Fixing our Eyes on Jesus

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). The author of Hebrews wrote those words to the Hebrew Christians. The “race” refers to the path God has appointed for his people to follow through this life, and he has marked it out in his Word. [1]

MacLaren says God appoints not only our duties but also our circumstances. He likens our path to an obstacle course. “There are many fences to be climbed, many barriers to be crept under, many deep ditches to be waded through, many bad bits of road studded with sharp points, through which we have to pick our way.” [2]

We can all probably think of times we have felt every bit of that. Life can be difficult. It holds entangling sins as well as many trials and hardships. But God, in his wisdom, “has set the race before for our profit that we might be partakers of His holiness.” [2] The Hebrews writer tells us how we can endure our race and successfully reach the finish line: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Whatever our eyes are fixed on, that is where our attention is. That is where our mind is. Research was recently published from several studies on a mental strategy runners use called “attentional narrowing.” The runner focuses on a spot ahead of him rather than on his near surroundings. When he reaches that spot, he picks another spot ahead of him. The closer he gets to the finish line, the more he narrows his attention. The studies showed that runners using this strategy not only run faster but perform better. They are more able to push through the tough moments. It improves both their effort and their outcomes. [3]

As runners in the race of life, we aren’t concerned about speed. But we do want to persevere through the difficult times. We want to work smarter at the tasks we are called to. We want to experience better performance as we maneuver around life’s obstacles.

We can accomplish all of this and finish our race well by simply shifting where we look. We shift our mind from our hindrances, trials, and personal desires to the reason we’re in the race. From where we are to where we’re going. From us to Jesus.

However, in trying to make this shift, we can run into a great deal of resistance. Charles Spurgeon said [4],

“It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan’s work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ.”

Satan lives to keep us from fixing our eyes on Jesus. The three times his words are recorded in Scripture give evidence of this. The first time is when he appears as a serpent to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Until then, the couple had lived in perfect union with God. They had walked with him in his beautiful creation, enjoyed the abundance of his provision, and obeyed the one command he had given them: to not eat from one particular tree. Their eyes were on the One who had put them on this path of life.

Then Satan came along and said to Eve, “God knows that when you eat of [the tree] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). In that instant, Eve’s eyes shifted from God to herself. She “saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom” (Genesis 3:6). Satan had accomplished his mission.

The second conversation occurred when God praised Job to Satan. “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). Satan tried to change that by shifting Job’s gaze from God to his possessions. He had Job’s servants killed and all his livestock taken. Then all his children died. But in his great sorrow, Job’s focus remained on God. “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21).

Satan tried again. He “afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head” (Job 2:7). He even enlisted the help of Job’s wife to urge Job to curse God. But Job kept his eyes fixed on God. “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10). Satan failed with Job.

The third conversation is between Jesus and Satan in the desert at the end of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting. Jesus was on his earthly path marked out by his Father to become the salvation for all who will believe in him. Satan tried three times to shift Jesus’ focus away from his Father and his mission.

First he used physical needs. “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3). Then he tried to create doubt of his Father’s promises. He took him to the pinnacle of the temple and said, “If you are the Son of God,…throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you’” (Matthew 4:6). And finally, Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. “All this I will give you…if you will bow down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9).

To redirect Jesus’ attention, Satan used physical comfort, assurance of his Father’s care, and a shortcut to kingship, but Jesus’ unfaltering fixation on his Father is seen in his three respective replies: Man lives “on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (v.4); “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (v.7); “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (v.10). Satan always fails against Jesus.

In sharp contrast to Satan always trying to channel our attention onto ourselves, Holy Spirit “will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). Jesus is that truth he guides us to (John 14:6). Since spiritual truths do not come from human wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:13), Holy Spirit guides us away from our own perspectives.

When “we do not know what we ought to pray for,…the Spirit himself intercedes for us…in accordance with God’s will” (Romans 8:26-27). Holy Spirit is concerned only about the will of the Father. He speaks only what he hears from the Father. Jesus said, “He will bring glory to me” (John 16:14). Holy Spirit always lifts our eyes to Jesus.

What might this look like in daily life? Perhaps something like this.

CW and I were at the ER recently. Although it was nothing life threatening and we chose when we went, it is natural to focus on yourself in such situations. What is happening to me? What will they do to me? Can they fix me? Will they do the right things to help me? So before we went, I decided to be intentional about fixing my eyes on Jesus.

I told God I knew that he cared about us and that we were in his hands. But I also knew that life is not all about us, there’s a bigger picture here, and he has a plan. So I prayed that we would have contact with whomever he wanted us to. Knowing that we represent him wherever we go, I prayed we would represent him well, that his light would shine through us, that whatever he wanted accomplished during the ER visit—in us and those we came in contact with—would be accomplished.

Many people came through our room. Whenever possible, we had conversations that focused on them. The lady who registered us said we were her first patients of the day. She was grateful we had started her day off so pleasantly. When she thanked us so sincerely, I was instantly aware that God’s goodness was observable in that room. It was confirmation that he was answering my “Jesus-focused” prayer.

Did everything happen as I wanted it to? No. The doctor’s assistant told us the doctor would be in to explain the test results, but we never saw him. Instead, the assistant came back to talk with us, with no mention of why the doctor didn’t come. I really wanted to hear from him. And we had questions. The assistant asked if we had questions, but before we could ask them, she left to check on something and never returned. No doctor. No questions answered. But God reminded me that I had asked that we would see the people he wanted us to. I had to smile. I let it go. Just as I let go of my unanswered questions.

This was a practical exercise on getting my focus off of myself and onto Jesus. If I did that more often, I wouldn’t be so bruised and battered from colliding with those obstacles.

In Psalm 3, we find another helpful example of shifting focus. King David was running for his life from his rebellious son Absalom who plotted to be king and from a multitude of other enemies, many of whom were telling lies about him. He talked to God about his threatening circumstances: ¹“O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! ²Many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him’” (Psalm 3:1-2).

Then David shifted his focus from his desperate situation to his Lord. “But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head” (v.3). He acknowledged that his Lord was his constant protector, the source of his honor, and the one who relieved his distresses and restored his joy. [5]

Fixing our eyes on Jesus is acknowledging who he is. It’s recognizing that all we have and are is from him. It’s trusting that he always knows what’s best. It’s declaring our dependency on him for every step in the race marked out for us.

[1] Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

[2] MacLaren’s Expositions

[3] Runners Improve Performance by Narrowing Their Visual Focus

[4] Morning by Morning Devotional Journal, June 28, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.

[5] Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Feature photo by Rosario Fernandes on Unsplash

Scripture quotations are from NIV.

Commentary notes are from Bible Hub. See Resources.