Eyes of the Lord Jesus

Eyes of the Lord Jesus

January 14th, 2014, Kichijouji Bible Study
Gotthold Beck

Psalms
32:7 You are my hiding place; you will deliver me from trouble and surround me with shouts of deliverance. Interlude.
32:8 I will instruct you and teach you concerning the path you should walk; I will direct you with my eye.
32:9 Don't be like a horse or mule, without understanding. They are held in check by a bit and bridle in their mouths; otherwise they will not remain near you.
32:10 The wicked have many sorrows, but gracious love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.
32:11 Righteous ones, be glad in the LORD and rejoice! Shout for joy, all of you who are upright in heart!
[International Standard Version]

These are well-known verses which are actually a confession and testimony of David. These verses show us the importance, necessity and possibility of looking up to Jesus.


Those who look up to Jesus are given unimaginable blessings. We are blessed according to how often and how sincerely we look up to Jesus. Let's go back to the verse 8 which says: “I will instruct you and teach you concerning the path you should walk; I will direct you with my eye. Don't be like a horse or mule, without understanding. They are held in check by a bit and bridle in their mouths; otherwise they will not remain near you.”

However, the Bible clearly states that even after being saved and accepted as the children of God, some people lose the joy of salvation. The growth of faith is hindered when believers look to other people or are captivated by other distractions, instead of just looking up to the Lord Jesus. The verses cited above explain two different ways of leading people.

In one way, the Lord directs them with his eyes and shows them the right path to walk. There is also another way, where people are held in check by bit and bridle. Even among believers, there are some people who cannot be guided by the eyes of Jesus. The Lord needs to use a bit and bridle to make such people obey Him.

However, the Lord still loves those led by bit and bridle. This does not mean that He has given up on them. He would never stop loving them. Thus, in any situation, believers will be pleased when they feel the love of the Lord Jesus and will be grateful to the Lord.

It is not comfortable for anyone to be led by bit and bridle. It is always accompanied by pain. Your life will be much easier and free of pain when you give up your drive for self-determination and self-governance and walk the faithful path of looking up to Jesus alone. People are divided into two groups according to the direction in which they look: some people are filled with joy and others have to live in darkness.

As we all know, the Toshogu shrine in Nikko is famous for the carving of the three wise monkeys, those who hear, speak and see no evil. This represents the traditional moral lesson that you won't get into trouble if you carefully avoid seeing, hearing or talking about sinful matters. In other words, when people are put into situations where they cannot see, hear, or talk; for example, if someone is blind, deaf and mute, they are protected from everything. Let's look at some other verses from the Numbers.

Numbers
13:30 Caleb silenced the people on Moses' behalf and responded, "Let's go up and take control, because we can definitely conquer it."
13:31 "We can't attack those people," the men who were with him said, "because they're too strong compared to us."
13:32 So they put out this false report to the Israelis about the land that they had explored: "The land that we've explored is one that devours its inhabitants. All the people whom we observed were giants.
13:33 We also saw the Nephilim, the descendants of Anak. Compared to the Nephilim, as we see things, we're like grasshoppers, and that's their opinion of us!"

The men who went up disgraced themselves when they said to the people of Israel, “We're like grasshoppers, and that's their opinion of us.” However, Joshua answered to them,

Numbers
14:9 However, don't rebel against the Lord or be afraid of the people who live in the land, because we'll gobble them right up. Their defenses will collapse, because the Lord is with us. You are not to be afraid of them."

As we can see from these verses, the reality they saw must have been exactly what these men described. However, they failed to see the truth that eyes cannot see. They totally forgot to look up to the Lord. Unquestionably, when people look up to the Lord they experience unimaginable power.

Composer, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a series of Cantatas. Actually, he wrote a new cantata every week, which is unimaginable. He was busy teaching music to many students. He also had to take care of family members, including his twenty children. Still, he wrote a new cantata every week in just 35 to 50 minutes each.

Bach wrote in his famous Cantata, “Those who keep looking up to the Lord will renew their strength. Then they'll soar on wings like eagles.” These words are already so impressive. However, when music is added to them, it makes people feel like dancing. Bach came to understand this idea from his own experience. His works only became known posthumously. He did not receive much respect or praise when he was alive. Most Christians did not want music in churches and refused him. He must have been so devastated.

Heaven must be filled with music. So we have to practice a lot before we get there. Jesting aside, those who look up to the Lord will receive unimaginable strength. Unfortunately, however, many brothers and sisters are like moles instead of eagles.

