The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19)
In His very first sermon, Jesus stood up to speak in the synagogue at Nazareth and read from the book of Isaiah. Amazingly, He misquoted the passage. Certainly there is far more at play here than the nervousness of a beginner, making Him bumble up a simple reading. The passage from the scroll that Jesus had before Him read:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn. (Isaiah 61:1-2)
Yet when Jesus read it, He added in one extra phrase, “recovering of sight to the blind.” Perhaps He was remembering quotes from other passages in the book of Isaiah or even from the Psalms that relate giving sight to the blind as an indicator of the same prophetic event spoken of in the passage He was reading that day — the coming of the messianic age. (Isaiah 29:18, 35:5, 42:7, 42:18; Psalms 146:8) We can only speculate. However, there is something very interesting about the fact that He chose to alter the reading to include the reference to giving sight to the blind in this watershed message. He singled out the one indicator of the messiah that had not been demonstrated in any of the prophets or other spiritual leaders in the Old Testament. Had He read the passage exactly as it was written and then concluded His remarks as He did with “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21), the congregation would likely not have responded as they did — trying to kill Him. (Luke 4:22-29)
Although these are just singular examples of numerous instances in the Old Testament that show that the other aspects of Isaiah’s prophecy had already been fulfilled, I want to relate these instances to help set the stage for what we will see as we continue the study. Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest is described as bringing good tidings when he announced the coronation of Solomon as the successor to his father’s throne. (I Kings 1:42) David, when reflecting on his experience of having to feign insanity to escape capture by the Philistines when fleeing from Saul (I Samuel 21:10-15), simply writes that the Lord was with him as he endured this experience of a broken heart (Psalm 34:18). The year of jubilee that the Israelites celebrated every fifty years was a proclamation of liberty to every captive among the people. (Leviticus 25:10) Joseph had prophesied that the butler would be released from prison. (Genesis 40:13) Every seventh year was to be a sabbath year in which the fields were to lie fallow in dedication acceptable unto the Lord. (Leviticus 25:4) The fact that Jesus did not quote the two remaining phrases concerning the vengeance of the Lord and comforting those who mourn suggests that He did not want to associate these two aspects of Isaiah’s prophecy with His present ministry. Since they are prophetic of His second coming, it is likely that He avoided these statements in order to allay confusion. Certainly there was enough confusion about His ministry as it was — the multitude actually expected that Jesus would set up a physical kingdom to overthrow Rome (John 6:15) and that even it wasn’t until after the resurrection that His disciple finally understood that Jesus had no such intentions (Acts 1:6-7). Therefore, Jesus wanted to concentrate the people’s attention to only the elements in the prophecy that He was to fulfill immediately.
The only reference to opening the eyes of the sightless in the Old Testament is found in II Kings 6:17 when Elisha prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant to see that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire. In this case, the servant was not physically blind. He had perfectly good vision and had been able to accurately see the enemy forces encircling him and the prophet. When his mentor insisted that there were more that were with them than were against them, the young man reacted by reporting what he had been able to see with his own eyes. It was at that point that Elisha asked God to allow the servant to see into the spiritual dimension where the angelic forces were at work. From this story, we can get a hint of what was about to fully unfold in the ministry of Jesus, but first we have to go back to the prophet Isaiah. From his very call into the ministry, Isaiah had been told that his mission was not to bring sight but to actually deal with people in their blindness.
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. (verse 6:10)
From this passage, it is evident that Isaiah’s mission was to those who were spiritually blind. They could see, but they couldn’t understand what they were seeing. Like Elisha’s servant, they couldn’t see beyond the physical circumstances to understand the spiritual realities at play — a malady that persisted far after the close of the Old Testament. In fact, this very passage from Isaiah’s call is repeated several times in the New Testament to describe the condition of the people at that time. (Matthew 13:14-15, Mark 4:12, Luke 8:10, John 12:40, Acts 28:26-27, Romans 11:8)
Although Jesus’ ministry was characterized by physically healing the blind (Matthew 9:27, 11:5, 12:22, 15:30, 20:30, 21:14; Mark 8:22, 10:46; Luke 7:21, 18:35; John 11:37), one particular incident seems to hold a place of prominence in the gospels in that it is the only miracle of Jesus that has an entire chapter of the Bible dedicated to it. This story gives us some significant insights into the spiritual implications of Jesus’ ministry of restoring sight to the blind.
