Simon said this, not because he recognized that Jesus the carpenter was a better fisherman than he, but because during the time he had been able to observe the Master, he had been increasingly attracted to Him. Attention must always precede attraction.

Malcolm Muggeridge, the British author and critic, was for many years a very brilliant and articulate skeptic. His keen mind and scathing wit made for a formidable combination to debunk the many things that did not meet with his approval. One day on assignment for the British Broadcasting Company, he was sitting in the crypt under the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem waiting for the streams of tourists and pilgrims to pass through so that he could film his commentary. The crypt itself is rather gloomy and unattractive, with many smoky lamps and thread-bare wall hangings. There is even a silver marker which purports to locate the exact place where the infant Jesus was cradled. I can think of no place on earth more ideally suited for a skeptic to have a heyday.

But when a group of pilgrims entered the crypt, Malcolm Muggeridge was strangely moved by what he saw. Some of them fell on their knees in prayer. Others began to sing quietly, while still others appeared to be in a state of ecstasy as they huddled in that unlikely place. The impact on Muggeridge was dramatic and started him on his own spiritual pilgrimage, and eventually to the place of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ skillfully disguised as an internationally acclaimed author and television commentator.

It is easy to see how Simon became so attracted to Jesus because he could observe Him "up close and personal." But it takes people like Malcolm Muggeridge to remind us that those who love Him are the ones who can still effectively demonstrate the beauty of His person to a watching world.

The Word of God also displays Christ in all His attention-getting attractiveness. The scholar Erasmus, whom some called "the man who laid the egg that Luther hatched," was particularly concerned that the common people should have the Bible available to them in their own language. So he set about translating it for them despite considerable opposition from church officials, who were nervous about what ordinary people would do with the Scriptures.

Erasmus, in the preface to his translation, stated his conviction: "These sacred words give you the very image of Christ speaking, healing, dying, rising again and make Him so present, that were He before your eyes you would not more truly see Him."

Erasmus' words may contain a touch of hyperbole, but the sentiment is such that all who know the Bible will concur that in the sacred pages a picture of Christ in all His majestic beauty is presented for human wonder and response. Given the opportunity, He will get your attention.

From Everyday Discipleship for Ordinary People by Stuart Briscoe (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1988). (c) 1988 by SP Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission.