We've probably all been in situations when we've intentionally looked away from another person to avoid making eye contact. Maybe it's an acquaintance we recently met. We recognize them but aren't sure they remember meeting us. As we pass by, instead of taking the risk to reintroduce ourselves, we look the other way. 

Seeing people is a powerful act. Especially when they see us seeing them, and we make eye contact. Eye contact creates a deep connection and fosters intimacy. That's why in one on one conversations with a colleague or even a friend, we frequently break eye contact to measure the amount of intimacy and connection we can handle in a given conversation. 

Seeing people sends a powerful message. Something as simple as eye contact says, "I care enough about you not to look away."

Throughout Jesus' ministry, many passages emphasize Him seeing other people. One of my favorites is a story in Luke 7v36-50. Jesus is having dinner with a Pharisee named Simon. There were probably friends of Simon and other guests in attendance who were invited to hear what Jesus had to say. 

At some point during the evening, an uninvited woman with a shameful reputation disrupts the dinner party. She barges in and throws herself at Jesus' feet, washing His feet with tears and drying them with her hair and anointing them with perfume. Simon is taken aback by this woman and the fact that Jesus is letting her touch Him. 

Unphased and unanxious about the woman's presence, Jesus does what He does best at that moment. He tells a parable to teach Simon something about love. But the most striking moment of the encounter is after the parable.  

Luke writes in v44, 

"Then [Jesus] turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?"

Jesus is addressing Simon, but not looking at him. Jesus is looking at the woman at His feet, and He's inviting Simon to do the same. Jesus knows that love starts with looking. The reason we look away from people, whether it's a homeless person on the street or an individual with special needs in our neighborhood, is because if we look too long or too hard, we might find that we start to feel what they feel. Or we might begin to feel some measure of responsibility knowing that we have some capacity to help them. Therefore, taking a serious look at another individual takes courage.

Just like Jesus invited Simon to see the woman in front of Him, He's asking us to see those around us too. Don't be afraid to look. Don't be afraid to make eye contact. Exercise the courage to say hello, and let that simple act communicate the care and love of Christ.