Supernatural Jesus

Q: Are supernatural Jesus sightings/appearances real? Does Jesus really show himself to people on everyday objects?

A: This is a good question. It is amazing how many supposed "sightings and appearances" there are of Jesus when nobody has any idea of how He looked. Seriously, there are no photographs, actual paintings or detailed descriptions of Jesus anywhere, including the Bible. The closest the Bible comes to describing Jesus is in Isaiah 53. "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him (Isaiah 53:2)." Is it any wonder why nobody took the time to give a description of a man who was not beautiful, had no majesty or anything in his appearance that would attract anybody to him? Just think of the way we fall all over ourselves today with the celebrity culture we live in. You can't walk past the magazine rack, open the newspaper or turn on the television without seeing the pictures of the latest celebrity. All of whom meet or exceed the accepted definition of beauty, majesty or desirability. So, how do we explain people who see Jesus in the clouds, on rock faces, in potato chips, the side of trees, ink blots, spilt milk, near death experiences and so on? I think it is the deception of Satan.

Satan is described as the god and prince of this world who "leads the whole world astray (Revelation 12:9)." Jesus, when rebuking the Sadducee's and Pharisees said, "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign (Matthew 16:4)." All these individuals who claim to have seen Jesus, and other biblical characters, seemingly need to see these things in order to embolden their faith. Yet, I wonder what their faith is really in where it requires signs and wonders to legitimize it. Do people ever stop and consider who or what is behind all these "signs"? Have you ever noticed that the apparent sightings of Jesus, as well as other famous biblical characters, look strangely similar to the classical representations we see all over the world? Depending on ones religious affiliation, the appearances of Jesus, Mary, Paul or whoever, all take the form of however each one of them is represented by a particular faith, culture or ethnicity. I have seen Anglo representations of Jesus and African representations of Him. It is almost like people need a Jesus that represents their own experiences in order to believe in Him rather than simply having faith in who He is. In many cases these appearances may serve to reinforce error within each one of these particular faiths. That could be just what Satan wants to happen.

Jesus told Thomas, who was doubting Christ's resurrection, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29)." It has been nearly 2,000 years since Christ's death, burial and resurrection. How many Christians have come to faith in Him since that time? And none of them have ever laid eyes on Him. Why is it they have faith without supernatural sightings of Him on objects? It is because for anybody who is born again of the Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ the "Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children (Romans 8:16)." When you have the very life of God, the Holy Spirit, indwelling you, He teaches you, guides you and instructs you from within revealing God's truths to you as you live each moment of your life. Of course, that doesn't mean you don't want to see Jesus or experience something miraculous like brother Thomas and other early disciples experienced. But, for anybody that knows anything about the Bible and Jesus, we know that when we see Jesus it isn't going to be Him appearing on objects to a select few.

"Look, he is coming with the clouds,�and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen (Revelation 1:7)." The only time anybody will truly see Jesus again will be at His Second Coming. This will be a worldwide event seen by everybody. There will be no mistake about it. In the meantime, Jesus doesn't say He will reveal Himself through questionable and, dare I say ridiculous, manifestations in objects. He reveals Himself to us through our own individual relationship with Him. What we see is our own changed lives, a complete 180 degree turnaround from how we used to act and view the world. Our desires change, our motivations change, our decision making changes, our relationships change, our outlook on life changes, everything changes. The evidence for all of this is something only each individual and God will see. And trust me, it is not through seeing the "image" of Jesus on objects. God has given us enough evidence to see in order that we will have faith in that which we do not see. Besides all we see in the heavens and the earth that testify of our God, He has given us Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. And if that isn't enough then all one can say is what Jesus relayed in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, and I paraphrase, if they need to see signs and wonders to believe, "they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead (Luke 16:31)."