Every photographer has one- a story about finding a picture in an unusual place.  Mine goes like this:  I was traveling along Route 209 and was just about to reach the light at Dingman’s Ferry when I saw it- a “Port-a-potty” sitting off to the side of one of the parking areas along with some paving equipment.  Normally one does not give these things a second glance, but there was something different about this one.  Next to the generic green relief station was a contractor’s bucket and cemented in the bucket was a long pole with a mailbox and newspaper holder on it!  I laughed and thought “Now THAT’S a story that deserves a picture!” and of course I took one.

            Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies conducted an intense study on the way our eyes see and concluded that we actually do not see with our eyes but with our brain.  While it may seem that it takes very little effort to ‘see’ with our eyes it is up to our brains to process and understand what information is parading before them.  From the time light hits the retina till the signal is well along the brain pathway that processes visual information, at least 70 milliseconds have passed. During this time, a baseball that clocks in at a rather lame 85 mph has already traveled 10 feet! For the player to hit the ball, experience notwithstanding, his brain has to compensate for the delay.  I believe that in the photographic realm that 10 seconds is used to “see” a story beyond the obvious- it’s the ability to look more deeply and that translates into others seeing the story as well.  Kathy Ryan, former Director of Photography for the NY Times Magazine wrote, “Photographers teach us to look again, look harder and look through their eyes.”

            Several words across the pages of the Scripture describe seeing and carry all the nuances of both the action and the mental associations that take place during the process of sight.  The different words used for seeing in the New Testament are particularly clear when applied to how we see Jesus.  In Matthew 11:2-6, the most common of these verbs, blepo (which appears 137 times in the NT), is used.  Blepo is primarily used to define the physical ability to see or having the faculty of sight, but also includes the ability to understand what we are seeing (I see something round.  It bounces.  Oh, it’s a ball!).  Harao (to see or perceive with the eyes) and theaomai (to look at intently, contemplate) are not used in these verses but depending on where we are in our walk of faith and the circumstances we find ourselves in, we will see Jesus on each or all of these “sight levels”.

            Circumstances for John the Baptist had changed dramatically since the day he baptized Jesus in the Jordan River (Mt. 3:1-12).  He had been arrested by Herod Antipas for speaking out against the ruler’s marriage to his former sister-in-law Herodias (further explanation is given in Mt. 14:1-12).  Although we are not given the reason for John’s doubts in this passage, it’s possible that John was expecting one of two outcomes- a physical release thanks to someone stepping up to help obtain his release, or the political overthrow of the Romans which many expected the Messiah to perform when He came.  To see if his expectations were correct regarding Jesus as the source of those options, John sends some of his disciples to Jesus to find out if he is right.  Jesus’ response it somewhat surprising.  Rather than reassuring words that “Everything’s gonna be alright John”, Jesus replies with an exhortation in the form of a beatitude, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me” (v. 6).   It is easy to hold on to faith when everything is going well.  But the tumultuous and uncomfortable times we face in life demand “seeing” beyond the “shot” and recognizing “the story”. 

            What makes you see “a shot” is the natural faculty of sight.  What makes you see “THE” story in the shot is perception or insight.  As a photographer I want to look at my world and see things that others don’t see.  I want to see beyond the obvious.  As a believer I want this kind of seeing present in my walk of faith too.  I want to see Jesus the way He challenged John to see Him.  It is popular to only see Jesus as a loving shepherd or a good friend who fills our needs when others fail us.  But He is far more than that.  He is the Messiah and has all the attributes of the magnificent God who parted seas, judged insurrections and healed the helpless in the days of Israel’s wanderings which was attested to by His earthly ministry in Galilee.  I want my seeing to be on the deepest level not only for a picture’s sake but even more importantly for recognizing Jesus in all the Scriptures He fulfills.  If I am looking for Him in this way (the prosdokao of verse 3), I too will perceive Him (the blepo of verse 4) as He truly is.  How do you see Him?