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him. Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. (John 9:1-41)
The first detail that we see in this story is the question the disciples raised concerning the reason for the man’s blindness. Although it may be true that it was a general assumption in the days of the New Testament that all physical disabilities were the result of sin, it is interesting that the issue never arose in any other story in the gospels — even though Jesus and His disciples encountered hundreds of individuals who were suffering from every form of ailment including leprosy, deafness, lameness, hemorrhaging, and physical disfigurement. This question as an introduction to this particular story sets the stage for us to understand that there is to be a special message in this specific healing that will relate blindness and the spiritual condition of man.
The next detail that we need to consider in this discussion is found in Jesus’ commentary after He explained that the man’s physical blindness was not a result of either his own sin or that of his parents. Jesus added that He is the light of the world, suggesting another teaching that He has given in another context.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23)
In the present situation where the subject is a man with blind eyes, the concept of Jesus as the light would prompt the disciples to consider the implications of a person’s ability to allow the light to enter his inner man filling him with light versus having blinded eyes that doom him to being totally filled with, overcome by, and inundated with spiritual darkness.
The next detail has to do with the enigmatic method in which Jesus healed this particular man — spit, mud, and the Pool of Siloam. Throughout the years there have been a number of explanations suggested as to why Jesus used spit and made mud in the process of healing this man, and none of the arguments that have been presented seems conclusive; therefore, it is likely that — short of divine revelation — we will never have a full understanding of this curious act. However, I’d like to suggest that there is an intended parallel with the creation story in which God the Father made man from the dust of the earth. (Genesis 2:7) However, there had to be a deliberate alteration to the original scenario in that Jesus could not breathe life into the blind man since His blowing His breath would be the impartation of the Holy Spirit. (John 20:22) Therefore He chose the alternative method of imparting something of His own personal nature into this man. The Father breathed, and Jesus spat — but both passed something from their own person to the one receiving the miracle. In that the healing of the blind man involved a more personal impartation than most of Jesus’ other miracles (Mark 7:33, 8:23), it can be assumed that this is an indication that the act of healing blindness is intended to stand out as unique, special, or significant in some way. In similar fashion as to the question of the spit and mud, there have been many suggestions put forward as to why Jesus sent the blind man to the pool to wash. Most of these proposals are centered around symbolisms based on the name of the pool or the act of man’s obedience. There may be some validity to these ideas; however, it seems to me that there is a much more pragmatic answer. Jesus didn’t want to be present with the man when he was questioned about the miracle. You see, the miracle of giving sight to the blind is intended to convey much more than simply restoring physical eyesight; it also speaks to us about giving us spiritual insight. (Ephesians 1:17-18) Had Jesus been present, the Pharisees would have interrogated Him rather than the man. However, since the formerly blind man was alone, he had to answer their allegations and accusations. Amazingly, he answered everything they threw at him with skill, finesse, wisdom, and diplomacy. Just as Jesus would back these crafty accusers into a corner when they challenged Him about paying taxes (Matthew 22:15-22) and about stoning a woman caught in adultery (John 8:2-9), this man was able to snare these legal experts in their own argument by asking them how it would be possible for a sinner to have done such a miracle and if they wanted to believe on Him. As we read through the story, we repeatedly see how the Pharisees bumbled their way through the entire experience, trying one senseless ploy after another: he’s not the same person; well, maybe he is the same man, but God healed him — not Jesus.
