Did You See Him?

In yesterday's Easter message, we reflected on the two disciples who have an encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24). As he did with those two on the road, I believe that Jesus still reveals himself to ordinary followers in ordinary places; still seeks us out and comes to us; still rebukes us for being slow of heart; and still reveals his true identity to us at just the right time.

But that wonderful story also makes me ask, "How often am I standing face to face with the Master and I totally miss him? How often does Jesus go unrecognized in my day-to-day life?"

By way of illustration, I shared this story:

On January 12, 2007, a seemingly ordinary thing happened in a Washington, DC metro station during the morning rush hour. A young man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a Washington Nationals baseball cap positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money and began to play. For 45 minutes he played six classical pieces. Most people didn’t even notice him.

But this was no ordinary violinist. It was violin virtuoso Joshua Bell who was there as part of an experiment put together by the Washington Post. And he was playing no ordinary violin; it was a 1713 handcrafted Stradivarius violin reportedly worth over $3 million. Three days earlier, Bell had played to a full house at Boston’s Symphony Hall, where fairly good seats went for $100. But on this day, he collected just $32.17 for his efforts. And of the 1,097 people who passed by him, only 7 stopped to listen, and just one person recognized him.

So I continue to ruminate... What would I have done? I'm quite sure I would have just walked on by. But if I and so many others can miss the presence and beautiful gift of a master violinist, how much do we miss the presence and beautiful gifts of the Master of the universe?

O Lord, "I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in order that I may know the hope to which You have called me, the riches of Your glorious inheritance in Your people, and Your incomparably great power for us who believe." - Ephesians 1:18 (TNIV personalized).

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If you want to see the full article from the Washington Post, click here.