One of the drawbacks of excessive media dependency is loss of the ability to stop and see

4 min read

The line went out the doorway and around the building. People had come from far and wide to see the painting. Finally, they would have their moment in front of a classic, a masterpiece.

But the strangest thing happened.

As each person took their turn, rather than seize the moment and allow their eyes to behold the glorious piece of artwork, they raised their phones for a quick pic.

Instead of looking directly upon its riveting beauty, they looked at the artwork through a screen. Close enough to actually see its varied shades and textures, they opted for the hand-held version. Only feet away from the real thing, they settled for a secondary view.

How tragic.

A Word from the Bible

This brings to mind an important word from the Bible. It describes a practice that has largely been lost on us and, if recovered, it could really help us right now.

It is the word behold. Since the term appears over a thousand times in Scripture, it must be something God wants us to understand.

Grammatically, behold is an imperative. In the older translations it was translated as lo. It simply means see.

That is, when you encounter the word “Behold,” the writer wants you to see something that needs to be seen. They are asking you to stop and see with your eyes. More than that, they want you to see it with your mind and with your heart also.

When you find a “Behold,” the idea isn’t just to look. The idea is to see, to really see.

Behold and the Birth of Christ

It just so happens that the word behold comes up repeatedly in the story of Christ’s birth. It appears four times in Matthew’s account of the birth of Christ and eight times in Luke’s. Here’s one instance:

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

-Luke 2:10

This was when the angels appeared to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem with the birth announcement. They prefaced their message that night with a clear behold.

In our day, it would sound something like,

“Guys, this is a big deal. Stop, see it, and let it sink in. Give it your full attention.”

Back to Beholding

The obvious problem is that to behold takes a little time and intentionality. Like most good things, it requires something of us. For people that are generally busy, distracted, and preoccupied, to behold anything takes too long.

Let’s change it up.

This Christmas, let’s be sure and take a moment to behold. For starters, let’s behold the people around us. Let’s make an effort to really see them so that we can better love them.

And let’s behold Jesus. Let’s stop and see him. May we not just look at him through a screen or through someone else’s eyes, but through our own. May we see him as we’ve never seen him before.

And as we gaze upon Jesus, may we have a nenewed appreciation for all that he is and who we are because of him.

Behold him!

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.