Friday, August 14, 2009

What Was Jesus' "Vision"?

Recently, I was asked "what was Jesus' vision? At the time, I was relaxing and in study of the Word of God. Yet, I was taken aback by the spontaneous inquiry by which I was confronted. My mind was flooded with questions that were derived from multiple avenues. Since one may often realize, when a person poses a question there are factors surrounding the need to know and usually a catalypst that has prompted the actual delivery. In other words, as humans we often have motives for our behaviors, whether good motives or ill; innocent or wicked; genuine or false, the need to know comes from within. Isn't it wonderful how the God uses anything and everythiing to stir us and cause us to have a desire to know Him. It was a heart issue. Someone was pursuing God with all their heart and needed to know.

So, what is a vision? Not something seen, but a vision as in a goal. Churches, ministries, schools, businesses all have vison statements and many have a mission statement. These two differ: a vision statement exppresses what one wants to do; a mission statement explains how one will go about it. A "vision" may declare what one hopes to achieve and why. It depicts the purposes of the endeavor and even the target group one desires to affect.
My first response was: "He came to fulfill the Scriptures, and that encompasses it all." We chatted briefly and brinstormed awhile longer, to include that He came to reveal the Father, to make disciples, to bring salvation, etc. Then I was reminded of the charge of the Anointed One: to preach the good news, set the captives free, sight to the blind, to heal the sick. Maybe, just maybe, that was the mission.
So, what do you think? What was Jesus' "vision"?