I was sitting in the prayer circle at one of the local Omaha colleges and was looking at the crucifix. The crucifix is on a slight hill across from the main buildings of the campus. I became aware that Jesus’ eyes are open in this image which is something I never noticed in other representations. From this vantage point it seemed like Jesus was looking down on the campus and seeing all the comings and goings of the students, faculty and staff.

There may be more representations of Jesus on the cross with his eyes open and it made me wonder what view Jesus had when he was on the cross. Did he see his loved ones? Did he watch as the women struggled to accept his fate? Could he see places he had visited as a child? I wonder if Jesus wanted to close his eyes during that time on the cross, so as not to see the pained expressions on his loved ones’ faces and knowing his own pain.

Then I began to wonder how I would see the world from this vantage point? Would I see it as a cold place with no one who cares? Would I see the love that abounds? Would I see that people are basically good, even if they are confused by so many mixed messages? Perhaps this is another twist on “WWJD” – maybe it’s “What Did Jesus See?” What would you see if you were trying to see with the eyes of Jesus? Maybe take a look around this week and see things from a different perspective.