The Two Visions of Jesus

The verb to see in the Scriptures is very significant. In our language to see is to look, to fix the eyes, but in the original Greek the verb to see can have several meanings. John 20:6-8 shows us more clearly this: "Then Simon Peter came after him, and entered into the tomb, and saw the linen cloths laid there, and the shroud, which had been on Jesus' head, not laid with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. Then went in also the other disciple who had first come to the tomb; and he saw, and believed".

When it says that Peter saw the cloths, the verb in the original Greek is teorei. There it says that he contemplated, examined, but could not understand how the shroud could be rolled up, separated from the linen cloths. And, when he speaks of John, the verb saw in the original is eiden, that is, he saw and understood that Jesus had risen, and then he believed. Peter saw the cloths, and formulated various theories, but John had revelation in his vision and was able to believe.

But John had another vision of Jesus in Revelation 1:12-18. In the first, he had a vision of faith. His eyes were opened to believe in the Lord and the work done on the cross. At that time he only had the revelation of His resurrection, but in the second he saw Jesus in all His glory. The apostle Paul also had these two visions. The first was on the road to Damascus; the second, when he was caught up to the third heaven, where he heard ineffable things which it is not given to man to utter (2 Cor. 12:1-4).

The first vision we had was to give us understanding by the Spirit to comprehend the things freely given to us by God. Things that carnal eyes never saw and never could see (1 Cor. 2:9-13). But another vision is needed, that of the glorified Jesus. To see this, another miracle is necessary: that the Lord give us a spirit of wisdom and knowledge about him. This is a vision that comes through spiritual eyes (Eph. 1:17-20).

The cure of the blind man of Bethsaida also teaches us about these two visions of Jesus (Mark 8:22-25). The first is a real miracle. We were regenerated, freed from our perverse nature and enslaved to sin, so that we walk in newness of life. But did we succeed in seeing the Lord? This blind man did not see the Lord. Like that blind man, we too can walk for a long time without seeing clearly, seeing only men, and not the Lord.

Only after seeing Jesus the Christ exalted at the right hand of God, with all power in heaven and on earth, will we set our eyes on him, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). Only after that, we will do as John did: fall at his feet like the dead; deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him.

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