The God Who Sees
For Meditation (Ed Satterfield)
The Christmas season is one we long to be a glorious time of celebration, rich family time, and a deep experience of the joy that Jesus brings. Often, we find the season full of disappointments. Some of us are going through the season without a cherished person. Others are struggling through the holidays with dysfunction and broken relationships in our family. We may find ourselves alone with either limited time or inability to be with family. It is for most of us a difficult season of the year.
We have just finished studying the names of God presented in the 7 antiphons from the hymn “O Come O Come Emmanuel.” This Sunday we will continue that theme looking at one additional name of God, “El Roi” which means “The God Who Sees.” Only once is the title used of God but it expresses the life of Jesus—when He waked this earth, and as He is Emmanuel, God with us now through the work of His Spirit.
God notices us. We are never forgotten, never alone. As much as our circumstances may suggest that no one truly knows us, no one is really with us, this name proclaims loudly that this is not the case. Over and over again, God shows us in the Scriptures that He notices us and sees our situation. He sees us. We will explore the ways that He sees us in our suffering and pain. He sees us in our broken, needy condition, and He sees who we are becoming—being remade by His gracious hand—into a person of glory!
The Gospels mention Jesus looking at people—seeing them about forty times. He is demonstrating the heart and character of God.
In preparation for this Sunday, read Genesis 16:10-13 and John 1:43-51. Here are some additional texts to read: John 4; Luke 7:11-17; Matthew 9:36; Mark 2:1-14
Genesis 16:10–13
10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
11 The angel of the Lord also said to her:
“You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
John 1:43–51
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”