Jesus can be present right in front of us—and still be missed. This Crosswalk Devotional reflects on John 1:11–13, inviting us to examine how easily familiarity, pain, or assumptions can blind us to the presence of Christ. When Jesus came to earth, many failed to recognize Him for who He truly was. Yet Scripture reminds us that those who did receive Him were given the right to become children of God.

This Christian devotional challenges us to consider how we see Jesus today. Do we recognize Him as Lord, Savior, and faithful Friend in the middle of ordinary life, hardship, or disappointment? Or do distractions, expectations, and appearances cloud our spiritual vision? God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent—and He is still at work, even when we struggle to perceive Him.

Highlights

• Jesus was rejected because many did not recognize who He truly was

• God’s presence can be missed when we judge by appearances or expectations

• Pain, disappointment, and distraction can dull our spiritual awareness

• Christ is still present, powerful, and actively working in our lives

• Recognizing Jesus begins with faith, humility, and openness

• When we receive Christ, we are reborn as children of God

• God calls us to reflect Christ’s love in how we treat others

Do you want to listen ad-free?

When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! 

Sign Up Today!

This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt call Trinity today.  Trinity's counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org

TrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we're helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments. https://trinitycredit.org

Full Transcript Below:

If We Only Knew

By Alexis A. Goring

Bible Reading:
“He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” - John 1:11-13 NLT

While scrolling on social media a few weeks ago, I saw several skits with similar themes: a hotel concierge or a fancy purse store employee who treated someone poorly based on their appearance and denied service to them. However, after finding out who they were (famous, prominent, important, and influential), these people apologized profusely, but it was too late to take back their bad behavior and negative comments toward that person.

A real, modern-day example of how people may treat you when they don’t know you’re rich and famous or influential happened several years ago when a famous American broadcast journalist was traveling in Europe. She visited a local store to shop for a purse. When she saw a purse she liked, she asked the clerk to see it. But the clerk said no because it was too expensive. The clerk proceeded to try to show the journalist other purses that she assumed were in the customer’s budget. The journalist decided to leave the store. Later, when management received news of what had happened and realized who this famous person was, they apologized and said that they didn’t know it was her. They implied that if they only knew who this famous woman was, then they would have treated her better and let her see the purse she wanted because she could afford it. After all, this woman is a billionaire.

Reflecting on this real-world situation caused me to think of the Bible stories about how most people didn’t recognize the Messiah. I realized how often we can be just as shortsighted as the Pharisees and other Bible characters who didn’t recognize our Savior (Jesus Christ) when He was there with them. When Jesus was living on Earth, His own people rejected him and treated him poorly because they didn’t know who He was. It wasn’t until Christ’s death on the cross that a Roman soldier nearby said in Mark 15:39 (NIV), “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

This made me think: If Jesus Christ were standing right in front of us, would we know Him? Would we recognize Him as our Lord and Savior? Would we know Him as the most faithful friend we ever had? Would we treat Him well or would we treat Him poorly based on how He appeared? 

It boggles my mind to know that when our Savior came to save humankind, most people didn’t recognize Him. Even the disciples of Jesus Christ had trouble realizing they were walking with Jesus on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection (Luke 24:13-35). Did they not feel His comforting Presence? Did they not experience His peace? Did they not feel that familiarity with the man whom they followed for several years? How did they not know that this was their Savior who had risen from the dead and now lives forever, just like He said would happen when they were part of His ministry prior to His death?

Perhaps the disciples of Jesus were too traumatized and depressed by all the events that unfolded leading up to Christ’s crucifixion. Maybe they felt too hurt to see the hope who was walking right beside them. I can understand that because I also have felt too weighed down by the woes of the world at times, making it nearly impossible to sense God’s Presence in our broken planet. 

But the good news is that Jesus is here. The Bible says God is omniscient, which means He knows all and nothing is hidden from Him (Psalm 139:1-4 and Jeremiah 23:24). God is also omnipresent, which means His Presence is everywhere (Psalm 139:7-10). God is omnipotent, and that means He is the most powerful force in this world and the entire universe (Psalm 147:5). What a mighty God we serve!

When you feel burdened by the problems in our world, turn to Jesus. Know Him for who He is: Our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, and most Faithful Friend. It is my hope and prayer that we will always recognize God in our lives. Let’s not be like the people of the Bible era who missed the Messiah even when He was with them. Let’s be like the ones who recognized the Son of God and welcomed Him with open arms. Let’s allow the bright light of Jesus Christ to shine through us and fill the world with His pure love for humankind. May we also treat each other with agape love, kindness, and respect, no matter how we look (Leviticus 19:18).

In closing, I’d like you to listen to these songs listed below.

Song of Reflection #1: “How Beautiful” by Twila Paris. Listen HERE.

Song of Reflection #2: “Love God Love People” by Danny Gokey. Listen HERE. 

Song of Reflection #3: “Each One, Reach One” by Babbie Mason. Listen HERE. 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Will you know Jesus Christ when you see Him? 

Further Reading:
Micah 6:8
Matthew 5:16
2 Corinthians 5:20
Hebrews 7:24-25
Romans 10:9