From the Zebra Bag   Musings from a follower of Jesus, husband , father and pastor

“He Saw Her”: Becoming a People of Love

This message continues the series Becoming a People of Love, exploring how love is meant to be the defining characteristic of Jesus’ followers. Jesus teaches that while love for God is foundational, it is our love for one another that reveals our true identity to the world (see John13:34–35). But what does that kind of love actually look like in everyday life?

Rather than offering abstract ideas, this series looks closely at how Jesus loved people in real situations. Becoming people of love, as Jesus models it, is not achieved by trying harder or performing better—it is a slow, transformative work of thee Holy Spirit that flows out of knowing how much we are already loved by God. Jesus begins His ministry grounded in this assurance at His baptism, when the Father declares His delight in Him (Luke 3:21–22). Everything Jesus does flows from belovedness, not striving.

The sermon then turns to two stories that reveal a key aspect of Jesus’ way of love: He truly sees people.

In Luke 7:11–17, Jesus encounters a funeral procession in the village of Nain. Amid the noise and the crowds, Jesus sees a widow who has lost her only son—a loss that leaves her facing deep grief and a future of abject poverty. This is more than simply noticing her; Jesus perceives the full weight of her suffering. Moved with compassion, He interrupts the procession, touches the coffin (risking ritual uncleanness), and restores the boy to life. He then gives the son back to his mother, restoring not just life, but relationship and hope.

A second story in Luke 19 shows the same loving “seeing” from a different perspective. Zacchaeus, a despised tax collector, climbs a tree hoping to see Jesus without being noticed himself. Yet Jesus sees him, calls him by name, and chooses to enter his home. This act of love leads to repentance, transformation, and the restoration of the relationship between Zacchaeus and his community, from which he was excluded as a traitor.

In both stories, the Greek word used for “seeing” implies far more than observation. Jesus sees with understanding, allows what He sees to move His heart, and then acts for the other person’s ultimate good.

The invitation for us is clear. Like Jesus, we can live from a place of confidence in our belovedness and ask the Holy Spirit to help us truly see the people around us—not just their surface, but their stories, pain, and potential. Love may begin with noticing, but it grows when we take time, listen, and respond.

The challenge at the close of the message is simple and profound: Who is God inviting you to see this week—at church, at work, or in daily life?