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28th February 2025
FridayReflection
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Jonathan Parnell
lead pastor of Cities Church
in Minneapolis-Saint Paul
What It Means to Look to Jesus
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The writer to the Hebrews has encouraged us to run the race of faith with endurance
(Hebrews 12:1).
In verse 2 he tells us how: by looking to Jesus.
Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.
He did not give up because of the cross!
On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne.
We run the race of faith looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
But what does that mean?
What does it mean for us to look to Jesus?
Looking to Jesus means relying on him.
The word translated "looking" has the idea of focusing our gaze on something with confidence.
The NIV captures it as "fixing our eyes."
Jesus is our encouragement in this race, both as our example and as our help.
As an example, Jesus is the forerunner who has gone before us.
He has lived faithfully in this world, trusting the Father and yielding to His will.
He has left us an example that we might follow in his steps
It was to this that God called you, for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps.
.....1 Peter 2:21
As our help, Jesus is the one from whom we draw power.
He is the one who has given us life and has sent the Helper to be with us forever.
We run this race only because of His word and only by the power of His Spirit.
So we look to him. We lean on him.
Another aspect embedded in this idea of looking is that we look without distractions.
Bible scholar Peter O'Brien notes that the prefix to this Greek verb translated "looking" actually carries the meaning of "looking away from all others toward one"
When we look to Jesus it means we are not looking at anything else.
Looking to Him means we turn our backs on all the other stuff.
Forget the approval of man.
Forget the consuming aim to leave a "spiritual legacy."
Of all the good things we could look to and draw energy from, Jesus demands our exclusive gaze.
Looking to anything else will eventually be exposed as the hollow pursuit it is.
Looking to Jesus means looking to Him alone.
Looking to Jesus means he is our reward.
There is a parallel in this passage between where we look in our running and where Jesus looked in His.
The text says of Jesus's own forerunning: "for the joy set before him."
Jesus ran for joy, for a reward.
We see a few clauses later that this reward was His being "seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
This was where He fixed His gaze.
It was the vision of this finish line that carried Him through the suffering and shame.
It was His goal.
What is our goal?
It is Jesus Himself. He is our goal.
To look to Him means to love Him, to yearn to be with Him, to see Him as He his, to live in fellowship with Him forever.
One day we will see Him.
We will see Him with our eyes.
Think about that.
We will see the Lord Jesus with our eyes.
We will see Him and hear Him and touch Him.
For that, we run.
Yet God knows every step I take; if he tests me, he will find me pure.
.....Job 23:10 GNT
><(((°>
This is an edited version.
The full article and Bible references are avaiable on request
Jonathan Parnell
is a writer and content strategist at desiringGod.org, and is the lead pastor of Cities Church in Minneapolis-Saint Paul,
where he lives with his wife, Melissa, and their growing family
Our Story
In a third-grade classroom in 1976, God put it in the heart of teacher Linda McIntire to arm her students with God's Word by encouraging them to memorize 120 passages of Scripture.
She called them the "Fighter Verses."
Why Fighter Verses?
Because every follower of Jesus is called to fight the good fight.
"Jesus defeated the devil's temptations with the use of a memorized passage of Scripture.
And in Ephesians 4:17, Paul called the word of God 'the sword of the Spirit.'
We cannot successfully overcome sin and Satan without the present treasure of precious words of God-'fighter verses.'"
- John Piper
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