Invisible People

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I would love to be able to make myself invisible. I’d like to think that I would use my superpower for good—but knowing myself, I’m sure that occasionally I might have some fun with it.

You know what’s not fun? Being invisible when you want to be visible. You want to be seen, but people look past you as if you don’t exist. What if we had the superpower to make invisible people visible? Actually, we don’t need a superpower to make that happen. There are invisible people all around us. If we open our eyes, we might actually see them.

The book of John, chapter four, tells the story of an invisible woman. One day Jesus went out of His way to meet this woman. It was high noon when Jesus met her at a well—it was just the two of them. Jesus started a conversation by asking the woman for a drink of water. The request caught her off guard. She acknowledged Jesus’ presence but stated the obvious, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

The Jews didn’t like the Samaritans, and the Samaritans felt the same way about the Jews. Many—perhaps all—Jewish men in that situation would have ended the conversation right there. Her humanity would have been invisible to them. But Jesus didn’t see her as a Samaritan, he saw her as a woman who needed validation as a human being. The reason she was getting water in the heat of the day was to avoid people. She felt invisible to her family, her friends, and the local people of her village. The conversation between Jesus and the invisible woman was intense. Jesus talked to her in a way that made her feel seen. In fact, she might have felt a little too seen.

When Jesus asked her where her husband was, she said, “I don’t have a husband.” Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now.” Jesus didn’t say this to shame her. He was on a mission to save her and to give her real life.

At the end of their conversation, Jesus revealed to this Samaritan woman that He was the Messiah. Her response was to run into town and tell everyone about Jesus. She said to the people in town, “He told me everything I ever did.” The townspeople knew who this woman was. They most likely knew her past. However, on this occasion she didn’t come across as a woman who had been found out, but rather as a woman who had been truly seen—and felt alive because finally someone saw her. She must have been convincing, because many people from the village came out to see Jesus.

Who are the invisible people you might not be seeing? It could be someone you work with, a kid or an elderly person in your neighborhood, a homeless person, or a student at your school or college. The way to make them visible is to acknowledge them. Look them in the eyes and, if possible, have a real conversation with them.

Invisible people have a look if you’re paying attention. Their body language says a lot—head down, eyes averting others, slumped shoulders, and short on conversation. The way to see invisible people is to expand your field of vision. This requires us to spend more time thinking about others and less time thinking about ourselves.

If you want to see invisible people, ask God to help you. The One who sees all people will gladly help you to see invisible people.

Stay close to Jesus,

Steve