Day 11 — See People Through the Eyes of Jesus

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” — Matthew 9:36 (NIV)

As you continue following Jesus, you will discover that He is not only transforming your mind and your heart but transforming the way you see people. Our natural tendency is to judge by outward appearances. We notice mistakes, personalities, opinions, lifestyles, and first impressions. We can make quick assumptions without knowing a person's story.

Jesus saw differently. Where others saw a failure, Jesus saw someone the Father loved. Where others saw a sinner, Jesus saw someone worth pursuing. Where others saw an outcast, Jesus saw someone who belonged at His table. Where others saw a hopeless situation, Jesus saw the possibility of redemption.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus continually looked beyond what people had become to what they could become through the transforming power of God. Peter was an ordinary fisherman with many weaknesses, yet Jesus saw a man who would help lead the early church. Matthew was known as a dishonest tax collector, but Jesus saw a faithful disciple. The Samaritan woman had a broken past, yet Jesus entrusted her with sharing the good news with her entire village. The world often labels people by their failures but Jesus sees what His grace can do in a life. As disciples, we are learning to see people through His eyes.

Seeing people through the eyes of Jesus does not mean ignoring sin or pretending wrong choices do not matter. Jesus never compromised truth. He lovingly confronted sin because He wanted people to experience freedom. Grace and truth walked together in Jesus, and they should walk together in us. When we begin seeing people through His eyes, we stop defining them by their worst moment. Instead, we remember that every person is created in the image of God and deeply loved by Him.

A person's present condition does not tell us the end of their story. God may be working in places we cannot yet see.

Sometimes we encounter someone who appears angry, difficult, distant, or hard to love. Our first reaction may be judgment but compassion asks a different question: “What might this person be carrying that I cannot see?” Maybe anger is covering deep hurt, maybe pride is hiding insecurity or maybe harsh words are flowing from years of rejection. We may never know the entire story, but we can choose compassion instead of quick judgment.

Matthew tells us that when Jesus looked at the crowds, He saw that they were harassed and helpless. He saw beneath the surface and saw their need and His response was compassion. The more we become like Jesus, the more we learn to do the same.

There is another part of seeing people through the eyes of Jesus. We learn not only to see where someone has been, but also to believe God for what their life can become in Him. This doesn’t mean pretending we know God's exact plans for another person. It means refusing to let someone's weakness, failure, past, or present struggle become the final word over their life. God is still working. The person who seems far from God today may become a passionate follower of Jesus. The person struggling today may someday help someone else walk through the same struggle. The person who feels forgotten may discover their identity as a deeply loved child of God. We don't have to know exactly what God will do. We simply refuse to put a period where God may still be writing the story.

Our words reveal how we see people. It is easy to reinforce someone's weakness, and we may think or say: They're always difficult. They'll never change. That's just who they are but disciples of Jesus should be careful about placing permanent labels on people God is still transforming.

Words matter. Begin declaring good things for people and this comes by seeing them the way Jesus does. Our words can strengthen, encourage, comfort, and point people toward truth. This doesn’t mean flattering people or speaking things God has not said. It means allowing our words to agree with God's heart. We can remind people that they are seen and that they matter and that God's grace is greater than their past. We can let them know that Jesus offers forgiveness, freedom, restoration, and new life. Sometimes one sincere word of encouragement can help someone begin seeing themselves differently.

When we see people differently, we begin responding differently. Instead of immediately criticizing, we may pray. Instead of assuming, we may listen. Instead of avoiding someone, we may show kindness and instead of reminding someone of who they used to be, we may encourage the growth we see God producing. The more time we spend with Jesus, the more His heart becomes our heart. His compassion begins shaping our compassion, His mercy begins shaping our mercy, His love becomes visible through the way we treat people. The world does not need more followers of Jesus who are simply skilled at identifying what is wrong with everyone. It needs disciples who carry both truth and compassion.

Ask the Holy Spirit to bring one person to your mind today. Maybe it is someone who is difficult to love. Maybe it is someone you have misunderstood. Maybe it is someone whose failures have shaped the way you think about them. Maybe it is someone others tend to overlook. Pray for that person by name.

Then ask: “Jesus, help me see this person the way You see them.”

Pay attention to your own thoughts and attitudes.

Have you placed a label on them?

Have you assumed you know their whole story?

Have you focused more on their weakness than on what God may be doing in their life?

Ask the Holy Spirit to replace judgment with compassion and give you an opportunity to speak truth, encouragement, or kindness. You may be surprised by how seeing someone differently begins changing the way you love them.

Do I tend to judge people by outward appearances, or do I seek to understand them through the compassion of Christ?

Is there someone I have allowed a past failure, personality, or struggle to define in my mind? How might Jesus see that person differently?

Are my words reinforcing people's failures or pointing them toward hope and truth?

Who is God asking me to see differently today?