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; [email protected]; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre

            Once in a while a friend or two will send me clips off the internet.  Sometimes they are pictures of beautiful landscapes, flowers, etc. with music set to them and uplifting Scriptures.  Sometimes they are clips of people with amazing talents, singing, acting, art, even athletes, all caught on video demonstrating their phenomenal skills.  Sometimes they are humorous, sometimes they are sad.  And every once in a while, they are one of those annoying platitudes that states how much God loves you and then admonishes you to “pass this email on to someone you love for good luck”.   I tend to yell at the computer after reading one of those, “I don’t need LUCK!!  I have the LORD!”, and then happily hit the delete button.

            One time a friend sent me an email that read, SUBJECT: PARAPROSDOKIANS.  Now, that’s a mouthful!  But I learned something new (which I do enjoy!).  A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of the sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected and frequently humorous.  According to the email, Winston Churchill loved them.  So here are a few examples:  Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.  You do not need a parachute to skydive; you only need a parachute to skydive twice.  I used to be indecisive; now, I’m not sure.  And my favorite:  Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

            As fun and humorous as paraprosdokians can be, that last one did make me think again.  For as silly as it sounds, there is also a great deal of truth in it.  The fact of the matter is that going to church, singing praise songs, saying the Lord’s Prayer or even putting a tithe in the offering plate so that God’s work can be carried on, does not make you a Christian.     Papa Ten Boom once replied to his daughter Corrie when she questioned him about the character of a “so-called” Christian, “Just because a mouse is in the cookie jar, that doesn’t mean it’s a cookie!”  So then, what does make you a Christian?

            The most fundamental aspect of being a Christian is believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Rom. 1:3-4; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3) and that His sacrificial death on the cross has paid for the Sin (Rom. 5:12) which separates you from God (Ps. 14:1-3; Gal. 1:3-5; Heb. 9:11-12).  There are two aspects of Christ’s nature which are important here.  The first aspect is His humanity (Jn. 1:14; Gal. 4:4).  As God in the flesh, Jesus represents humankind (Heb. 7:26-27), however, unlike us, Jesus had no sin (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15).  That Jesus had no sin testifies to the second aspect of His nature- His Divinity (Jn. 20:30-31; Col. 2:9).  Because Jesus was God, His atoning death is eternal and because He is human it is possible for Jesus to take the punishment that each and every one of us deserves.  When we believe that Jesus has done this for us personally and say it is true, we are Christians because we have put our faith in Him (Rom. 5:6-21; Rom. 10:8-13; Tit. 3:4-5).  There is a second aspect to being a Christian which happens at the moment we put our faith in Jesus Christ.  The first component of this is that the Holy Spirit (who is called the “Spirit of Christ” in Rom. 8:9) dwells in us (1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19-20; Eph. 1:13-14).   And the second component is the work of the Holy Spirit Who helps us to become more like Jesus Christ in both our attitudes and actions (Jn. 15:26, 16:13-14; Gal. 5:22-23).

            Carbon atoms don’t start out looking like the beautiful gems they will become.  But with the right depth in the earth’s surface, along with the right amount of pressure and heat, carbon atoms will turn into a Diamonds.  Our initial proclamation of faith in Jesus may be a simple statement, “I believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died to set me free from sin.”  We may not realize the Holy Spirit has “moved in” when we profess our new-found faith.  As the Holy Spirit works in our life we become more like Jesus every day and our perspective changes (Rom. 12:1-2).   That is what makes you a Christian.

            The Cross is not only a pivotal aspect of what makes you a Christian it is an important element of discipleship as well.  In Matthew 10:38 Jesus says that “anyone who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”  The image of a criminal carrying the heavy crossbar from which he would eventually hang to the crucifixion site was not uncommon in Israel under Roman rule in the first century A. D.  Jesus is saying that the evidence of one’s life, if one is truly a disciple, is enough to “convict” them.  That is the bottom line of discipleship- not only learning what the Master teaches, but living the way He does.  The Holy Spirit guides us in this task, but we must listen to and obey Him, so that the evidence of our faith is seen by others just as graphically as a man carrying his cross to his execution.  So, how about you?  What do people see when they look at you?  Do they see one of Jesus’ disciples?

