Recognizing Jesus (Pt.1)

(Part 1 of 2)

“He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.”-John 1:10

Have you ever had that awkward moment when you see someone walking towards you and they obviously recognize you but you cannot for the life of you remember who they are? I had that happen to me recently at Wal-Mart. After unloading my cart I was headed over to put it in the cart corral and there was a lady there getting a cart to take inside. As I approached she looked up, smiled at me, and said hello to me by name; obviously recognizing me. I thought she looked vaguely familiar, however it took me a moment to figure out who she was. It was one of the caregivers for a dear friend of mine that passed away a few years ago. She was often at her apartment working when I would go to visit. 

I apologized to her and told her that I was sorry that I almost didn’t recognize her because she had cut her hair shorter than I remember. Of course that wasn’t the only reason. It had been years since I had seen her and back when I did see her more frequently, it was while she was working. I didn’t have any real relationship with her. We were more acquaintances than we were friends. 

That little encounter made me think about John 1:10. Jesus came into the world, but the world didn’t recognize Him. Would you? Would you recognize Jesus if He were seated next to you right now? You may have a picture in your mind of what Jesus looks like, but considering there is no hard evidence of His actual appearance; how do you recognize someone you’ve never seen before? 

I contend that even those most faithful followers of Jesus would struggle; especially if He didn’t look as they expected. Others have never really spent anytime getting to know Him and there are those who have a working knowledge of Jesus but are more acquaintances than friends. 

John 1 describes Jesus as the Word! He is eternal! He was with God and He is God!Everything that was created was created by Him and He gave life to everything He created and His life was the light of all men:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All thing were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”-John 1:1-3

Did you know that about Jesus? Do you recognize Him as the Creator of the Universe. John the Baptist recognized Him. “Well”, you say, “of course he did, he and Jesus were related (Luke 1:36).”

 It is true that they were related and that John had been born just a few months before Jesus; yet John makes this extraordinary declaration in John 1:15:

“This is the one I was talking about when I said, “Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.”

How could a man who was born six months before Christ make such a statement? John didn’t simply recognize Jesus as his relative, he recognized Him as the Son of God! He recognized Him as the Creator of the Universe! Jesus was more than a man that lived 2,000 years ago in the Middle East. He is the Creator! 

You’ll never recognize Jesus until you recognize that He is God! 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church