Many of us had “show and tell” in elementary school. We would bring an item of interest to school, stand up in front of the class to display it, capture the interest of our classmates, and tell why this item was interesting or important to us.

The New Testament presents Jesus to the world first by showing us who He is, then by telling us about Him. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John contain His miracles, interactions with people, and accounts of His death and resurrection, while the epistles focus more on the significance of His redemptive work. Consider Colossians 1:12-20 which tells us of what God has done in Christ: delivering us from darkness into Christ’s kingdom, purchasing our redemption through Christ’s blood, placing Christ as head over the church, creating all things by Him, giving Him preeminence in all things, making peace through the blood of Christ to reconcile all things to Himself, etc.; these tell us about Christ. The gospel accounts more often show us Jesus.

Now this is not an absolute, mutually exclusive distinction, for John begins by telling us of Christ: His existence with the Father in eternity past, His role in creating all things, and how light and life come from Him (Jn. 1:1-3). Yet, John 1:14 does transition into the earthly life of Jesus by saying this about the Eternal Word: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Throughout the rest of the book, people are shown the glory of the Father through Jesus. When Nathanael was skeptical that the Messiah’s hometown would be Nazareth, Philip said “Come and see” (Jn. 1:46). Jesus told Nathanael he would soon see greater things than the miraculous knowledge Jesus displayed when first meeting him (Jn. 1:51). Greeks came wanting to see Jesus and Philip brought them (Jn. 12:20-21). When Philip asked to see the Father, Jesus said if you have seen Me, then you have seen the Father; at least believe for the miraculous works (Jn. 14:8-11). The purpose of John’s gospel account was to show the signs that produce belief that Jesus is the Son of the living God (Jn. 20:30-31).

Jesus understood that His sacrificial death and resurrection would glorify the Father. Jesus dying on the cross for the world should hold an amazing interest for us. The crucifixion will draw all men to Him (Jn. 12:32). Christ crucified is the ultimate love shown.  “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him” (1 Jn. 4:9).

After the gospel accounts record the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the command to tell what God has shown is given (Mt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16; Lk. 24:46-48). Luke begins the book of Acts by noting that his first book was about “all that Jesus began to do and teach” (Acts 1:1). Jesus showed us how to live by first doing the will of the Father (Jn. 8:29). Jesus resisted temptation in the wilderness Himself first (Mt. 4:1-11), then He taught and preached (Mt. 4:23; cf. Mt. 5-7).

Paul told Titus to show himself as an example to others by his good deeds (Titus 2:7) and also to tell people how to conduct themselves by speaking, exhorting, and rebuking with all authority (Titus 2:15). Let us show the work of the gospel in the way we live our lives and then tell others about the gospel when they notice (1 Pet. 3:15).

God guided Israel through the wilderness by highly visible manifestations (Ex. 13:21-22). When the tabernacle—the special tent God had instructed for Israel to erect (Ex. 25:9; 26:1-37)—was completed, Israel was ready to march toward the promised land; a cloud covered the tabernacle by day, and a pillar of fire stood over it by night (Num. 9:15-17). God commanded them when to journey and when to stop and set up camp (Num. 9:18-22).  Two silver trumpets were used by the priests, the sons of Aaron, to communicate to the surrounding camp of Israel and coordinate the movements of the tribes on their march through the wilderness.

God had promised Abraham that He would give the land of Canaan to his descendants (Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 17:8). God said that He would dwell among the children of Israel (Ex. 29:45). The cloud was a visible testament to God’s presence among His people (Ex. 40:34-38). Other nations evidently knew that God was guiding the Israelites by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire (Num. 14:14). In response to the pleading of Moses, God promised, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Ex. 33:14).

Today, we live under the New Testament (2 Cor. 3:6). We stand on this side of the cross to which the law of Moses was nailed (Col. 2:14-17). Nevertheless, the experience Israel had in the journey through the wilderness toward the land of promise serves as an example to us (1 Cor 10:6). The details recorded during the former covenant provide encouraging truths that revive our hope in the same living God we serve today (Rom. 15:4).

We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). We do not base our lives upon things which are seen, but on the unseen; heaven is our land of promise (2 Cor. 4:17-5:1). Our citizenship is in heaven; thus, we function as foreigners while on earth (Phil. 3:21). The songs we sing reflect the truth that “this world is not my home, I’m just a passing through” and “here we are but straying pilgrims” (1 Pet. 1:1; 2:11). We pray to God, “Guide me, O Thou, Great Jehovah” as we journey through the barren land of life on earth. We are awaiting the rest that shall come to the people of God (Heb. 3:7-4:13).

We do not have a visible sign from God today like a cloud or a pillar of fire that shows us exactly where to go. However, we know Jesus is the way (Jn. 14:6). We are to take up the cross and follow Him daily on our way to glory (Lk. 9:22-26). We have specific instructions regarding how to live recorded in the Scriptures; they tell us when we are wrong, how to make correction, and completely provide all the necessary information to lead us to heaven (2 Tim. 3:16). Both positive and negative commands are found throughout the Bible; thus, like Israel of old, He tells us when to stop and when to march ahead. Consider Ephesians 5:17-18 as an example of a couple of “stop” and “go” verses.

We must encourage our brothers and sisters as they journey alongside us toward this goal (Heb. 3:12-13). Sadly, many who start out on this journey do not faithfully follow the Lord to the end. As many died in the wilderness and did not reach Canaan, so many turn from the living God and wander away from the path that leads to life (Mt. 7:13-14). God has promised us eternal life (Titus 1:2). Let us trust His word and lay hold on the hope that is set before us (Heb. 6:18).