Recognition!

Luke 2:36-52

So often we find ourselves wondering whether, if we had been in the throngs who heard Jesus speak, or we watched as he passed by, laden under a cross, would we recognize him for who he was? Or, would we be amongst those who disagreed with him, condemned him or just plain ignored him.

The scripture in Luke 2:36-52, speaks to us about recognition of the Christ on several levels. In this passage we see the old woman named Anna, who worshiped day and night at the temple but who had the heart to recognize the boy Jesus as the light who had come into the world. We witness the rabbis and teachers who listened to the pre-teen Jesus teach them, instead of the other way around and we are told that they were amazed! And finally, we see the earthly parents of Jesus, who were reminded that this child was not really theirs in the same way most children are.

A few years ago when I was searching for some Christian art I came across a print. The picture was possibly painted at the turn of the century judging by the clothing of the subjects. In it Jesus is strapped to a column of a neo-gothic building with large steps like those of a cathedral. Around him are people of all walks of life, including clergy – their eyes fixed upon other things as they go about their business. I was fascinated by this image. I noticed how busy everyone appears to be- rich and poor, men of faith and ordinary people. And there is Jesus, our savior, strapped to a pillar for our sins. No one is paying any attention to him. In essence, no one seems aware of what God has done for them. Everyone, including the faithful, are hurrying by the man on the pillar, caught up in their lives, like blind sheep. There is no recognition, even though it appears there should be.

Recently, as I was re-reading something Mother Theresa said when she spoke to the Nobel Committee upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, I was caught by her simple words as she said how joyous we should all be, because in this world-- we have Jesus with us. When she put this in the present tense, it stressed that Jesus is the risen Christ, alive and in our presence now. The words “here with us” remind us to recognize Him as standing beside us, at our table, in our home, in our car, in our work place, next to us at our computer, when we smile at one another, engage in friendship, when we hold out our hand to help, when we give encouragement, or laugh, when we notice the blue sky, or do a favor, when we say “ I love you.” Jesus-- with us a thousand times a day! Recognition!

Often Mother Theresa would also talk about how she saw the face of Jesus in all people, especially those she served. Those, of course, would be the people that she pulled out of the gutters of Calcutta. These were people often covered in filth and sores, most of whom were dying of disease—but she saw something else. She saw Jesus in them. When I read this for the first time, many years ago, I wondered what she meant by this. How could someone see Jesus in these suffering people? But in the years since then, after my own rebirth in Christ, I have come to understand that when you meet Christ in your heart everything changes. He illuminates possibilities that seemed like an oxymoron: Jesus, the perfect man, is found in the imperfect and in the wretched. For Mother Theresa, Jesus was present in the suffering and the wretched. She recognized him there. This recalls Christ’s words in Matthew: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” As you remember in the next passages they reply to the king by essentially saying “but Lord, when did we see you like this?” It is all about recognition!

Can we have the eyes of Anna? Instead, too often our human failings make us like the print, described earlier. Oblivious to Christ’s presence around us, we fail to see that He is truly with us- a living presence in this world. He is the beginning and the end. The savior of all humanity desires our hearts total recognition.

Laurie Erdman