Man Sees Jesus in Meteor

It’s not every day that a meteor lands in your back yard. But that is exactly what happened to Terrance Cotton. He had recently moved from Abilene to Celina, Texas, a small town about 35 miles north of Dallas. He brought the golf-ball sized meteor into his house, and claimed a voice told him to look closely at the meteor, and when he did, he saw the face of Jesus.

This happened about a year ago. Many have come to see this phenomenon; some have seen it, some have been skeptical. I can understand that. The picture of the meteor on-line had to have a diagram pointing out the crown of thorns, the eyes, nose, beard, etc. I still couldn’t see it very well.

I don’t know how you feel about these kinds of things; people seeing Mary or Jesus in everything from window pains, tree bark, potato chips, or a stain in a Chicago underpass. Many people are drawn to these ‘sightings’ and find inspiration, or confirmation of God’s presence, blessings, approval, or whatever the emotional/spiritual need of the moment is.

Regardless of these other so called appearances, we have a clear indication of our “favored status” with God; for on a door in our church you can clearly see the image of the Apostle Paul. Skeptical? Look closely at the picture. It is the Apostle Paul. That he is on the door to the kitchen, also settles the question of whether kitchens in the church building is scriptural.

OK, moving right along, I can see you’re not too sure about this whole “sighting” of Jesus, Mary or Paul thing.

Now let me shift gears. My first reaction, like yours may be strong skepticism, and to quickly dismiss these people as misguided. But another thought began to nag at me after I read the story about the meteor image. I had to ask myself, “why am I so quick to dismiss these sightings, yet so slow to see the presence of Jesus in other places all around me?”

I admit that too often I walk through life, seeing things only from a physical perspective. I see people in their social situations, some doing well, some not so well, and I fail to realize that I shouldn’t be looking at people from that point of view. Paul challenges us all when he writes about his own perspective; “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.” (2 Corinthians 5:16) Add that to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 25:40 that when we encounter people who have needs, we are encountering Jesus in them. Do we see Jesus in these moments, or do we turn a blind eye, and continue on our way.

I still don’t think your going to find Jesus in the skillet burns on a tortilla, but I don't want to get stuck in Ahithophel thinking. I want to be more open to see Jesus in my everyday encounters with others. I am certain that if we look with more spiritual eyes, we will see him.