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Is Jesus real to you?  I mean really.  As real as your best friend is to you.

I believe so many people – even Christian people – understand Jesus as God, or a religion or a concept, but don’t have a grid for really knowing Him in a relationship that is personal, deep and interactive.

I mean it kind of makes sense, right? Do you ever wonder how you are supposed to personally grow to know and love a Person that you can’t physically see?

Good news: It’s not as much of a mystery as you might think.

Jesus Is A Real Man

One time back in college I was spending time with God in my campus apartment.  I started reading Revelation 1 and had an encounter with God that set a course for the rest of my life.  I’m not being an overly dramatic creative when I say that; it really did impact me that much.  I ended up reading that passage, praying and worshipping Jesus for a few hours.

Why, you ask?

Often in the Bible Jesus will be described based on the work He does in our lives. For example, the One who loved us and forgave our sins by shedding His own blood (Revelation 1:5), or the One through whom everything was made (John 1:3), etc.

But in Revelation 1:9-18, John writes about an encounter he had with Jesus in a vision where the Lord revealed Himself to John in His glorified state, after His resurrection from the dead and ascension to Heaven.  As John describes how majestic Jesus was, he also makes a point to describe Jesus’ physical, human frame.

John talks about Jesus wearing a long robe with a sash across His chest, His head and hair being white like wool, His voice thundering like ocean waves, His hand reaching out to touch John, a sword coming from His mouth. (don’t freak out, it’s imagery 😉 )

And I was so struck that although Jesus is God and thus powerful and majestic, He is also human to the point that John could describe Jesus’ physical being.  I remember reading that and thinking, “oh my gosh, Jesus is a real Man!”

I was also so excited about what I was learning that I screamed that phrase out to my roommate at the time (also a Christian) without giving her any context to what Jesus was showing me in the Word, so for a second she thought I was crazy.  Then I explained my fresh insight into Revelation 1 and she thought it was cool too.  To this day she and I laugh about that night. 🙂

Here’s the thing.  I already understood the concept of Jesus being fully God and fully human.  That wasn’t new information to me as a Christian.  But as I read the Bible that day, Jesus’ humanity caught my attention in a deeper way. I started making connections in a way I hadn’t before.

If Jesus has real eyes then He can see me.  If He has real ears then He can hear me when I talk to Him.  If He has a real voice, then He can speak to me.  If He has a real heart, then He has real emotions about me and about others and He can reveal those emotions to me.  Which means…

Jesus is knowable and relational.  You and me, can interact with Him, know Him and love Him personally and deeply, just as we would with a close friend.

He is not a distant, stoic God.  He is not just a religion or a concept. Although we can’t see Him and He is not physically present on the earth at the moment, through His Spirit He is so close to us and makes Himself known to us.

How To Know Jesus Personally

So the question becomes, if Jesus is knowable and relational, how do you actually get to know Him and relate to Him?

How do you take this concept of Jesus and make Him personal to your heart and life? How do you know and love Him as a real Person?

Luke 24:27-32, 44-45 describes an encounter between Jesus and two of his followers right after His resurrection and their interaction gives us some tips on how to encounter Jesus personally through His Word and talking to Him. (Read all of Luke 24 for the full context)

1. Let Jesus reveal Himself to you through the Scriptures.

”Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:27)

Have you ever thought about the fact that Bible is not just meant to teach you information but also to reveal Jesus to you and help you encounter Him?

One of my favorite verses is John 5:39 where Jesus says to a group of religious leaders, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to Me!”

The Scriptures point us to Jesus.  The Scriptures lead us into personal experience and interaction in our hearts with the One the verses describe.  The Scriptures reveal Jesus to us.

As you read the Bible, observe what the Scriptures say about Jesus.

There are descriptions and stories about Jesus throughout Scripture, but many of them are in the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life on earth (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), the book of Hebrews and the book of Revelation.

As you come across passages that describe Jesus and His life, pause and ask:

What does this say about His character and actions? What example does He set for me to follow? What did He teach me about how to live? What did He experience in life that I can ask Him to help me walk through as I face it in my own life?

As you let Jesus show you things about Himself in the Word, not only will you learn about who He is from Scripture, but you will start to make connections as you experience those aspects of His character as He works in your life.

2. Let Jesus explain the Scriptures to you.

“Then He said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:44-45)

Before you read the Bible, pray and ask Jesus to speak to you and teach to you from His Word.

You could pray something like: “Jesus, as I read Your Word explain the Scriptures to me. Help me understand what they mean, what they reveal about You, and how they apply to my life.”

It’s powerful when you start to have conversations with Jesus around His Word and you experience Him speaking to your heart from the Scriptures.  Understanding is gained in that conversation.  Transformation happens in that conversation.  Relationship with Jesus is developed in that conversation.

Just like He did for His disciples in Luke 24, Jesus wants to help you understand His Word and grow closer to Him in that process.

Whether you’re reading one of the New Testament letters, the Gospels, the Old Testament narratives, or the Psalms – anything you read in the Bible – bring Jesus into that conversation and ask Him to help you understand, to reveal Himself to you, and to help you live out what He teaches you.

***For more on how to spend personal time in prayer and Scripture, head to the Free Resource Library and download: Tips on Spending Time With God***

3. Talk to Jesus as you read the Scriptures.

They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32)

As you read and learn, and He highlights truth from His Word to you, you’re going to come across verses that describe His nature.  You’re going to come across verses that give you instruction how to live as a follower of Jesus.  You going to come across verses that teach you what to believe and how He has promised to work in your life.  You’re going have questions.  You’re going to come across statements of praise to Him. Etc.

Pause and turn the phrases and insights in the Bible verses you’re reading into prayers, and actually speak them out to Jesus.

Ask Him the questions you have.  Take the statements of praise or about His character and declare them back to Him as praise for who He is.  Ask Him to help you obey His commands.  Ask to experience His promises more in your life. Ask for Him to reveal aspects of His character more to you, etc.

Praying Scripture this way works better in the Psalms that contain lots of praise, or in the New Testament letters that contain lots of truth about what to believe and how to live as a Christian than it does in, say, the Old Testament stories.

Every passage you read may not be “pray-able” but as it is relevant, turn what you’re reading in the Bible into prayer/conversation with Jesus.

Grow In The Knowledge of Jesus

Ever since that night in college, I have made it a life pursuit to be someone who know and loves Jesus deeply and helps others to do the same.

My goal, if I can call it that, is to get to know Jesus so well on this side of eternity that when I see Him for the first time on the other side it’s like I’m looking at a familiar face, even though I’ve never seen Him with my eyes before…because I so pursued close relationship with Him through His Word, and talking to Him, and experiencing Him work in my life in this age.

I want to invite you into that pursuit too.  Not only will you get to know Jesus better and better (Colossians 1:10), but like the disciple in Luke 24:32 exclaimed, your heart will burn within you.  It will become the fuel of your love and passion for Jesus.

Let’s Talk: What is a time when Jesus made Himself known to you or taught you something as you read the Bible?  Discuss this post in the comments below.

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