Spiritual blindness can overcome us any time and it can stay with us even when we are given the truth. The man in John's gospel was blind from birth. After he was healed by Jesus, the Jews didn't believe he had been blind from birth until they talked to his parents. They insisted on checking it out for themselves. But they remained blind to the truth even after they heard it. They asked the man himself, how he could have been made to see, not believing what they could not understand. Even after they heard it from the healed blind man himself, "All I know is once I was blind and now I can see," they did not see the truth, nor did they want to:
He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again?
They had formed their conclusions about the truth. They were blind in their sin, though Jesus came for sinners. As I explore what is the will of God, I can often have my own perceptions about what is and what is not true. I can be blind to the truth of a matter or an issue, even when it is front of me. Even when there is proof. I think that is because receiving the truth means we might have to give up our own perceptions and convictions and realities. If we take the cup and drink it, we might have to confess we are blind and wrong about a lot of things.
God sees the heart of the matter and sees our hearts. If to others it seems impossible that a blind man can see, or that a simple person can be wise, or a marginalized individual can see the truth, or a sinner can have a word for us, To God all things are possible - salvation comes from hearing the truth when we cannot always see it.
I think we need to listen to the Spirit, so that we can see our circumstances from God's perspective. So we can see others as Jesus sees them - we are ALL blind from birth, and remain blind, without the love of Jesus touching us personally. We do not inherit the truth by gender, or heritage, or knowledge or power - we come to see the truth because Jesus touched us. And then we come to faith, and without shame, claim that HE is Lord, not our own agendas. 11The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
The song, Open my Eyes That I may See, comes to mind. It is sung in worship together. May we not wink at the truth, or close a blind eye to the One who gathers us all together to praise Him as one:
3O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together (Psalm 25). Then let the truth set us free to see to the heart of the matters before us.
3 comments:
Thank you for that. It is true that I tend not to listen to the Spirit, but to myself. That explains my failure to see things that are right in front of my face.
"The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved."
What hope that gives me. I would be utterly lost without this promise from the Lord. I am reminded that it is by grace we are saved.I pray I will always cling to faith.
The truth of God's love is always there for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. However, as humans with the "gift" of free will, too often the eyes are closed and the ears are plugged. Only when the heart and soul are reawakened can we once again experience with all of our senses the love of our Lord and his saving grace. Thanks for the post.
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