SEEING JESUS

Seeing Jesus involves more than merely seeing Jesus! Seeing Jesus through the eyes of faith involves spiritual insight, that is to say, insight produced by the Spirit of God. Jesus taught this truth when He said, "A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me" (John 16:16).

Two different verbs are connected to two time sequences ("a little while"). The first "little while" (μικρον) is the interval of time until His death on the cross. After the cross "you no longer see Me." The verb (θεωρειτε) is in the present, not future, tense which is significant - you see Me no longer. "No longer" (ουκετι) does not mean "never again." The action simply stops (Bernard, John, p.513). The seeing in this case is sensual in nature. It means to "be a spectator, look at or observe (BAGD, p.360). After the cross the disciples ceased to see Jesus with their physical eyes for a little while.

The second "little while" is the interval of time between the cross and the resurrection. The adverb "again" (παλιν) ties the two intervals together negating any identification of this "seeing" with the return of Christ. The two "seeings" are connected closely in time by the adverb. The resurrection appearances are in view here.

A different verb (οψεσθε) is used for resurrection sight, and it is a future tense (from οραω). This verb replaces the former verb because it is always used in John to emphasize spiritual perception (Bernard, John p.513). Jesus combines Easter with Pentecost. The resurrection appearances certainly involved physical sight, but, when the Holy Spirit arrived on Pentecost, the understanding was transformed into spiritual insight. The second "seeing" carries this double sense. The Holy Spirit turns physical sight into spiritual insight (TDNT, V:360).

However, we must be careful not to over spiritualize this spiritual insight as if it is only a spiritual vision without any reference to actual physical sight as some do (Meyer, John, p.451). The post-resurrection appearances of Jesus were bodily appearances verifiable by physical eyes not mere visionary spiritual experiences.

One clue that the physical sight and the the spiritual insight are both true is found in the parallel expression where Jesus says, "After a little while the world will no longer see (θεωρει) Me, but you will see (θεωρειτε) Me" (John 14:19). The same verb is used in both sightings - the pre-death and the post-resurrection sightings (Morris, John, p.703) - making a distinction between sight and insight irrelevant in this statement.

Seeing Jesus involves more than merely seeing Jesus but not less than seeing Jesus. The post-resurrection sightings of Jesus were actual physical sightings not merely visionary experiences of faith. The bodily sightings of Jesus were understood by the spiritual insight of the Holy Spirit even as He was actually visible to those who saw Him. Seeing by the eyes of the body and seeing by the eyes of faith converge to form a single sighting protecting our faith from both mysticism and rationalism.