Jesus Incognito (Lent 5, 2025)

Luke 24:14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing Him.

Back in 1995, Joan Osborne released (If God was) “One of Us” and prompted an international conversation about seeing God in everyday life. In American Songwriter, Eric Bazilion identified his intent in writing the song. “[It’s] about what happens to you when you look at something that has completely changed your worldview, which could be meeting God…it could be anything like that.”

The men on the Road to Emmaus might have related to this.

The song’s lyrics are so applicable to them although they wouldn’t have used the word “slob.”

“What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Tryna make his way home?
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If God had a face, what would it look like?
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints
And all the prophets?”

Principle: Jesus wants you to believe the Truth, not just your assumptions.

Questions for further thought:

What do you do when all your prior assumptions are challenged? What does it do to your faith?
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Why might an acknowledged encounter with Christ completely change your worldview?
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What if Jesus came to you incognito and appeared as just another traveler on the road of life, in your daily routine, or in your workplace? We’re told in Hebrews 13:2, angels can be incognito, and some have shown them hospitality without even knowing it.
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How did the men on the Road to Emmaus encounter God as just a stranger trying to make his way home?
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What would you ask Jesus if you could ask Him just one question?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You told Your disciples that “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29). Help us to see with our hearts and our spirits what we cannot see with our eyes in this present world. We want to know You. We want to see You at work in our lives. Grant us faith enough to see. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Lent began Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025, and will continue until Resurrection Sunday, Easter (April 20, 2025). I hope you’ll join me and be prepared to have your eyes opened. I know mine have been in writing this series, “The Way it Had to Be.”

The author gratefully acknowledges Grok XI for assisting with this year’s pictures.
Technology can be amazing.

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2025 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations. We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
Revelation in 40 devotionals for 2022 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.
“Created to Display His Image” explored what it truly means to be made in God’s Image and the profound significance of that fact. They are archived beginning February 22, 2023.
“Seeing His Love with New Eyes” was the topic for 2024 and it explored looking at God’s love beyond the superficial and trite notions of love. They are archived beginning February 14, 2024.