Our Lord Jesus Christ stands as a cynosure for all men. He says, 'If I be lifted up on the earth, I will draw all men to me'. This supernatural force of attraction did not just come about; it was so because the one who bears such power had gone through the spectrum of all things in heaven and on earth, and now they all answer to him. Apostle Paul was very succinct in the book of Philippians, chapter 2, verse 9, where he underscored that God has highly exalted Jesus and given him a name that is above every other name, a name that everything on every plane of existence, be it celestial, terrestrial, or sub-terrestrial, responds to and bows to.
Therefore, it was not out of place for the writer of Hebrews to implore every believer to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our noble faith. This was unarguably true because Jesus' lifestyle right from his humble beginning to his triumphant end is the best template available out of all the catalogue of examples that came up during our 'Christocopal' quest last week. He has indeed left behind indelible footprints that were scrupulous and untainted, which, of course, are shoes that we all can easily fill; otherwise, Christ has come in vain, and the scripture, Ephesians 4:13, has become a lie.
The art of looking is very diligent and painstaking, one that requires undivided attention and stubborn consistency. Various examples of this act can be seen in several places in the scripture; the earliest of them was that of the first woman, Eve, when she fell victim to the spurious and destructive temptation of the devil. The bible recorded it that she saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes...' This was a direct result of her looking intently at the tree and its fruits until she was swept off her feet!
Another interesting record is the story of Jacob while he was with his uncle, Laban. Jacob had asked to leave Laban after serving him for a period of fourteen years, but the latter had pleaded that the former stayed, and as a result, the agreement was renegotiated, and part of the new agreement was that the speckled and spotted of the flock should go to Jacob. So in order to have this specific breed multiply and become the dominant trait amongst the flock, Jacob, by divine insight, took rods of green poplar and of the hazel and the chestnut tree, peeled the bark off, and exposed the whitish part of the rods, and each time the animals mate, he would lay the rods before their eyes, so that they might conceive among the rods. Another scenario was that of the Israelites when they murmured against the Lord and God sent fiery serpents to destroy them. They called on God, and the solution that God would give to Moses for them was to simply look upon a brazen serpent hung on a stick, and as soon as they looked, they lived.
Hence, it has gone sacrosanct and inevitable for every heaven-bound Christian to prioritise looking unto Jesus, the perfect model that was set in front of us. When we fasten our gaze on him, we are assured of supernatural strength and vigour to run the race that is set in front of us. What we look at, we inevitably become, so, towards becoming like Christ, looking at Christ is inevitable. Apostle Paul's statement in his epistle to the Galatians in chapter 4 verse 19 is a very instructive one. He underscores the fact that there is a process as regards the formation of Christ in us, which means it is not something that jumps on you like a mistletoe does to a tree; it is a product of concerted efforts and travails. And this wonderful journey starts with transformation by the renewing of our mind because every action is always a product of the mindset or thoughts emanating from the mind; thus, any impression on the mind, be it negative or positive, resultantly reflects in our actions and inactions; hence, the need to first get it right from inside and thereafter work it out in our interactions.
There is a model—a perfect man to emulate—as well as the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ to attain; to this end, we have all been called. Apostle Paul's prayer to the Ephesians comes in handy; he prays that God gives you [them] the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: that the eyes of your [their] understanding be enlightened. Without gainsay, our primary tool for looking at this big picture is the eyes of understanding, which must be flooded with light. Our utmost prayer for all our readers today is that they shall all receive the seeing eyes and the hearing ears to understand and comprehend the revealed mysteries of God.
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