What You Lookin' At?

[Martin Schmaltz]

It is amazing how two people can look at the same thing and both see something different. Look at the two pictures below and tell me what you see? Now look again, maybe study for a minute.

In the one to the right: do you see the old man with a mustache and hat? What about the old woman? Do you see a third person: the younger lady?


What about this picture on the left: I’ll give you a hint – what animal do you see? What about a duck? Or maybe a rabbit?


The point of these pictures is that: what you see is based on what you focus on. Once this happens, many times it is hard to re-focus and see the other view.

It is much the same way in life, what we each see in any given situation is based on what we are focusing on. Once we have a mental “picture” it can be hard to change what we see. This principle is evidenced in our spiritual lives as it relates to our demonstration of faith: what we are focusing on determines if we respond in faith.

In Mark 11, Jesus is entering Jerusalem with his disciples and curses a fig tree for not being fruitful (maybe another message here). He makes the declaration and then walks on without anything apparently happening.

Later, as they leave Jerusalem, Peter sees the dead tree and exclaims with excitement – “Look the fig tree!” I wonder if Jesus rolled his eyes and thought “Well duh! That is what I expected.” The issue I am attempting to point out here: When Jesus spoke it, he saw it, Peter did not.

Jesus response to Peter was in verse 22, he said: “Have faith in God.” On the surface this sounds good, but let me point out something deeper. The literal translation of this verse should be “have faith of God.” A semantic difference? I don’t thinks so.

Almost every one believes in a god; the result is the different religions we have. The scriptures tell us even the devils believe in God. So the idea of believing in God or having faith in God is very diffuse and general. It is the type of faith that does not translate into significant action.

Most believe in a god
Most do not have the faith of God

On the other hand, to have the faith of God means I see things as he does and then act upon it, just as Jesus did. Hebrews 11:1 is a common text: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” The word substance here means existence or reality. So faith is the reality or existence of things hoped for. Notice it does not say things unseen: Why? Because faith sees them in the Spirit.

Now because they are “seen” as reality in the Sprit, faith now becomes the evidence or proof of what is unseen: unseen by who? Those who are looking only in the natural.

So faith is seeing the reality of what exists in the Spirit and then proving this reality by demonstration.

Jesus comments in verse 23 & 24 of speaking to mountains should be viewed in this perspective; what is impossible to the natural eye becomes possible if you see it as God views it! So I ask:

What You Lookin’ At?