Ann LeFevre, M. Div.  
https://www.annhlefevre.com/, https://www.linked.com/in/annhlefevre/, https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre/

            You’ve heard the saying, “Like mother, like daughter; like father, like son”.  It highlights the fact that although we may not always want to admit it, we bear a resemblance in either looks or behavior to our parents.  I can relate to the first part of that adage as a daughter and to the latter part as the mother of two sons.  I see my husband’s qualities in each of my “boys”.  My older son has the same analytical aptitude to figure out a mechanical problem and fix it as his father does.  My younger son has his father’s single-mindedness.  It’s sometimes humorous to see these personality traits in action.  Whether it’s Erick’s ingenuity in constructing a playhouse for his children or Christopher’s focus during a soccer game, each son has a characteristic they’ve inherited from their dad.  Thankfully each one of our sons is proud to have some of their father’s attributes.

            Jesus, as the Son of God, also demonstrated the same qualities and attributes of His Father.  But how do we know this?  In 1 John 4:14 John writes, “And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”  The disciples had the unique privilege of living and traveling with Jesus during His earthly ministry.  John uses two key words to describe this relationship in this passage.  The first, “have beheld” is a verb meaning “to wonder, view attentively, contemplate, and consider with careful and deliberate vision in order to understand an object”.  In 1 Jn. 4:12, 14 it particularly means to perceive with the eyes with great vividness both physically and mentally”.  In other words, the disciples had more than a quick encounter with Jesus.  They had time invested into their relationship with Him which allowed them to know Him better than a mere acquaintance.  Secondly, because they had such a deep relationship with Him, the disciples were able to “bear witness” to His character.  Just like a witness who gives testimony at a trial, the disciples could offer an opinion on Jesus because they had an intimate relationship with Him.

            John testifies that Jesus as God’s Son was “sent”.  This particular word carries the nuance of being sent on a specific mission such as to preach (Mk. 3:14; Lk. 9:2), speak (Lk. 1:19), bless (Ac. 3:26), rule, redeem or propitiate (Ac. 7:35; 1 Jn. 4:10), or save (1 Jn. 4:14).  Spiros Zodhiates wrote, “The expression that Jesus was sent by God (Jn. 3:34) denotes the mission which Jesus had to fulfill and the authority which backed Him in doing so.  The importance of this mission is that God sent His own Son to accomplish it (Mk. 12:1-12; Mk. 20:9-19)”.  This thought is emphasized throughout all of John’s writing (Jn. 5:37; 6:57; 8:16, 18, 42; 17:21, 25).  Jesus Himself taught this (Jn. 10:36).  The significance here is that Jesus’ purpose in coming was not to fulfill some fantasy He had about “saving the world” like an action hero or a deluded and deranged lunatic.  Rather His mission was to fulfill a promise made by God after the Fall in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15).

            There are somewhat negative connotations attached to the role of Savior today.  Our culture does not like recognizing that people get themselves into trouble and oftentimes do not have the wherewithal to get out of it- especially in the moral sense.  Needing Someone to rescue you is frowned upon.  The individual has the power to triumph over circumstances and struggles all within themselves.  But one look at the booming psychology industry and it’s easy to see that this is not so.  Humankind struggles with guilt, remorse, shame and fear.  While it’s taboo to say so, these conditions are a direct result of that tragic decision back in the Garden (Rom. 5:13-14).  But 1 John 4:14 declares there is hope in that God sent His Son to be the Savior of the world (a word that literally means the earth or the abode of man in the Biblical sense of the word).  The Bible boldly declares it is God’s desire and will to save His fallen creation (Jn. 3:16-17).  But no man is capable of saving everyone.  Enter the Son!

            How did Jesus demonstrate that He was truly the Son of God (Mt. 14:22-33; 27:50-54)?  Jesus said that His works testified that His Father sent Him (Jn. 5:36) and that the words He spoke were His Father’s words, not His alone (Jn. 12:49; 14:24).  These statements were confirmed by the reaction to His teaching (Mt. 7:28-29) and His ministry (Mt. 15:31; Lk. 4:16-22; 7:22).  What about you?  Do you recognize Him as Savior?  Do you listen to the authority of His word and acknowledge the purpose of His mission (1 Cor. 15:1-10; 2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:14-15)?  If so, the sending has not finished with Jesus.  He now sends you out into the world to carry His message (Jn. 20:21).  The question now is what words will you use and how will you demonstrate the attributes of your Heavenly Father to those around you?

