When you think of God, what do you see? I know God is Spirit, but Jesus is God—and so when you think of Him, what does His face look like? Can you bring yourself to look up and lock eyes with Him?
I remember one of my college professors talking about the two extremes the Church tends to swing between. The Church will emphasize God’s love to the point that we forget He is holy. Then it will overcorrect, like a student driver, and emphasize His holiness to the exclusion of His love. The former can lead to churches full of people but with no real, life-changing message to give. The latter can lead to smaller churches marked by legalism.
More and more, I realize that life is tension, and the key to living a fruitful life is learning to live within that tension. As followers of Jesus, we must follow His way—being people of truth and grace, love and holiness, Lion and Lamb.
Jesus held tightly to truth and holiness, yet He was so gracious and loving that He was invited to all the great parties—not by the religious leaders, but by sinners. Jesus was fun to be with, yet He also drew clear lines. He didn’t affirm people’s sin; He called them to swear full allegiance to Him—to die to themselves. He had no problem confronting the self-righteous, yet He was gentle and compassionate toward those who turned to Him.
“As followers of Jesus, we must follow His way—being people of truth and grace, love and holiness, Lion and Lamb.”
Colossians 3:1–4 calls us to lock onto Jesus—to behold Him so deeply that He becomes all-consuming in our lives…in our real life. Neuroscience is catching up to what Scripture has always said: what you behold, you become. If you behold fear-driven news outlets, you become anxious. If you behold endless doomscrolling, you become discontent and driven by the approval of others.
If we become what we behold, and if in Jesus we see who we were created to be—and we are drawn to Him—then why is it such a struggle to keep our focus on Him?
Could it come back to the original question: when you imagine seeing Jesus right now, what is the look on His face toward you?
Some of us—or some of our flock—carry a Mount Sinai image of God: fear. When God appeared to His people after delivering them, the scene was terrifying. The people were so afraid that they told Moses, “You go meet with God and tell us what He says, and we will obey.” We see how that played out for Israel—and, if we’re honest, how it plays out in many of our churches today.
God has made a way for us to come and be with Him through Jesus. We can walk right into the presence of God—a place historically that only one person could enter once a year. Yet so many of us are satisfied to have a “Moses” tell us what God said instead of hearing from Him directly.
Which is more effective: a group of people dependent on one person, or a group of people engaging God for themselves and then coming together for direction?
“Which is more effective: a group of people dependent on one person, or a group of people engaging God for themselves and then coming together for direction?”
How are we contributing to the Moses complex? Do we reinforce the idea that Scripture is too hard—or even impossible—to understand unless you know Hebrew or Greek? Do we spend more time promoting books or podcasts than the actual scriptures? Do we train people how to read the Bible for themselves? Or this one: do we quote theologians’ thoughts on Scripture more than Scripture itself? I grow concerned when someone can quote John Calvin more easily than Jesus Christ. Before you open a theology book, maybe pick up and read the Book.
Jesus came to tear down walls between people and God. In fact, the times He got angry were when unnecessary barriers were put up. In the temple, the chaos was in the Court of the Gentiles. When the man with the deformed hand was brought forward, the religious leaders cared more about trapping Jesus than caring for the man.
It is incredibly freeing to move away from seeking the validation and praise of people (John 2:24–25) and instead move people beyond ourselves to Jesus. Working with the Spirit of God, we must lead people up the mountain—because the view is breathtaking.
The view can also be terrifying. When Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, they were overwhelmed with fear. They fell face-down on the ground (Matthew 17:6). Then Matthew gives us a beautiful picture we all need: “But Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ He said. ‘Don’t be afraid’” (Matthew 17:7, NIV). When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
“But Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ He said. ‘Don’t be afraid.’”
Imagine being there. You have just seen Jesus in His glorified state. The light of His glory exposes the depth of your own darkness—darkness you didn’t even know was there. You see yourself for who you truly are, and you feel the full weight of who He is.
You brace yourself—either trying to escape or preparing for the punishment you now believe you deserve.
Then a hand touches your shoulder.
Here it comes. This is it. The suffering is about to begin.
Then you hear, “Get up. Do not be afraid.”
What?
This must be some cruel twist—torment before punishment.
You slowly peek. You see feet—and they are not glowing. They look familiar. You raise your eyes but stop just before looking at His face. You are certain His eyes will burn with anger and disappointment.
But you look anyway.
And what you see is even more glorious than what you witnessed moments before.
His face is calm and welcoming. There is a glow of love and affection—the look of a loving parent. You lock eyes, and they burn—not with anger, but with a love and acceptance you have never fully known, yet your soul has always longed for.
“There is a glow of love and affection—the look of a loving parent.”
This, friends, is the holy, loving God who changes us—and the people He has entrusted to our care.
If anyone has the right to be upset with us—to greet us with crossed arms, a furrowed brow, and a tapping foot saying, “It’s about time you showed up”—it is God. We are the reason Jesus suffered and died such a horrific death.
If that is the thought we have of God, then it makes sense we would want to avoid Him or relate to Him through Moses. But look at Ephesians 3:12 (TLB):
“Now we can come fearlessly right into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome when we come with Christ and trust in him.”
Can you imagine what it will be like to see God face to face? Can you imagine the laughter, the smile beaming brighter than the sun? The impact of that reality transforms everything because what we behold we become.
