Loving Someone We’ve Never Seen

Good Morning! It’s that time again when we take the opportunity to take a few minutes to meditate on God’s Word. We’re thinking through Peter’s encouraging message to those who are scattered throughout their known world. Today I want us to think about the first part of 1 Peter 1:8.

“And though you have not seen Him, you love Him.” That’s true of us too, isn’t it? We haven’t seen Him. Why would we love someone we have never seen?

Peter, of course, saw Jesus and spent three years with Him. He knew Him well. Probably Peter could say what John said, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life” (1 John 1:1). The things Peter could share with the people he ministered to are many, and because we have the entire New Testament, we know some of these same things even though we have never seen Christ or met Peter:

• Jesus loved Peter even though he had betrayed Him, and He made sure Peter knew it. Remember, “Simon … do you love Me?” (John 21:15-21).
• Peter saw that Jesus “went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed,” and he testified to that in his preaching (Acts 10:38).
• He knew personally that Jesus was “meek and lowly” and offered rest (Matt. 11:29).
• He could testify about Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 20:4).
• He could tell people firsthand about the transfiguration (2 Peter 2:16-18).
• He could share about the miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5)
• Out of love and compassion, Jesus healed Peter’s own mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31).
• He saw Jesus’ ascension and heard the promise of His return (Acts 1:11).
• … and so much more.

Can you imagine what it would have been like to hear Peter share these personal experiences? What excitement and certainty we would have heard in his voice! Peter was able to tell people that even though they had not seen what he saw, he could assure them that they could experience this same Christ by faith. We hear this excitement in the letter he has written, and through the generations this same message has come down to us. As a result, we can love the same Lord Peter loved even though we have not seen Him in person.

There’s a lot to think about here!