Have You met the Real Jesus face to face?
 |
| "Walking with Jesus on the Road to Emmaus." |
(Unknown Artist, ChristiansUnite.com)
A personal encounter with the real Jesus is something special, something wondrous, something a person can never forget! Think of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus that first Resurrection Day. An unknown traveler joined them. He explained the scriptural significance of the Messiah's suffering, death, and burial over the last few days. The disciples, so intrigued, asked their guest to stay and spend the evening with them. They even offered to pay his motel bill.
“When he was at table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:30-32 NIV).
The apostle Nathanael did not accept Philip’s words about Jesus at first meeting. “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”
“Come and see,” said Philip.
But Jesus saw him coming and honored him, “Here is a true Israelite in whom there is nothing false.”
“How do you know me? Nathanael asked.”
“Jesus answered, I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered overwhelmed, “you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel” (John 1:44-49 NIV).
Hearts burn when Jesus is present. When some of John’s disciples first saw Jesus coming toward them, John pointed the Messiah out to them.
“Look, the lamb of God,
"...who takes away the sins of the world. This is the one I meant when I said, A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me. I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel” (John 1:29-31 NIV).
As a nine year old boy, a Shriners Hospital surgically straightened my clubfoot. I saw a dark vision during the operation of a whirling black hole in the universe. As people came near it, they were caught by the force and sucked downward into the abyss screaming. Frightened, I felt its pull grab me. I asked,
“Do I have to go down there, too?”
“No, you’re not going down there! I have use for you,” said the great, gentle voice of the Master ringing through the cosmos. I could see only his sandals and the garment to his knees.
About eight weeks later, orderlies cut the cast off my leg. I was under no medication. The whirring electric saw felt like it was cutting through my very sensitive leg. During my years of childhood medical care and pain, my Air Force officer father always taught me to grit my teeth and offer the pain to Jesus. So I did it once again. I uttered not a sound as tears of pain rolled down my cheeks.
I saw the crucified Jesus before me in living color. All his head swollen, wrapped in thorns, blood running down from his wrists along his arms, his face tilted to his right shoulder in unbearable agony.
As a small boy I was greatly horrified by the site of our suffering Lord in bloody agony. From out of that agony, he slowly turned his face toward me, and smiled!
I told what I had just seen to the two hospital orderlies sawing off my cast. One did not believe me, the other did. The one who believed took the electric saw from the other and more carefully finished cutting the cast from my leg with a non-powered hand saw.
Believing in Jesus is a matter of experience for me. I saw him. I’ll never forget his suffering smile.
Have you an encounter with the real Jesus?
--Bill Hunt
If you have a true story, a note, a prayer request, or a
question to share, please write a comment below
or email us.
For your convenience in cost savings, shop using our AMAZON Search Box.
We will be grateful. This will credit our ministry to you.
For more information, click: Meeting Jesus
.
.
