Jesus lifted up His eyes (Part 1)

TEXT:

‘I will lift up my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.’ (Psalm 121:1-2).

Eyesight is wonderful, but like many other things in life, we usually fail to appreciate the blessing of sight until we start wearing glasses, or worse still end up blind. I used to be able to spot the golf ball on the green up to 200 yards away, but now, due to the early stages of cataracts, it’s much more difficult to see the ball until I am a lot closer.

Reading John’s gospel, I was struck by the phrase, “Jesus lifted up His eyes”. Today’s Teaching focusses on six occasions when He did that, to discover what we can learn and then imitate.

1. Multiplication – ‘Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”’ (John 6:5) ‘When He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples’ (Mark 6:41).

When what we have isn’t enough, let’s lift up our eyes to the One who can multiply, El Shaddai – the God who is more than enough. When Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes to feed the 5000, there wasn’t just enough. No, after everyone had taken as much as they wanted, each disciple picked up a basketful of scraps. Amazingly the leftovers were many times more than the five loaves and two small fish Jesus started with to perform this miracle.

Note that the Bible says, ‘He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do’ (John 6:6 TLB). When we don’t know what to do and creditors are clamouring for their money, God does know. The wonderful miracle of the oil being multiplied to get the widow out of debt and save her two sons from slavery, reveals God’s care for us in time of need (See 2 Kings 4:1-7). The remarkable outcome was not just enough to pay off the debt, but more than enough to live on!

Let’s remember, when life’s problems make us look down, look up at the One who cares for us. Let faith fill our hearts to ask for God’s help.

2. Compassion – ‘Then He lifted up His eyes towards His disciples, and said, “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God”’ (Luke 6:20).

Those who society would look down on because of poverty, Jesus said, they are blessed. Those who are rejected by society because they have given their lives to Jesus and are not ashamed to publicly declare they are a Christian, Jesus said, ‘Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven’ (Luke 6:22-23).

When Jesus delivered the Demoniac from his terrible affliction, so that he was clothed and in his right mind, he wanted to follow Jesus. Jesus didn’t allow him to do that and instead said, ‘Go home to your friends and tell them what things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you’ (Mark 5:19). As a result, ten cities heard his testimony.

When we look at people, do we just see their faults and differences in colour and culture, or do we see their need as Jesus did? ‘When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd’ (Matthew 9:36 AMPC).

That was why Jesus sent out His twelve disciples to evangelise. After that He sent another seventy. ‘”The harvest is so great, and the workers are so few,” he told his disciples. “So pray to the one in charge of the harvesting, and ask him to recruit more workers for his harvest fields”’ (Matthew 9:37-38 TLB).

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the priest ignored the injured man, and the Levite had a look but quickly moved on. It was only the Samaritan who had compassion, which caused him to get involved while the others passed on by.

The next time you are walking along the main shopping street in your town, don’t look down at your phone but lift up your eyes and see the people who are passing. Then listen to the Holy Spirit, for there may be someone He wants you to notice and talk to.

3. Resurrection – ‘Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that You have heard Me”’ (John 11:41)

Jesus had plainly told His disciples that Lazarus was dead. He said to Martha, ‘I am the resurrection and the life’ (John 11:25). While Martha believed that that resurrection would take place in the future, Jesus intended to demonstrate that that truth was for the now also, and that’s what He did when He raised Lazarus from the dead!

Jesus cannot keep us from dying. He raised Jairus’ daughter, the widow of Nain’s son and Lazarus from the dead, but they all died again later. After His resurrection, many believers who had died, were raised from the dead and appeared in Jerusalem, but they too later died. The last enemy of mankind that Jesus will destroy is death itself (See 1 Corinthians 15:26). Until that day, believers will face death, but be comforted by the fact that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. This is why Christians don’t sorrow in the way the world does. Our born-again spirit must wait for the day when it will be clothed with a new body that’s immortal.

People are willing to give almost everything, simply to extend their life on earth by a few months or years, but they will still die. Jesus offers us life –  eternal life. When you are willing to ask Him into your life, He brings that life with Him.