ARAMAIC STUDY – LOOKING TO JESUS – CHOR חור  Cheth Vav Resh

Hebrews 12:2: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

We throw these words out so much that we never really stop to considered what Paul is asking us to really do.  We are to look unto Jesus.  Big deal I am always looking to Jesus and I bet you do also.  We get in trouble and that is the first thing we do is look to God.  Yet, the Greek is more profound.  The word for look is aphorao’ which is not just looking at something, it is focusing your entire attention on something.  If you go to a basketball game you are looking at the players.  You may even be looking at, say, player number 27.  But if player number 27 is at the free throw line with just seconds in a tied game you and everyone else are aphorao’ at 27, you are focused on player 27 to the exclusion of everything else.  That is what Paul is saying about looking to Jesus, focusing your entire attention on him.  In the Aramaic the word is chor which is not just staring or focusing your entire attention on number 27 but it is doing so with the expectation he will sink that ball in the basket and win the game. Paul is saying: “Focusing your attention with expectations on Jesus. You know what happens when you do that? You really do see Him. Honest Native American. (Just want to be politically correct).

Here is a neat question.  If we are focusing our entire attention on Jesus what are we looking at?  There is nothing there to look at.  Let’s jump back one chapter.  In the Aramaic Hebrews 11:1 reads: “Faith is the conviction of Divine imagination and the revelation of what we Divinely imagine is a reality.”   

Do this, imagine Jesus in any way you would picture Him.  For instance, I imagine Him hugging me.  I see in my mind’s eye, my imagination His embrace. At that moment I firmly, without doubt believe He is embracing me and I honestly feel His loving embrace that I almost weep. 

I know what you are thinking: “He is playing mind games, just tricking himself into believing Jesus is embracing him.”   W. Spencer Walton was a 19^th Century missionary who founded the Sailor’s Rest in Duban, Natal.  During the Boer’s War he ministered to the British soldiers and distributed Bibles to them.  He had a longing in his soul to introduce these men to Jesus.  Where did this passion come from?  He wrote about it in verse:

I’ve seen the face of Jesus,

It was a wonderous sight,

Oh glorious face of beauty

Oh gentle touch of care,

It is  here so blessed,

What will it be up there.

Hey, this old boy saw something when he chot or aphorao to Jesus. As a child I remember attending the Billy Graham crusades in Chicago.  As we left the meeting one night the choir sang an old hymn:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full into his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of his glory and grace. 

This was written by Helen Lemmel in 1918 who was greatly influenced by W. Spencer Walton. 

Since that day I was haunted by those words, “look full into His wonderful face” I would pray over and over to see His wonderful face but all I could do was imagine it. Then one day while I was living in silence I meditated on these verses in Hebrews and I began to exercise my imagination.  I imagined I saw Jesus and I imagined feeling His touch but I quickly told myself it was all made up, I am playing a game with myself.  But, you know what? I doggedly stuck with this exercise  until one day I truly, honestly believed I saw Jesus and saw Him hugging me. A peace and joy swept through me like I never knew before. I now believe I have seen His wonderful face.  I have since been doing this exercise and it is just natural for me now. Every time I want to feel the presence of God, feel His peace and love, I just close my eyes and imagine him and my imagination and belief brings this to a reality. 

Sounds crazy, no?  Try it, exercise your imagination and practice His presence. I’ll bet like W. Spencer Walton, Helen Lemmel and Chaim Bentorah you will see Jesus, you will carry on daily conversations with Him and you will feel his loving embrace.