“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

John 13:34

“But I want Jesus with skin on.” The mom of a preschooler relayed these words to me after a night-time conversation with her son about how Jesus was with him, even though he couldn’t see him. Pretty profound, don’t you think? First and foremost, God sent Jesus to earth as both God and man — literally, Jesus with skin on — to live the perfect life we, in our sinful state, could not, and to be victorious over sin through his death and resurrection in our place. As Jesus ascended into heaven he declared, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). How can we know he is present even though we cannot see him? By looking for those around us who are obeying his commandment to be “Jesus with skin on” by loving others as he loves us.

Jane Wilke
Woodbury, MN

Dear Jesus, there are some I encounter who do not know you. Be in my words and actions so that they might see you through me. Amen.

Reflect: How might you be “Jesus with skin on” to someone today?

Read: Hebrews 10:24 and 1 Peter 4:10-11