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com/, https://www.linked.com/in/annhlefevre/, https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre/

            Our tour group walked into the ancient city of Philippi on a beautiful day.  The sky was a pleasant blue filled with puffy white clouds.  But, at first, we only recognized it as a good back drop for the pictures we were taking.  Underneath our feet was the weathered Roman road, the Via Egnatia (Vee-ah Egg-nay-she-uh), one of the key elements in the spread of the Gospel.  It was especially moving for me.  Not only did Paul, Silas, Timothy and Lydia walk along this road, but countless "no names"; the people who were touched by the Gospel, but whose names were never recorded across the pages of Scripture.   They were my "spiritual" ancestors who first spread the Good News on this very road.

            When most believers think about sharing their faith, they think in terms of Billy Graham Crusades, missionaries like Jim Elliot, and people they know who "have the gift of evangelism".  But these are more the exception than the rule.  The Via Egnatia is certainly proof of that.  While the activities of Philip, Peter and Paul are featured in the Book Acts, the unsung heroes are all the others who responded initially to their proclamation and then went on to share it with those they knew.  The spread of the Gospel was like the old commercial where an "average person" held up a bottle of shampoo and declared, "I was so pleased with this product, I told my friend!"  The screen continues to divide as friend after friend spreads the word about this fabulous product.  It was the same with the Gospel.  It was passed on to friend, after friend, after friend.

            At the beginning of Matthew 10 (vv. 1-15, particularly 1-7), Jesus calls together 12 disciples, but gives them a new title.  The word “disciple” signifies a student, a learner.  Disciples abounded in 1st c. Galilee.  They would follower a teacher (rabbi) and learn everything about the way that teacher lived, what they believed and taught, and in the end, the disciples’ goal was to become just like him in every facet of life.  In Mt. 10, Jesus inaugurates a new phase in His students’ education.  He calls them apostles and gives them an assignment:  go, preach, heal, and restore life (exactly what Jesus has been doing since they signed on with Him).  The difference between a disciple (student) is found in the meaning of the title “apostle” (sent one).  An apostle is someone who is sent as a representative of a superior with the authority and power of that superior.  They are not just a “stand-in”; they are the real deal.

            We often think that we must know at least 100 Scripture verses by memory, and have all the points of the Four Spiritual Laws memorized in order to adequately share our faith with others.  We think that God demands this, but we are wrong.  The model for sharing our faith is actually set in the Old Testament in the Book of Deuteronomy.  In chapter 6 the Lord admonishes the people of Israel to teach their children diligently to follow God's commands.  They are to make it a part of their daily routine: while at home, while walking along the road, while resting, and while they prepare to work.  In other words, it's a natural part of the conversation.  When Jesus sent out His disciples, He didn’t change this model.  He encouraged them to rely on the hospitality of those they spoke with, turn over their daily needs to the Lord, and proclaim Jesus’ message to anyone who would listen.

            Sharing our faith is as simple as that.  It's part of our natural conversation, because it is who we are as a disciple of Christ, but it is important to remember that we do so “in Jesus’ Name”.  We can't help but tell others about what we've discovered.  When Andrew met Jesus, he was so glad to have found the Messiah, he went and got Peter (Jn. 1:41).  Philip sought out Nathaniel in the same way (Jn. 1:45).  If you're hesitant about sharing your faith with others, remember you do not need to be a Bible scholar or debate team captain to share about your experiences as Jesus' disciple.  Many times you will be surprised at how receptive people can be.   Even Paul, whom we like to label as the greatest evangelist of all time, let the Gospel speak for itself (1 Cor. 2:1-5).

            I can honestly say that I am not bold when it comes to sharing what I believe with others.  I am constantly asking the Lord to step in and take over when I feel timid.  But I am never disappointed when I surrender those fears.  That trip to Greece during my seminary days proved to be a valuable lesson on this.  For later on, I stood with a classmate at Mars Hill in Athens, and as we discussed how the Gospel had spread along the Roman road system, a young woman from England overheard us.  She asked me to repeat it.  I was happy to oblige.  And while I recounted how the Gospel traveled along those ancient roads, I included its message and how it eventually came to me.  Who knows what seeds were planted that day but it was an amazing experience to spread the Good News in Jesus’ Name.  You are an apostle too.  So spread the Good News today!

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com/, https://www.linked.com/in/annhlefevre/, https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre/