When we hear that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), it may sound poetic, but it’s far more than that. It is a revelation of who Jesus truly is: the perfect, living expression of God Himself. Many people have asked me, “If God is invisible, how can we ever know what He is really like?” This is the beauty of the Incarnation—God did not remain far away or hidden in mystery. In Jesus, He came close enough for us to see, to touch, and to love.
When Saint Paul wrote those words to the Colossians, he was speaking about the divinity of Christ. Jesus is not merely a reflection of God’s goodness; He is God made visible in human form. As John’s Gospel says, “No one has ever seen God, but the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has made Him known.” (John 1:18) In other words, everything about Jesus—His mercy, His compassion, His truth, His willingness to forgive—reveals the very heart of the Father.
To see Jesus, then, is to see God’s face shining through human eyes. When He reached out to heal the sick, when He welcomed sinners, when He laid down His life on the Cross—He was showing us exactly what divine love looks like in flesh and blood. Jesus is not just the image of God in appearance, but in being. He is the eternal Word through whom all things were created, and in whom the fullness of God’s presence dwells.
For us, this means something deeply personal. Whenever we long to know what God is like, we need only look at Jesus. When life feels uncertain or faith feels distant, His face reminds us that God is not cold or unreachable. He is Emmanuel—God with us. And through prayer, Scripture, and the sacraments, that same living image continues to shine into our hearts.
May we learn to recognize the face of Christ in our daily lives—in the poor, the suffering, the broken, and in every act of love. For in seeing Him, we see the Father who has always loved us.
In His light and peace,
Fr. John Matthew ✝️