They are living like moles in that they are tied up in their own lives and cannot look up to the Lord. What is important is to look up to the Lord. When we do, how will the eyes of the Lord Jesus appear? Needless to say, the eyes of Jesus are filled with love.

Mark
10:17 As Jesus was setting out again, a man ran up to him, knelt down in front of him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
10:18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "Nobody is good except for one—God.
10:19 You know the commandments: 'Never murder.' 'Never commit adultery.' 'Never steal.' 'Never give false testimony.' 'Never cheat.' 'Honor your father and mother.'"
10:20 The man replied to him, "Teacher, I have obeyed all of these since I was a young man."
10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. Then he told him, "You're missing one thing. Go and sell everything you own, give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me."
10:22 Shocked at this statement, the man went away sad, because he had many possessions.

But, someone must have felt even sadder than him. It was Jesus. It is written that Jesus looked at him and loved him. According to these verses, at least this rich man was filled with hunger and thirst and that was why he ran up to Jesus and knelt down in front of Him to ask Him what he had to do to inherit eternal life.

Although he was a very wealthy man, his heart was empty. He wanted to know about eternal life because he understood that the things in this world which his eyes could see were all transient and would someday vanish.

Men can only be truly fulfilled by eternal life. However, for men to obtain eternal life, they have to admit that they are all heading toward destruction and understand that their salvation is absolutely necessary. To make this young man understand this, Jesus drew upon the Ten Commandments of Moses: “Never murder. Never commit adultery. Never steal. Never give false testimony. Never cheat.” This man answered that he had been faithful to all of these commandments.

This meant that he was unaware of his own situation. He was totally blind. It is an indisputable truth that if you do not recognize your own sins, you cannot confess them. And if you do not confess your sins, they will never be forgiven. Those who do not obtain forgiveness for their sins will never experience eternal life.

John
3:36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

Many people living today believe that they obey all of these commandments, just like that rich man. After all, they think that they know what they require. When people think this way, the eyes of their hearts are blinded by the devil, and they do not realize what is actually happening to them. This can happen to all believers of Jesus.

Revelation
3:17 You say, "I am rich. I have become wealthy. I don't need anything." Yet you don't realize that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

If you realize it, you have at least some hope. Otherwise, it is nothing but a tragedy. Now, although Jesus perfectly understood this rich man’s state of mind and knew that he was blinded by the devil, He still never forsook this man. David, the author of the Psalms made this confession.

Psalms
34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and he delivers those whose spirit has been crushed.

This was the personal testimony of David.

Psalms
51:17 True sacrifice to God is a broken spirit. A broken and chastened heart, God, you will not despise.

147:3 He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their injuries.

Isaiah
57:15 For this is what the high and lofty One says, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: He lives in the height and in holiness, and also with the one who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

61:1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed and to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners;

66:2 ….declares the Lord; But this is the one to whom I will look favorably: to the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my message.

As we have just read, this rich man did not know the true state of his own mind; nevertheless, Jesus looked at him with immeasurable love and said, “You're missing one, most important thing.”

Jesus said to him, “If you want to come with me, you have to sell everything you own, then bear my cross and follow me.” Jesus loved this man from the bottom of His heart when he came to see the Lord. His true and deep love commanded this man to sell everything he had, then come back to carry the cross and follow Him.

Jesus still looks at us with the same deep loving eyes He used to look upon this man. Jesus not only wants to save sinners, but invites them to follow Him as well. Those who are forgiven for their sins are saved and will have eternal life. Jesus always cares about us and is willing to show those He has saved the supreme purpose of their lives. In this sense, it is totally wrong to believe that when you are saved, you have reached your goal and nothing important is left anymore.

So far, we have seen that the eyes of the Lord Jesus are the 'eyes of love'.

Let's think more about the eyes of Jesus.  His eyes are also the 'eyes of hope'. It is clearly shown in the famous verses regarding Zacchaeus.

Luke
19:1 As Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it,
19:2 a man named Zacchaeus appeared. He was a leading tax collector, and a rich one at that!
19:3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he couldn't do so due to the crowd, since he was a short man.
19:4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus, who was going to pass that way.
19:5 When Jesus came to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today."
19:6 Zacchaeus came down quickly and was glad to welcome him into his home.
19:7 But all the people who saw this began to complain: "Jesus is going to be the guest of a notorious sinner!"
19:8 Later, Zacchaeus stood up and announced to the Lord, "Lord, I'll give half of my possessions to the poor. I'll pay four times as much as I owe if I have cheated anyone in any way."
19:9 Then Jesus told him, "Today salvation has come to this home, because this man is also a descendant of Abraham,
19:10 and the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost."

