When Jesus came back to life, those who saw Him needed new eyes to truly see clearly.
Mary had only seen a gardener until Jesus told her his name (John 20:16). The two disciples of Emmaus saw only an unknown traveler until Jesus broke bread with them (Luke 24:30-31).
Later, the eyes of Saul (Paul), a major persecutor of Jesus’ followers, were also opened. He was stopped by the blinding light from heaven, and he heard the voice of Jesus saying, “Why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:3-6) Saul received the eyes of faith so that he could truly see Jesus as Lord and Savior.
In our text today Paul, who became a missionary for Jesus, declares that we can now see other people differently too. Because of Jesus, we can see that all who are “in Christ” are a new creation. The rebirth of every believer echoes the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There is so much more. When we see a person “in Christ,” a new creation, it is a sign that God is going to do something bigger – a spectacular reconstruction of His perfect creation. This is what other scriptures describe as the coming of a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1)!
So when someone believes in Christ, we see a new creation in that person. And it is a reminder of God’s continuing project of creating a new creation begun by the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection!
