I See You

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

I SEE YOU

John 1:10-13

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

NIV

There is no doubt the nation of Israel or the children of Israel are the chosen people of God. He elected them, not because they were or are any more special than any other nation or people, but because he elected them to reveal himself and his salvation to the world. John was very specific about using the word cosmos, or the world. Jesus came into the world, and as John will later tell us, he came out of love for the whole world, so that whosoever believes can be saved. He says this same thing here. Although God selected Israel to reveal himself, Israel did not accept his revelation, his Son, as their long-awaited Messiah who was promised them through the prophets. God had been setting this time in the history of mankind up for a long time, giving them enough information they should have seen Jesus for who he was. But they were so ingrained in their own religious traditions they could not accept Jesus as their Messiah. It is not that they did not believe in Yahweh, for they were indeed steeped in the Law of Moses and celebrated the exodus with the Passover. They just did not see or recognize Jesus for being their Messiah. It would seem we, the whole world are still in the same condition. So many do not see Jesus as the Son of God who came into the world to bring salvation, to bring life to his creation who are dead in their sin. However, to whoever receives him, which John makes sure we understand that means whoever believes in the name of Jesus is given the right to become children of God. That means, as so much of the scriptures indicate, we are adopted into the family of God. The fact is, that unless we are born of God, or as Jesus told Nicodemus unless we are born again, we cannot belong to the family of God. Although it is true all mankind is his creation and it is his desire that none should perish, but that all come to repentance, there are people who still refuse to receive him and are what would be called enemies of God. We, however, are no longer enemies of God or objects of wrath, for we accepted Jesus as our Savior, as our Lord, and thus we have been given the right to be called the children of God and we are born of God now, we have been born again, not in the natural way of humankind, but in the supernatural way of God. We have life eternal now. Because of Adam, all his descendants born from the will of man, born in a natural way, will all die, they will all perish, which included us until we accepted Jesus, recognized him as the Son of God who came into the world to die on the cross taking our sin upon himself and thus bringing us salvation, bringing us a new birth in God and eternal life. That great line from the movie Avatar, “I see you” which means more than seeing the physical form, but seeing who a person is. Jesus says to us and we can also say to him, “I see you”.