This post is written by Leslie Hudson as a companion for Unit 28, Session 2 of The Gospel Project for Adults, Volume 10: From Many People to One People (Winter 2023-24).
I’ve always loved the nuts and bolts of grammar: diagramming sentences, parsing verbs, dissecting sentence structure. And when I learned to use online Bible study tools that helped me dig into the meanings of the original Hebrew and Greek words, I found myself loving this new analytical way of looking at the Bible.
But I’ve been challenged lately to take the opposite approach: instead of focusing on a passage one word at a time, I’ve been considering the passage as a whole and picturing it: what emotions do I see? How do people respond, verbally and physically? What facial expressions might the people have had? What is inevitably going on in the background? These questions are helping me to see Scripture in an entirely new light.
In preparation for this week’s lesson on John 20:24-29, I sat down and really tried to picture the scene in my head. I felt the tension between Thomas and the rest of the disciples, compounded by the lingering fear of the outside world, mixed with the excitement that Jesus was really alive. I saw Thomas’s body posture, piercing eyes, and determined forehead. I heard the collective gasp as Jesus appeared among them. I heard Jesus say, “Peace be with you,” knowing He was speaking to the room.
And then I realized He had to turn and look right at Thomas, for John 20:27 tells us, “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and look.’” Jesus’s interaction with the room began with a sweeping gaze and words of peace, but then He looked wholly at Thomas and directly addressed what was going on in this one man’s life.
It’s not the first time Jesus turned His attention from the many to the one. In Luke 19, Jesus was passing through Jericho, and the crowds were all over Him. Zacchaeus, a short man (v. 3), couldn’t see over everyone else, so he climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view. Maybe he was just curious, wanting to see what all the fuss was about. But the story hinges on this phrase: when Jesus came to the place where Zacchaeus was “he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down’” (v. 5). Jesus had shifted His gaze from the overwhelming crowd to the one man who had gone to extremes to see Him.
In another instance, “a huge crowd was following” Jesus (John 6:1) because they had seen Him perform miracles. Jesus and His disciples went up a mountain, sat down, and saw the “huge crowd coming toward Him” (v. 5). Amid the huge crowd and the accompanying disciples, Jesus looks directly at Phillip and asks, “Where will we buy bread so that these people can eat?” John added that this was a test, but we see here that Phillip found it more like a pop quiz, because he answered it couldn’t be done (v. 7).
Luke 22 recorded another time: Jesus had been “seized” and led away (v. 54) from Gethsemane and taken to the high priest’s house. Peter found a spot nearby, in a courtyard, but was almost instantly accused of being a disciple of Jesus. He denied it three times, and after the third we are told that “the Lord turned and looked at Peter” (v. 61). Oh, the omniscience of Christ! In the middle of a mock trial and unjust accusations, He made eye contact with Peter. Can you feel the heat in Peter’s face and the gaping hole in the pit of his stomach?
Jesus sees. He hears. He notices. Perhaps today you think you are totally alone. Maybe you like that; you don’t want people telling you what to do or how to live. Or maybe you hate it; doesn’t anyone care? But whether you desperately need Him or are stubbornly resisting, He is not missing what is going on in your life. He hears your doubts and your fears. He sees your struggling, and He takes note of your compassion.
Whether you see Him or not, you can be sure He sees you. Blessed are we when we believe this and walk in that faith.
Leslie Hudson loves her mornings of silence, coffee, and Jesus—not in that order. She lives with her husband and kids in White Bluff, Tennessee, where they raise blueberries, figs, and bees. She loves to spend her free time reading, writing, journaling, and helping others know and follow Jesus.
