Jesus in the Mirror
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.… (James 1:22-23)
What did Jesus look like?
What is a mirror and how does it affect the path of light?
A mirror is an object that reflects light. It is a piece of glass with a back capable to produce an image of whatever is in front of it. This is different from other light-reflecting objects that do not preserve much of the original wave signal other than color and diffuse reflected light.
Why did Jesus give this illustration about the mirror?
The Apostle John
John described exactly who Jesus is in his book. The Lord said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).
When the Lord compared himself as the light of the world and what someone can see in the mirror, he simply means that many people see him only in a mirror.
What is wrong with seeing Jesus in the mirror?
There is nothing wrong with seeing Jesus in the mirror, however, the problem lies when someone does not see the real Jesus face to face and think that the image reflected in the mirror is Jesus. To be in his presence and see him face to face the believer must humble himself, accept his word, and obey his commands.
The importance of following Jesus, and not his image in the mirror
Seeing and savoring Jesus Christ
When you look at yourself in the mirror, it does not represent the reality of you because it is just a reflection of the light. It gives you an idea about who is in the front of the mirror and how you look like but remember it is not the real you. Even your actions are not the same. For instance, if you raise your right hand, the mirror shows the left hand. If you step to the right, the mirror step to the left, and so on. To follow the image of Jesus can be dangerous when the follower does not know that it is just an image. While Jesus goes to the right, the follower goes to the left where the light is no longer shinning. The result? The follower is then walking in darkness. To walk in the darkness is dangerous because many obstacles may arise leading someone to hurt themselves or to die on the dark path. When the follower goes after Jesus there is no longer a problem, because Jesus is the one who goes ahead cleaning the path and prepares his followers for any hard situations that can arise on their journey.
Example of people who saw Jesus in a mirror
Judas Iscariots
Judas Iscariots – A woman called Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. Judas with his evil heart was thinking about how to get some profit out of the situation and asked, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” The scriptures say that he was a thief who usually took money from the offering basket and he was not worried about the poor.
Religion
The Jews – When Jesus was casting out all the merchants from the temple, he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!” the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things.” Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” (John 2:16, 18, 19). Jesus was talking about his resurrection not the physical temple in Jerusalem. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. The temple was just an image (illustration) and Jesus once again proves his supremacy over the human mentality. If the Jews were capable to see the real Jesus they would never reject him. Another clear example is in John 6:56 when Jesus mentions his flesh and blood. He says that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood remains in him. Because of this statement, many people left him behind. These people saw Jesus in the mirror. Jesus was talking about the new covenant when we partake the bread and the wine in memory of his sacrifice in favor of the whole world. Unfortunately, until today they see Jesus in a mirror.
Example of people who saw Jesus face to face.
Apostle Peter
Peter – Jesus once asked his disciples: “Who do people say the son of man is?” and they replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” These people saw Jesus in a mirror. A reflection of one of the prophets. Likewise, Jesus asked them: “What about you? Who do you say I am? Immediately Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” According to Jesus Peter was a blessed man because the revelation came from God onto him, and not man. Peter knew Jesus not by the hearing of people’s comments (mirror) but by real-life experience.
Canaanite
The Canaanite Woman – This woman had a daughter who was possessed by a demon and she cried out “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.” Jesus answered her “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This woman knew Jesus, not by the mirror; she knew that he was the one who could solve her problem. In humble gesture, she came before the Lord and knelt saying “Lord, help me!” Jesus tested her and said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” The woman did not give up and again she insisted saying, “Yes, Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” The Lord Jesus dismissed her in peace and her daughter was healed on that very hour. By her faith in the real Jesus, the desire of her heart was fulfilled. Jesus taught a very and important lesson to all mankind. The Jews always considered themselves as the only people in the world that God cares for. The Jews considered themselves superior to all other peoples; they believed that they were the favorites of God and that the others were inferior and unworthy of divine grace: the foreigners were considered as dogs. In the lobby of the temple, they put notices in different languages, which is prohibited entry to all foreigners. This was the reason that some Greeks who had gone to Jerusalem to worship begged Philip to lead them to Jesus, who stood inside the temple at that time (John 12: 20-22). The woman knew that Jesus was the real temple and the temple that the Jews adore God was just a mirror of the real temple that was being destroyed in the cross but rose again on the third day. This is the real temple that Solomon prayed to God saying “…also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel when he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name. There was no prejudice in Jesus’ action and he never intended to humiliate that woman. Jesus simply showed to the world that he is the real Temple and the one that was made by the stone that is located in Jerusalem is just a mirror.
There is no reason for anyone who is not a Jew to feel offended because the intention of Jesus is to prove to the whole world that he is Lord and not a simple Jew. That woman was a good example of how our Lord and Savior cares about everyone. His love, his passion for all is above everything.
Followers of Jesus
Can the followers of Jesus see him in a mirror?
Yes, they can. When you look at a mirror, you will see his image but remember the image does not represent reality. When you look in the mirror, you will see your brothers and sisters in Christ. This means that you will see God’s people sometimes doing things different from Jesus. God’s people are not perfect and sometimes fail in many things in life and for this reason, if you follow the image you can fail too. It does not mean that God’s people are not godly people. Sometimes their actions can disqualify them as representatives of truth, but never their identity as God’s people. In Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, Men image of God, so that they may rule over…”
Paul had the opportunity to see Jesus but he never considered himself superior to anyone, he considered himself like all the others and wrote in 1Cor 13:12 “Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” Paul was satisfied with everything that he learned from the disciples and his daily life experience.