The punch line of the story comes when the Pharisees accuse the formerly blind man of having been born in sin. Remember that the disciples also related the fact that the man was born blind to the issue of his being a sinner, or at least the offspring of sinners. The Pharisees then accused him of subordination that bordered on treason and blasphemy in trying to teach them anything. To them, it was unthinkable that anyone who had been blind could even dare to explain anything to them! As a result, they excommunicated him — an act that, according to their theology, doomed him to hell. About this time, Jesus showed up again. Actually, He did more than just appear on the scene; the wording of the passage suggests that He made a deliberate effort to seek out and locate the man. Once He had revealed Himself to the man — remember, the man had never seen Jesus before because he was blind when he had previously interacted with him — the formerly blind man confessed that he believed on Jesus and worshipped Him. At that point, Jesus tied the whole story together by explaining that the real blindness He was dealing with in this episode was not the man’s physical inability to see but the Pharisees’ spiritual unwillingness to see. When some of the accusing Pharisees arrived on the scene again, Jesus point blankly told them that they — not the man born blind — were the real sinners. The issue wasn’t that the man couldn’t see; it was that they wouldn’t see.
There is one other detail in the story that we must visit before moving on. In verse thirty-two, the man whom had been born blind remarked, “Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.” Again, we see the same idea that was suggested in Jesus’ first sermon in Nazareth — God has saved something extra special for the ministry of Jesus. All the other miracles prophesied by Isaiah had been manifest in the lives of Old Testament characters, but this one distinctive phenomenon was reserved for the ministry of Jesus.
In this light, let’s examine one other prophecy from the book of Isaiah and its New Testament counterpart.
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. (Isaiah 64:4)
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (I Corinthians 2:9-10)
When I think of these two passages, my mind always goes into “overload mode.” Isaiah was probably the most thorough visionary in history. He prophesied the Babylonian captivity, the return from that captivity, the virgin birth of Jesus, the crucifixion, and the millennial reign of Christ — to list just a few of his accurate and detailed insights. Yet, he still says that his eye hasn’t seen all that God has prepared. On the other hand, Paul — as a New Testament believer — can add that all that Isaiah failed to comprehend had been revealed to him through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, blindness is a common malady that effects all to one degree or another. Many of us we have taken color blindness tests where numbers are arranged in patterns of similarly colored dots. Depending upon the degree of color blindness we suffer, we will be able to pick out the hidden numbers on some of the pseudo-isochromatic plates but not be able to distinguish the pattern on others. In my own personal case, I have a rather marked degree of color blindness — so much so that my eye doctor once asked me if I had trouble telling the red and green lights apart on a traffic signal. I have also had a few humorous situations occur when I have mistaken objects because I thought them to be a different color, such as the time Peggy sent me to pick up her green suitcase. As far as I could tell, all her suitcases are black; therefore, I never figured out which one she wanted.
We also suffer from faulty vision in that our minds actually overrule our eyes in many situations. For example, when we look at optical illusions, our minds make us see things in ways that are actually not true at all. A common illusion shows the drawing of two men on a pair of lines that converge beyond the sketches. Because the lines trick our eyes into thinking that the men are standing on a road that vanishes in the distance, one of the men looks like he is far bigger than the other one. Once we take away the lines, we can readily see that the two sketches are actually the same size.
This physical test for color blindness and the games we play with optical illusions can help give us a little insight into what Jesus meant when He explained that He taught in parables because some people had eyes to see and others did not. Just as we all look at the same dot patterns yet not all of us can see the hidden numbers, only the ones who have enlightened eyes will be able to see the message inside the story.
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. (Matthew 13:3-16)
When Jesus made His statement about having eyes but not being able to see, He was quoting Isaiah 6:9-12, the verse we have already taken some time to study. We can begin to understand why we are often unable to see even though we have seemingly perfectly good eyes by looking at a couple clues Paul left us in his first letter to the Corinthians: Spiritual things are only discerned spiritually.
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (I Corinthians 2:13, 14)
Notice the marked distinction between two contrasting worlds of reality — the natural and the spiritual. In the natural realm, we get human teaching; in the spiritual realm, we get teaching from the Holy Ghost. Paul goes on to say that those who are part of the natural order are unable to receive the truths of the spiritual realm — and, in fact, consider them to be foolishness. In the previous chapter of this same letter, Paul had already pointed out that the wisdom of the gospel is foolishness to the unregenerate. To them, it is foolishness to love your enemy or to give when you are in need. However, as he pointed out in the early part of chapter two, this same message which is foolish to the unsaved is wisdom to the redeemed—a wisdom that is hidden until we are enlightened by the Holy Spirit and, therefore, made perfect or mature.
