Lately, I have been learning about the reward of honoring someone. “Whoever receives a prophet because he is God’s messenger will share a prophet’s reward. And whoever welcomes a righteous person because he follows me will also share in his reward.” (Matthew 10:41).
When we honor a person for who they are and what they carry, we will receive what they carry. We do not set them on the peddle stool but as we can recognise their potential and the image of God in them. And when we honor that, we are accepting them as God’s blessings to us. It is a principle that God has set for us.
Have you ever minister to someone or talk to someone and find that they are not receiving from you? It is almost like the anointing of God being released through you bounced back to you? Maybe it was because that person could not honor the gold; what you carry in God for him or her?
Sadly, even the neighbors and loved ones of Jesus could not accept who he could be for them. They probably missed out on many of the blessings Jesus could have released over them – miracles, salvation, healing or deliverance.
In the Bible, there are instances where Jesus faced skepticism and disbelief from some of his family and neighbors regarding his identity as the Son of God. For example, in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 6:1-6), when Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth and began teaching in the synagogue, the people were astonished and questioned how he, someone they knew as a local carpenter, could possess such wisdom and perform miracles. Their familiarity of Jesus blinded them.
We see the same principle of how we “see” someone in God, we can receive the same anointing or reward from that person (2 Kings 2:10). Elisha was asking Elijah for the double portion of what Elijah carried. Elijah’s words to Elisha, “If you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not,” show that Elisha’s ability to perceive the spiritual truth of the moment is crucial for him to receive the double portion of Elijah’s spirit that he had requested. This goes beyond mere visual observation; it speaks to Elisha’s spiritual readiness and understanding of the transition of prophetic authority.
The act of “seeing” in this context implies a deep spiritual insight and comprehension of the divine plan unfolding before Elisha’s eyes. When Elijah said to Elisha “if you SEE ME taken away.. You can have a double portion of my anointing”., he was actually saying : “if you receive and believe in the power given to me, you an have what you have asked.”
The Hebrew word for “see” in 2 Kings 2:10 is “רָאָה” (ra’ah). This word encompasses the act of perceiving, discerning, and experiencing reflecting a deeper level of understanding beyond mere physical sight. In this context, it conveys the idea of spiritual perception and comprehension, signifying Elisha’s readiness to inherit Elijah’s prophetic mantle.
May I add too, that it was important for Elisha to “see, perceive and understand” who Elijah was in the spirit? Elisha has lived, ate, served and walked with Elijah for a while. It would have been easy to see flaws and the humanity in Elijah. It would have been easy to see and magnify the negative about Elijah rather than to see the power of God, the Prophet of God daily in Elijah. Elisha have to move above the natural sight so that he can receive the double portion of what Elijah carries.
There may be people who do not “see, perceive or understand” who we are in Christ. Maybe, they are not in a place to receive us, to receive the truth we carry and that is ok. There have been moments when I have shared the truth with some of my friends and they don’t seem to understand or hear me. Yet, a little later, when another person said the same truth to them, they could tell me that their spiritual understandings were opened! I can see some of you reading this part, nodding your heads. We could have said “I told you so!”
When Philip requested Jesus to show the Father to him, this was Jesus’ replies: “Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don’t you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” (John 14: 9).
Is it possible for us to be with someone for years and yet not “see” that person? What was Jesus talking about? We know Jesus has the image of the Father. But let us inspect the root word of “seen” to find out more of what Jesus was referring to.
The Greek word, (the original language the New Testament was written in), for “seen” is “ὁράω” (horaó). It carries the meaning of “to see, perceive, attend to.” It denotes the act of seeing with the eyes, perceiving, observing, or being aware of something. This word encompasses the idea of not just physical sight, but also understanding and discernment. It is used in various contexts to convey the act of seeing or perceiving something. In this context, Jesus implied a deep and profound perception beyond mere physical sight, suggesting a spiritual and metaphysical understanding of the Father through seeing and perceiving Jesus.
Do we “see” Jesus or receive Him as God? Do we accept Jesus as our Lord? Can we honor Jesus as the Son of God? In order to “see” Jesus for who He truly is, we must start with believing what He said in His word – the Bible. And we must receive Him and enter a relationship with Jesus. We cannot have the benefits, i.e. of being made whole, healed and live out the true us that God has created, until we accept Jesus as our Saviour.
This Christmas, I pray you will “see, perceive, discern and understand who Jesus is” and make the most important choice of your life, i.e., to receive Jesus into your heart to be your God and Saviour. You have heard this before, and let me say it again. The greatest Christmas gift i Jesus.
Have a very blessed Christmas everyone!
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