“When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” Matthew 8:1-4
If you desire to draw closer to Jesus, see Him doing things in the Gospels, hear Him speak the words in red. This isn’t simply reading the words, but, actually ‘putting’ yourself into the story.
We are very blessed by technology that we have movies, like the “Passion of the Christ”, “Nativity Story” or “Mary of Nazareth”. or series like “The Chosen.”
In these films, we can see Holy Scripture come alive before our eyes. They allow us to imagine the look in Jesus’ eyes and the faces and reactions of those around Him.
Many times I’ve reflected upon the leper in Matthew 8. The tears that flowed down his cheeks as Jesus washed away this horrible disease. I imagined him leaping into Jesus’ arms and hugging him as those tears flowed.
Looking at the Gospel stories or any of the stories in the Bible, can change how you see God. Meditating on these stories in this way can make the words leap from the pages.
Take the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. Read these verses as if Jesus were looking into your eyes as He speaks. Think about the breeze and smell of the flowers around you. Imagine the person next to you just lost his son, as Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (v. 4). His mouth drops open and tear well up, you see Jesus looking directly at him.
I hope these little examples of what reading scripture in this manner can do to open your eyes, and more importantly, open your heart to what Jesus is teaching and saying to you.