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.

Clearing Things Up

Mark 8:22-33

The interrelatedness of our reading from Mark is fascinating to me. First we read of Jesus healing a blind man (Mark 8:22-26). Oddly, the first attempt at healing is only partially successful. The man could see, but not fully. People looked like “trees walking” (v. 24). But when Jesus “put his hands on his eyes again…[the man’s] sight was restored and he saw everything clearly” (v. 25).

Next Mark relates a conversation about Jesus’ identity. Though the crowds around him have a number of guesses as to who Jesus is, Peter is able to correctly answer, “You are the Messiah” (v. 29). But as it turns out Peter’s “vision” is not quite as clear as it seems. When Jesus begins to talk about what lies ahead of him Peter objects (v. 32b). Peter can only grasp Jesus’ identity about as clearly as a man who sees “trees walking.” He and the other followers still have much to learn about discipleship, about God’s will, about the nature of their own faith and where it will take them. Their spiritual eyes are not fully open. Not until the events of Holy Week will Peter and the others finally begin to “see,” to understand what Jesus was talking about.

We may marvel at the lack of comprehension that the disciples showed, but we have the advantage of living well after the resurrection. We know how the story goes. And still we do not fully acknowledge Jesus’ identity. If we did we would make better decisions, interact with one another more lovingly, support the community of faith more generously, live more righteously. As it is, our “vision,” like that of Peter, is still blurred by the expectations of the world, by our own sinfulness, by our unwillingness to let go of our possessions and rely on God.

The good news is that just as in the case of the blind man Jesus is still at work helping us to see. Our vision is not yet crystal clear, but by God’s grace it is getting better and better. And like Paul’s reflection in 1 Corinthians 13, the mirror may be dim now, but in God’s time we will finally see face to face.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes that we may see, and clear from our vision all that blinds us to your will and your way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Vision Or No Vision?

John 9:1-17

According to John’s gospel Jesus healed a bind man one sabbath day. Ironically, this gracious act of restoring sight for one man caused quite a bit of confusion for others. According to John, “They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided” (John 9:13-16).

The religious leaders were in a quandary. How were they to explain what Jesus had done? Yes, he had performed a miracle, but he had done so in defiance of the first commandment. Was this a good thing or not? As John tells us, “they were divided.” Despite their status as teachers of the law, the Pharisees lacked vision. They had the facts in front of them but they could not “see” what they meant. God was at work reconciling the people to God’s self, but the Pharisees could not even be reconciled to one another, and none of them trusted Jesus.

There is a word of warning for the church in this account. The Christian community may be caught up in wrangling over details, may be divided by a misunderstanding of God’s intent while God goes right on helping others to see and to live lives of wholeness and grace. Do we have vision to live as disciples, or are we blind to the work of God?

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes that we may see! In Jesus’ name. Amen.