Seeing Jesus, Seeing Ourselves
Luke 7:37-38
"And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment."
Jesus had a remarkable effect on people. No one was neutral in His presence. Some people loved Him and flocked to hear Him teach. Others hated Him and plotted how they could stop His ministry. Invariably, seeing Jesus caused people to reevaluate their own lives and their relationship with God. While some refused to make any changes, deluding themselves into thinking they had no need of a Savior, many turned to Jesus in repentance.
We live in a day when temptations to be proud of ourselves abound. Yet if we have a clear picture of the holiness and righteousness of our Lord, pride will be the furthest thing from our minds. When Isaiah saw his vision of God, he recognized how far short he fell of what God demanded. “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).
The only right and proper response to the Lord is for us to fall at His feet. He alone is worthy of praise and glory and honor. He alone deserves to be worshiped. The very best that we can do still fails to even begin to approach what Jesus deserves from us. When we begin to take for ourselves the glory that belongs to Him, we are showing both ingratitude and great self-deception.
Growth Principle:
The best way to rightly see ourselves is to first have a clear picture of Jesus.