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (I Corinthians 2:4-10)
In his second epistle to this same church, Paul gives two reasons why we have eye problems. The first cause is that our eyes are blinded and the gospel is hidden from us by the devil.
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (II Corinthians 4:3-4)
Remember Nicodemus’ clandestine interview with Jesus? He wanted to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, and he was shocked to learn that it is impossible to even see the divine kingdom without being born again. (John 3:3) Nicodemus did not understand natural — much less spiritual — things. The god of this world has done such a good job of blinding the eyes of his subjects that they cannot see the kingdom that is presently among them. (Luke 11:20)
The second reason the apostle listed is even more tragic: we have voluntarily put a veil over our eyes. It is one thing to be blinded by an antagonistic force, but it is a totally different matter to willingly blindfold oneself in order to avoid the illuminating light of God. In Exodus chapter thirty-four, we read the story of how the people of Israel asked Moses to place a veil over his face to filter out the blinding glow on his countenance when he descended from his mountaintop sojourn with God. Paul explains the spiritual ramifications of their request.
And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (II Corinthians 3:13-18)
God not only shows us the condition and its cause, He also reveals the cure. As we have already seen, Jesus declared from His very first sermon that He was anointed to give sight to blind (Luke 4:18), and His ministry proved that He did in that many blind received their sight — a miraculous ministry that continued under the hands of the disciples after Jesus’ ascension to heaven. (Acts 9:12) In His message to the seven churches of Revelation, the Risen Lord confronted the Laodicean church because they saw themselves as healthy, wealthy, and wise. Jesus, on the other hand, recognized them as needing eye salve to correct their blindness. (Revelation 3:18) The context of His message to the church reveals that this healing is actually repentance — the only cure for both blindness caused by the diabolic work of our enemy and the self-induced blindness resulting from our own willful actions!
If the first step to the remedy is repentance, the subsequent step must be to use what vision we have been given. Remember that Jesus said that His reasoning for teaching in parables was because some were not given the ability to see. To the unregenerate Pharisees, He gave few parables; instead, He pointedly told them to repent. (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15, and Luke 13:3, 5) It was to the disciples who were beginning to see properly that He addressed the parables and even agreed to give some explanation of them. When Jesus began to explain the parable of the sower to these disciples, He added that the ones who had such ability would be given even more. (Matthew 13:12) They were the fertile soil in which just one seed of the gospel could germinate and produce thirty, sixty, or even one hundred revelations. In a subsequent discourse, Jesus emphasized the point.
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. (Matthew 25:29)
Our ability for spiritual insight will increase if we put it to use. Yogi Beara is quoted as having said, “You can observe a lot by looking.” Although he was not a theologian, he seemed to understand a truth that is demonstrated in the Bible. In Acts chapter three, we read the story about the first miracle healing through the church after the Lord’s ascension. It is interesting to note the various verbs used to describe the action of seeing. In verse three, the lame man is referred to as “seeing” Peter and John as they neared the temple. The next verse says that Peter “fastening his eyes” on the invalid, commanded that he “look on” the apostles. Notice the progression in the intensity of the verbs. When the lame man was only seeing he had no spiritual insight and remained subject to his crippling condition. When the apostle fastened his eyes on the beggar, he focused his attention in a way that he had never done before. It is certain that Peter had noticed this man many times as he had gone in and out of the temple over the years; however, today was different — there was a purposeful awareness that had never been there before. Finally, the afflicted man was directed to look — an action verb conveying purpose and expectant anticipation. That look of faith brought the man out of his physical dimension into the spiritual reality where he was able to receive his miracle. The author of the book of Hebrews also directs us to move from simply seeing the host of faithful witnesses to taking a purposeful focused look at Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2) The implication is that deliberate and purposeful focusing of our spiritual attention can enhance our ability to see into the things of the spirit realm. Hebrews 5:14 declares that we can develop our senses — suggesting our hearing and our sight — by purposefully using them. If we have become blinded by deliberately placing a veil over our eyes, certainly we can undo that deficiency by concentrated focus.
