Recognising new creation

After His resurrection, two of the disciples walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, ‘but their eyes were prevented from recognising Him’. Luke 24:16. They had known Him for many years, but they couldn’t recognise Him as new creation. We are reminded of the words of Paul, ‘Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer’. 2 Cor 5:16. Accordingly, Paul spoke of wanting to fully ‘know Him’. Phil 3:10. In the same way, we should not know or recognise each other according to the flesh. We must be looking for the evidence of new creation. ‘If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold new things have come.’ 2 Cor 5:17.

As Christians, we need to look at each other through the eyes of faith. We must recognise the life of new creation in each other, and not be preoccupied with the way we know each other after the flesh. This was the stumbling block for many people who followed Jesus. They said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?’. John 6:42. But they did not know Him at all. They had no idea who He was. He was just the kid who grew up in the tool shed down the road! They didn’t know that He was the Creator of the universe. Jesus asked Peter, ‘Who do you say that I am?’. Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’. And Jesus said, ‘Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you’. Matt 16:15-17. Of course, it is not difficult to comprehend who Jesus is. But it gets a lot more difficult when it comes to our own relationships.

As a minister of the gospel and a servant of Christ in a full-time capacity, my role with everyone within my circle of activity is not as a social worker. I am not a financial adviser. There are professionals who can do that. My goal is to be part of that work of Christ that is recognising every individual according to the new creation. We do not recognise the old becoming new. The old is put off. Our new identity in Christ comes to us from above and we are transformed from one degree of glory to another. Some times the new thing in us, the new creation, is largely obscured by all the old things. It is our goal and our role to keep looking and finding, seeing, observing and recognising the new creation in one another. On the Emmaus Road, Jesus appeared to be travelling further than the disciples so they urged Him to stop and eat with them. As He took bread and broke it, ‘their eyes were opened and they recognised Him.’ Luke 24:31. Later on, it is recorded that He was revealed to them in the breaking of bread. Likewise, we can be revealed to each other in the ‘breaking of bread’ as we live together in a community of believers who are committed to recognising new creation.

David Falk

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Feature Articles
February 2009

A measure of faith

Faith for resurrection

Calling upon the Lord

Ready or not

Recognising new creation

Learning to shepherd

The word of faith

The fruits of wisdom

Following the Lamb

Once I was blind

What are fences for?