Like those who saw him first, we also want to see him face-to-face
By Dean Collins
We wait now for the return of Jesus. The wait and anticipation of the return of Christ is equally important for us to consider in this season of Advent when we celebrate the first appearance of Jesus. Yes, we want to be reminded of his birth. Yes, we want a fresh understanding and even a genuine encounter with the Christ of Christmas as we pray, sing, and await Christmas morning. But maybe our greatest desire should be the anticipation of Christ’s return when we will see him face-to-face.
At the end of the prayer of Jesus in John 17, we know he prayed for the unity of all who believe in him. But we must not miss other aspects of this beautiful prayer for us. In John 17:24 Jesus prayed that we would be with him and with the Heavenly Father in eternity.
“Father,” he prayed, “I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”
Just ahead of his death on the cross, his heart was still firmly focused on bringing us into his glory in eternity. Amazing love, how can it be that even on the eve of his death, his focus was solely on our reconciliation with the Father?
Incredible gift
The apostle John leaves so many breadcrumbs in all of his writing. The more familiar we become with his Gospel, his three letters, and the book called Revelation, the more we see all of John’s understanding of God, of his experience with Jesus, and of his desire for us to see and understand God’s great gift of a Savior.
First John 3:1 teaches us the great privilege we have because we are called children of God. If we are God’s children, then God must be our Father. What do you or did you call your Father? Some grow up in homes where they never knew their father. Others grew up in homes with abusive fathers. Some grew up in homes with kind and caring fathers. Some fathers were very strict, and some were absent. Whatever our experiences, they can impact our view of God as our Father.
It is so important that we come to understand the unbelievable gift that Jesus gave us in making a way for us to know and one day see our Heavenly Father face-to-face.
Remarkable privilege
There were just a few who actually saw the face of the newborn King. Mary, of course, would have been the most privileged one to see the baby over and over as she cared for and nurtured Jesus. As Phil Wickham so compellingly puts it, “She was starin’ at the face of God.” Joseph would have enjoyed that blessing as well. Some shepherds saw the baby. There was likely a midwife at the birth, but Luke left out those details, maybe because we might one day create an idol of the woman who had the privilege of assisting in the birth of Jesus. Or maybe because Luke wanted us to focus on the baby born to save us.
Jesus called his Father Righteous Father. We may often call him Heavenly, loving, or even our dear Father or our Father who is in Heaven. There is but one who was and is a righteous Father. God the Father is fully loving, gracious, and kind, but he is also a Father who made a way for us to experience righteousness. We can fall on our knees in gratitude that we can know him as Righteous Father because of the cross. To face his righteousness without Jesus having paid for our sins would be terrifying.
As we await the second Advent of Jesus may we remember his prayer for us before he left this world. He prayed for our oneness, our witness to the world, and that we would one day see him in Heaven.
Your time with God’s Word
Matthew 1:23; John 17:24-26; 6:37-40; 1 John 3:1-3 ESV
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
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