It is in the verse 5. When Jesus came to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today.”

The town called Jericho, where all of these incidents occurred, was known as a place cursed by the Lord God. Zacchaeus lived in this town as the chief of the tax collectors, and had certainly been living his life in pursuit of money. Presumably, he had been increasing his wealth through illicit means. Although he was very wealthy, his heart was dominated by emptiness. For some reason, he came to believe that Jesus would fill the emptiness in his heart.

So he desperately wanted to see Jesus and meet Him. Jesus also looked up to this man. Zacchaeus climbed up into a sycamore tree to see the Lord and they looked at each other. When Zacchaeus saw the eyes of Jesus, there he found true hope. Zacchaeus heard Jesus saying his name.

At the same time, he realized that Jesus cared about him too. Furthermore, the Lord Jesus told him that He was already planning to stay at Zacchaeus's house, and that He would sit down and have communion with him. Zacchaeus was prepared in his soul to accept Jesus into his house. All we need to do is to accept Jesus.

John
1:12 However, to all who received him, those believing in his name, he gave authority to become God's children.

1 John
5:13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Zacchaeus came to understand that staying close to the Lord Jesus is itself a wonderful blessing. Those who have met the Lord Jesus will never again reside in the darkness because the Lord Jesus is light itself. Zacchaeus couldn't help but confess all his sins to the Lord.

When he did this, he was told that all his sins were forgiven, from the mouth of Jesus Himself. Zacchaeus' life was completely turned around by this. He, who had been living such a self-centered life and had been captivated by hunger for money, now came to have only one earnest desire: to please Jesus and follow Him.

What Zacchaeus needed was the eyes of hope of Jesus. We too need to find hope in the eyes of Jesus. When we think of our own future from a human’s perspective, it may seem as if our situation is hopeless and that there is no comfort in our lives. Sometimes we feel unrelieved, disappointed or desperate.

Please look up to Jesus when you feel this way. If you do, you will find the eyes of the Lord, filled with hope just like Zacchaeus did. Jesus' hope filled eyes are inviting us to initiate fellowship with Him.

Fellowship with Jesus is the same as walking in the light with Him, just like Jesus Himself once walked in the light. Fellowship with Jesus is itself our life. It is exactly what gives us joy. When we have communion with Jesus, we must express our desire from the bottom of our hearts in order to please the Lord.

As we have seen so far, the eyes of the Lord Jesus are the 'eyes of love' and the 'eyes of hope', Furthermore, the eyes of Jesus are the 'eyes of compassion'.

Luke
7:11 Soon afterwards, Jesus went to a city called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd were going along with him.
7:12 As he approached the entrance to the city, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her.
7:13 When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her. He told her, "You can stop crying."
7:14 Then he went up and touched the bier, and the men who were carrying it stopped. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!"
7:15 The man who had been dead sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

This mother was such a pitiful woman who had been carrying a heavy burden throughout her life and was exhausted. She had already suffered the tragedy of losing her husband.

Then she lost her son, who was her only source of joy and emotional support. When Jesus saw this lady in deep sorrow, He sympathized with her. He told her to stop weeping. This lady then looked up to Jesus with tears running down her face.

They looked at each other and she saw the eyes of the Lord filled with deep compassion. Jesus did not offer any empty words of consolation to her. Instead, He only said to her young dead son, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”

The dead man then arose and began to talk. This lady, until she had looked into the eyes of Jesus and saw them filled with sympathy, had been devastated and had been living in desperation. During the funeral ceremony, she was in an extreme situation where all hope seemed lost.

From the human perspective, everything was too late and there was nothing anyone could do to heal her. However, it is never too late for Jesus. Even in the worst situations, when everything seems hopeless, Jesus can help us.

Some people might feel that, from the human’s perspective, their life is on the edge and that all hope is gone. However, even in the most desperate times, nothing is too late for the Lord Jesus. What we need is nothing but the eyes of compassion of Jesus. No matter how awful our pains are now, all we need to do is to turn our faces up to His eyes, which are full of love and compassion and we will find the comfort we are looking for and will be able to live a positive, joyful life.