[Music to listen to while reading this=> Youtube Playlist ]

I’ve seen this multiple times — proposing to view current events through the lens of _______ (fill in the blank with the theme that they consider important).

View these events through the lens of faith… through the lens of hope… through the lens of compassion … through the lens of peace.**

And then this popped into my mind (God can pop things in our minds, as was mentioned several times in yesterday’s Sunday Service at my church)! How about viewing things wearing our Jesus glasses, through the lens of how Jesus summed up everything himself! I asked and Google AI* confirmed this:

It would seem that the lens that we should use is the one that Jesus gave to us! Here is Matthew 22:37-40 from my favorite translation (The Voice):

Jesus (quoting Scripture): “Love the Eternal One your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is nearly as important, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The rest of the law, and all the teachings of the prophets, are but variations on these themes.

And then also from the New Living Translation (NLT):

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

So, this should be our lens. Focus on Jesus. Remember his summary of Scripture. Put on those glasses!

And while wearing these Jesus glasses, maybe we should view ourselves first. Are we loving our neighbor? Or are we just upset when others are not? (and this is not the time to say “yeah, but…”)

And Jesus went the next mile and even explained exactly who our neighbor was in Luke 10:30-36 (The Voice) using the extreme rift that was between the Jews (God is on our side) and the Samaritans (Jews think: we don’t even want to associate with those evil people):

Jesus: This fellow was traveling down from Jerusalem to Jericho when some robbers mugged him. They took his clothes, beat him to a pulp, and left him naked and bleeding and in critical condition. By chance, a priest was going down that same road, and when he saw the wounded man, he crossed over to the other side and passed by. Then a Levite who was on his way to assist in the temple also came and saw the victim lying there, and he too kept his distance. Then a despised Samaritan journeyed by. When he saw the fellow, he felt compassion for him. The Samaritan went over to him, stopped the bleeding, applied some first aid, and put the poor fellow on his donkey. He brought the man to an inn and cared for him through the night.

The next day, the Samaritan took out some money—two days’ wages to be exact—and paid the innkeeper, saying, “Please take care of this fellow, and if this isn’t enough, I’ll repay you next time I pass through.”

Which of these three proved himself a neighbor to the man who had been mugged by the robbers?

Background article=> The Rift Between Jews and Samaritans

And now, I am not ending by saying that I will pray for and cry with you (though I do). Instead, I ask that you would pray for and cry with me please (a valid request, just like the many times Paul asked others to pray for him => 8 examples).

*Note about trusting Google AI … summary: Don’t!  You can use it to suggest something that you will then go look at yourself though! I do this once in a while … like when I started this article. And guess what? I asked Google AI about how reliable it was … and it admitted being wrong … A LOT!

** Some examples of “through the lens of_______”

Through the lens of Romans 11:36

Through the right lens

Through the lens of Scripture

and

and

Through the lens of the Bible

Through the lens of faith

Through the lens of Jesus

Through the lens of eternity

Through the lens of Christ

Through the lens of heaven