There are people today who say they met the Lord Jesus. Yet they continue to live the same way and to be the same person that they were before they met Him. Impossible! We can never be the same if we have truly met the Lord Jesus by faith. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW” (2 Cor. 5:17). “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor. 3:18)
1. There was a Samaritan woman who met Jesus at a well where she came to draw water. They conversed together. As she talked with Him, her old ways and ideas were brought to light and they crumbled before Him. She left her waterpot which represented her original mission and went away with a new mission. “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him BECAUSE OF THE WORD OF THE WOMAN who testified, He told me all that I ever did.” (Jn. 4:39) Jesus put a message on that lady’s lips that was never there before.
2. There was a man born blind who met Jesus on what he thought would be just another day of his dark and boring existence. He was told to go to the pool of Siloam and wash off the clay that Jesus had put on his eyes. He went and washed and received his sight. The religious leaders about him sought to refute his testimony of what Jesus did and tried to convince him that the Man who did this miracle was a sinner. The more this man thought about what Jesus did and who He was, the more convinced he was of His greatness. Because he refused to change his opinion of Christ, he was cast out of the synagogue. “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, Do you believe in the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is He Lord, that I may believe in Him? And Jesus said to him, You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you. Then he said, Lord, I believe! And He worshiped Him” (Jn. 9:35-38). This man not only walked away with physical sight which he never had from birth, but he also walked away with spiritual sight which he never had from birth.
3. There was a woman named Mary Magdalene who met Jesus by the tomb where they had buried Him. She had met Him before because He had cast seven demons out of her. (Mk. 16:9) She thought they had buried Him and she would never see Him again. She stood outside by the tomb weeping. When she turned around Jesus was standing there, but she did not know that it was Him. Then He spoke her name. “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” (Jn. 10:3,4) She knew His voice and would have fallen at His feet, but Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.” (Jn. 20:17) Mary Magdalene ran to the disciples with a message that she never would have believed possible. The Lord Jesus Christ was alive, who once was dead, and He lives to die no more. “You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart.”
4. There was a man named Zacchaeus who had heard much about Jesus, and there was a great crowd gathered to see him. Zacchaeus had no physical ailments but he felt a great need to meet Jesus. He climbed up a tree to see Him, but before he knew it Jesus was there calling him by name to come down. How did Jesus know He was up there and how did He know his name? He made haste and came down and received Jesus joyfully. He listened to the words of Jesus. Dying of spiritual thirst, he drank in every word that was spoken. “Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” (Lk. 19:8) This proclamation did not save Him. This proclamation gave the evidence that he was already gloriously saved and a great change had taken place. This rich tax collector who had cheated many people in order to become rich, was now willing to give it away. This man who many people dreaded to see because they knew he would take away their money, was now giving back money to the people from whom he had taken it. He met Jesus and his outlook on life would never be the same. He had new goals and new ambitions.
And so the testimony goes on and on! Through the Gospels and into the Acts. Through the centuries and on to this present time. How amazing is the transformation, how thrilling is the story of those who have been changed! There may be many pretenders, but the testimony of those who have really met Jesus can never be silenced. It’s real; it’s real! If you have been a pretender, fall at His feet, and ask Him to change you. You’ll never be the same.