM,................DO YOU?