JOHN 1:29-34: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” NKJV

OBSERVATION: Do you remember the day your eyes were opened? Do you remember the day when you saw Jesus for the very first time? He was no longer just a figure from history or someone you had heard about. On that day something happened.

ON THAT DAY – YOUR EYES WERE OPENED!

I grew up going to church every Sunday. I went to Sunday School, church, and parochial school. I studied the catechism, recited the liturgy, and took communion. Yet, I did not see Jesus. He was someone very distant. I believed in Him to an extent. However, you would not define my belief as a personal relationship. There was still a veil over my eyes. Jesus was a picture, a story, a historical figure. I really could not see Jesus.

As I read this account from the Gospel of John I marveled when I read the words of John the Baptist. He said,

• “I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

John was looking for the promised Messiah. The Holy Spirit moved upon John to begin preaching a baptism of repentance to prepare the hearts of Israel to receive her Messiah. Yet, John says – “I did not know Him.” It is hard to believe that John did not know Jesus. Their mothers were relatives and Mary had visited Elizabeth when she was pregnant and before John was born. It would seem very unlikely that John and Jesus did not grow up together. Yet, John could not see Jesus beyond a mere relative – UNTIL HIS EYES WERE OPENED!

• “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.”

What happened on that day? How did John’s understanding of Jesus change from one of his relatives to seeing Jesus as the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? It was the gift of revelation. Revelation is the gift from God when our eyes are opened to see the true spiritual reality of life. It takes the gift of revelation to see Jesus!

• “…That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened…” Ephesians‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

It takes revelation to see Jesus as our Savior. We do not come to faith through our intellect. We can learn about Jesus, hear about Jesus, we can even write books about Jesus and still be walking blindly. It is only when the Father, through the Holy Spirit, gives us the spirit of wisdom and revelation that we truly can see Jesus for who He is. He is the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the Son of God!

• “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John‬ ‭1:11-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We need the gift of revelation for salvation. We also need the gift of revelation to grow in Christ. Paul goes on to pray that the gift of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ will lead us on to a fuller understanding of who we are in Christ and the power that we have each day as we live through Christ!

• “…That you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,”. Ephesians‬ ‭1:18-20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Each day as we open God’s Word we need to pray for the gift of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is easy for our eyes to grow dim. The pages of Scripture become just familiar passages that we have read so many times – UNLESS OUR EYES ARE OPENED! The difference between life and death, between growth and stagnation, between infancy and maturity – is the gift of revelation!

Heavenly Father, I humble myself before You. I do not see You as I need to see You. My eyes become tired, weary, and dim. I pray that You would grant me anew the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. I want to see You in all of Your glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that is ready to obey.

• “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

In Jesus’ Name!