On Not Understanding What You Understand

John 9:18-41

According to John’s gospel, Jesus’ words drew an interesting response from some of the religious leaders. “Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’” (John 9:39-40). These unnamed religious folks get the point that Jesus is making, but not really. They recognize what he is saying and that he is saying it about them. But they don’t believe it and they certainly aren’t willing to accept it as true.

What was Jesus saying about the Pharisees? He was holding them up to judgment, he was pointing out that while they had every opportunity to grasp the will of God and to follow it they had instead turned in another direction, one of their own choosing. Now, even though their eyes were open and their minds were free to function, they had become hostile to the truth of Jesus’ message. “Surely we are not blind, are we?” they asked him. So these leaders recognized the claim that Jesus was making, but they were unwilling to accept him and the good news he offered. They understood, they just didn’t get it.

I wonder how much I understand but don’t “get,” how much I believe about God but am unwilling to put into practice. I’m a minister, I study scripture, and I am charged with certain religious responsibilities, all of which sets me very close to the position that the Pharisees held in their day. Do I hear the words of Jesus and then go on about my business, following a path of my own creation? Am I vulnerable to judgment for my spiritual blindness or hardness of heart? I certainly hope not, but all of us must remain prayerfully attentive to what Jesus is saying, must open our hearts and our minds with humility, so that we do not miss the true message of the gospel. We must also resist the temptation to assert our own perspective as the only valid one, for it is at that very moment that we become most prone to misunderstanding.

Live today with hearts and minds open to God. Live today with the confidence that in turning to Jesus Christ you may be guided along God’s way and not down a path of your own choosing where blindness will lead you to stumble and fall.

Prayer: Loving God, grant us the humility we need to live as your people and to follow your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.