“Are you ready, Gloria?”

Sebastian tightens his plum tie in the mirror and turns on the lights. The car waits outside, ready to transport the couple to a lavish affair in the hills.

“Just one minute!” she says from the walk-in closet. “I can’t decide which shoes to wear. Gold pumps or black heels?”

“You’d look beautiful in either, my love.” Sebastian loosens his tie, this time resolving to abandon the accessory altogether.

Gloria whips around the corner from the closet and holds up the shoes, looking up to Sebastian for his opinion. “What do you think?”

“You’d look beautiful in anything, my lovely ballerina.” He kisses her forehead with the desire to ease her dilemma. “You have whatever you like.”

“And you look just as handsome without the tie.” Gloria winks at Sebastian and kisses his lips.

Sebastian returns the sentiment and then eyes the shoes, as she holds them up looking back and forth to decide. “Black,” he says. “Timeless and elegant.”

“Black, it is,” she exclaims and slips on the high heels.

Sebastian eyes the dazzling beauty and twirls her around into his chest. “I want everyone to see you on my arm, my love,” he says. “You are my treasure.”

Passionate love always wants to be seen with its lover.

God wants to be seen with you.

His desire for you to be His compels Him to show you off because He enjoys the gift of being in relationship with you. God wants His love to be seen by everyone. He wants His lover to be made known.

“This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.” John 21:24

John bore witness about Jesus publicly because He wanted to be seen with Jesus. Associated with Jesus. Identified with Jesus. He loved Jesus and this love fueled His desire to be with Jesus everywhere for all to see.

John had already shown his desire to be seen close to Jesus. At the Passover meal in John 13, John is seen and recorded, by him, leaning on Jesus at dinner.

“One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom He was speaking.” John 13:23-24

During this dinner, Jesus has revealed some knowledge about what is going to happen to him but no one would ask Jesus about it. Instead, one of the disciples, Peter, asks John, who is leaning on Jesus, to ask Jesus about this further since he appears to have closest proximity in the moment.

All the disciples knew that Jesus would tell John anything. They assumed he was the one to ask Jesus since they were visibly the closest. Love is seen in its public demonstrations of affection.

“So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” John 13:25

Love is bold to talk its lover. John asks Jesus immediately, and does not hesitate. Love possesses the confidence in its lover to hear and respond. There is no fear of dialoguing in front of others. John talks to him audaciously without any fear. And Jesus responds to him.

“Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.” John 13:26

Everyone understands now what Jesus was talking about, all because the lover, John, spoke up to ask Jesus more.

You can ask Jesus more when you know He loves you.

You can discover more information when you know you can talk to Him about anything. Jesus wants you to ask Him questions and talk to Him without fear. Perfect love has no fear as 1 John 4:18 says. And Jesus reminds John of this truth in Revelation 1:17.

“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I Am the first and the last.” Revelation 1:17

John received the revelation of the end times because He was the one who knew Jesus loved him and he believed it with confidence.

Be seen with Jesus and you receive insider knowledge that only God knows.

Be seen with Jesus and you see what God sees.

Peter did not want to be seen with Jesus in John 18 once Jesus got arrested. Others came up to him asking if he was Jesus’ disciple. Peter was scared. Vulnerable. Fearful. So he rejected the very one who saved him.

“I saw you with Jesus!” the people said, as the noticed Peter’s face from the association. All of the disciples would have been recognized for being seen with Jesus for three years as they ministered alongside him. Once Jesus died, Peter doubted if Jesus was worth being seen with. Would it put him in jeopardy too? In a moment of panic, he denies Jesus. But he would not deny Jesus for long. Jesus would ensure Peter acknowledged Him publicly.

Jesus had to resolve this denial before he would allow Peter to lead.

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” John 21:15-17

“Do you love me?” he asked Peter three times.

“Feed My sheep,” Jesus said to him three times.

Jesus wants you to be confident about being associated with Him.

“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him or her before My Father in Heaven.” Matthew 10:32

Passionate love always wants to be seen with its lover.

“Be seen with Me…” Jesus says.

“Be seen with My people…” Jesus says.

“Be associated with My presence…” Jesus says.

“Be witnessed in My Kingdom…” Jesus says.

God wants you to see Him.

John wanted to be seen with Jesus so He got to see what no one else did.

“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴ The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, ¹⁵ his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.” John 1:12-16

Love wants to see every part of its lover and talk about it too. John writes down what Jesus looked like because He loved Him. This is why He was given the revelation. Because he would be the one to describe Jesus in detail without shame, more than all the others disciples.

God wants lovers.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

Be seen with God.