To See as Jesus

“And he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.’” (Luke 8:48) There is a story in the Gospels about a woman desperate for help. She has had a medical condition for twelve years, and no one has done anything to ease her suffering. One day, she finds Jesus in a crowd and reaches out to touch the fringe of his garment. Miraculously, she is healed, but this is not the end of the story. After the healing, Jesus seeks her out in the crowd, looks her in the eye, and blesses her with words of affirmation.

The miracle Jesus performs makes this story stand out. However, we need to pay close attention to all the actions of Jesus. Incredibly, Jesus heals this woman who has suffered from a physical ailment for many years. Yet, it is equally vital that Jesus seeks her out in the crowd, acknowledges her, and blesses her. Here is a woman who has not only suffered physically but has been marked unclean and rejected by society. People have avoided her. She has been shunned. She has not had a normal conversation with anyone in a long time. She has not been seen, which is why Jesus does what he does.

The need to be seen is something people are thirsting for in our culture. People go unseen all the time. We live in a technological age where we would rather stare at a screen than make eye contact with the person we are standing next to. We interact with kiosks rather than human beings. We live in a polarized age where we dehumanize people who are not on our side. If someone does not belong to the same political party as us, we tend to think less of them. They may get canceled, blocked, or ignored. We live in an age when everything is politicized. Issues like poverty or homelessness are approached politically rather than personally. We may be tempted to dismiss someone as lazy instead of taking the time to understand the complexities of their unique situation. People go unseen.

Jesus calls us to see the people all around us. We are to see those serving us at the grocery store or restaurant. We are to see our neighbors. We are to see the elderly and others who may get overlooked as we speedily rush to accomplish everything on our schedules. We are to see our enemies and those with whom we disagree. We are to see people who need help, people who are hurting, and people who have fallen on hard times. We need to see people who feel invisible and all alone. We cannot love our neighbors or our enemies if we do not see them. We must be careful to avoid becoming so busy, distracted, or calloused that we begin to lose sight. Jesus not only helped people. He took the time to see them. May we learn to see as Jesus sees.