How well do you really know someone? I mean, really, K N O W someone? You may know their name, their address, but how well do you really know them? Have you noticed that most of us walk around with “masks” on? At least part of the time. You ask someone, “How are you?” The normal response is, “Fine, how are you?” or they will say, “Doing Ok, thanks for asking.” And granted, often that is true. But sometimes, there is more going on in that person’s life and they are trying to hide behind the non-chalant, “Fine, thanks.”
All of us are good at wearing disguises, at hiding what is going on behind the skin. And generally speaking, we have come to accept this as normal behavior. We expect people to let us get close, to get to know them to an extent, as long as we stay at arms length. We accept the non-verbal,“I will let you get to know me as long as you don’t get to close.” Yep, we are good at wearing masks.
Unfortunately, I believe this mindset has filtered into our view of God too. If asked, I assume most people will say that they believe in God. It doesn’t take much persuading to comprehend that the world we live in, the complexity of life, the uniqueness of the Universe couldn’t have simply happened by accident. Romans 1: 20, declares that creation itself proves there is a God! In fact, the next time your faith is being attacked by the adversary, simply walk outside on a clear night and stare at the heavens. Stare at the amazing work of God's hands. Try to count the stars, go ahead and try, your spirit will be refreshed knowing that our God is great and awesome!
As I stated earlier, I believe that most people honestly believe in God. And many believe that He sent His Son Jesus to the earth, to die on the cross, and to rise again for us. They believe it, but it is merely intellectual acknowledgments to facts. They proclaim to know God, but they really don’t believe anyone can really K N O W God. I have found that to be true even with people who have spent their entire lives sitting in church pews. They believe in God, they believe in the Bible, but they don’t really know if anyone can truly KNOW God.
Does God wear a mask in order to conceal who He truly is?
No! I don’t think so. Now, don’t get me wrong. I fully understand that our 3 ½ pound brains cannot fully figure out the creator of the universe, or even comprehend the depth and richness of the Trinity. And I know, and believe, when the Bible says that we live by faith. But I also believe that God wants to “reveal” Himself to His children, not conceal Himself. God isn't wearing a mask, instead, He desires for us to know HIm, to truly, honestly, K N O W Him!
A good study of the New Testament teaches us that God has revealed Himself to us through the person of His Son Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1: 3, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
Jesus is the express imprint of the very nature of God. To truly KNOW the Father, we simply need to get better acquainted with the Son. We need to spend time with Him in prayer. We need to study Him, study His loves and hates, His likes and dislikes, how He handled persecution, His enemies, His friends, the crowds, the sick, hurting and lame. We need to open our Bibles and dig deep into the person of Christ. For when we study Jesus, we see the face of the Father.
I don’t want to be like Philip, and I hope you don't either. Here was one of the Lord’s first disciples. A man who witnessed the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the opening of blind eyes, the lame walking, demons fleeing, the feeding of the thousands with a little boy’s lunch and Jesus walking on water. And yet in John 14:8, he asks Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Philip has been living around and listening to Jesus for 3 years and couldn’t see who Jesus really was.
I don’t want to be like the Pharisees either. Those religious leaders whose very name meant, “set apart.” They were so holy in their own opinions. They professed to know the Word of God, and yet, when the Word became flesh and stood before them, they couldn’t recognize Him.
Jesus said to Philip, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Men has seen the Father.” (John 14: 9).
Do you know God? I mean, K N O W God? You can. You just need to get to know His Son. Look beyond the Jewish man you think of in the pictures. Look beyond His humanity, and see behind the skin. Jesus reveals the Father to us in everything He said and did. Go open your Bible to the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and start a wonderful journey of getting to know your Heavenly Father by learning and loving His Son.