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14)
Paul even numbered himself among those who had limited clarity in vision when he testified in I Corinthians 13:12 that we (including himself) see through a “glass darkly.” But he also proclaimed that there was a day coming when we would “see face to face.” His point was that we can anticipate total revelation at the final resurrection; however, that resurrection power is already working in and through us today. (Ephesians 3:20) Additionally, we have the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our present lives as a foretaste of the power of that kingdom to come; therefore, we can expect to grow in clarity of vision as the Holy Spirit enlightens our present understanding. (I Corinthians 2:10) That is why Paul dedicated himself to praying for the church to receive the Holy Spirit’s impartation for spiritual vision.
I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. (Ephesians 1:16-18)
Many — if not most — believers suffer from Christian myopia, a nearsightedness that keeps us from looking at the full picture. Eighty-nine percent of American households own an average of three Bibles, yet fifty-two percent of Americans rarely or never read the Bible and only thirty-three percent say they read the Bible at least once a week. If we don’t read God’s Word, we will never be able to see the full truth that He wants to reveal to us. Even more significant is that those who do read the Bible often fail to allow the Bible to read them. To genuinely be healed of the spiritual blindness in our lives, we need to allow the light of the truth of the scripture to illuminate the obstacles that have blurred or obstructed our vision. (Matthew 7:3) Some people neglect spending time in study of the scriptures using the excuse that they can’t understand much of it. The truth is that we shouldn’t be bothered by what we don’t understand in the Bible; rather, we should be concerned about what we do understand but have failed to apply to our lives. Once we begin to seriously read and apply the Word of God, we will discover that our vision gets more and more clear and accurate.
Another application of eye salve comes in a bottle labeled “forgiveness.” According to the beloved disciple John, our eyes can be blinded by walking in unforgiveness toward those around us.
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. (I John 2:9-11)
One of the characters in the movie Patch Adams was a patient in a mental institution whose characteristic behavior was to get into the face of each person he met, hold two fingers in front of him, and demand, “How many fingers do you see?” Of course everyone thought that he was crazy because of this erratic behavior; however, Patch Adams eventually realized what the gentleman was up to. When Patch looked beyond the fingers and gazed at the man himself, the fingers were out of focus. Suddenly, he saw four — not two — fingers! The point of the object lesson was that we need to learn to look at the people whom God places in our lives rather than at the problems they may cause us. If we continue to focus on the problems, we will never see the people as God wants us to see them; we are blinded and walk in darkness. From my own personal experience, I can testify to the power of changing the way we see others. As a graduate student in seminary, my major professor became more of a tormentor than the mentor he was supposed to be. Every encounter I had with him was a confrontation. It seemed that he saw his mission in life as hindering rather than helping me earn my degree. No matter how hard I tried, the situation didn’t seem to improve. That is, until the day he made an off-the-cuff statement that let me see into his personal self. I realized that he was having trouble at home and that he was bringing his frustrations and anxieties from home to the office. Apparently, I had become the brunt of his emotional release. When I realized what was happening, I mentioned to him that I was going to pray for him and his family. Instantly, his attitude changed and our working relationship took a one-eighty! Magic? No, it was the blessing of God because I got my vision in proper alignment. From the moment I started praying for him rather than about him, I was seeing him the way God wanted me to see him. When I was able to stop seeing him as a problem and begin to see that he had a problem, I began to see him from the viewpoint of God.
I love the Agatha Christy and Sherlock Holmes stories where the detective sees what everyone else overlooks. The detective has the ability to see clues that are hidden in plain sight. Sometimes that extra insight can be the difference between life and death. When God wrote a personal memo on the wall of the Babylonian banquet hall, the devil and all his sorcerers demonstrated their lack of spiritual insight when they tried to read the words that were written plainly before their faces. Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin was a list of the coins in circulation in their empire. They could not go beyond the surface meaning of the names of their coinage. Certainly the Almighty was interested in more than just pocket change in His personal visit with the leaders of a great empire. Only Daniel — with his ability to understand what everyone else was simply looking at — was able to see that the name of each coin also had a second meaning. Just as our term “nickel” means a five-cent coin but also names a kind of metal, mene meant “to measure” in addition to naming their currency. Just as our term “quarter” means “one fourth” in addition to naming our twenty-five-cent coin, tekel had a second meaning of “to weigh.” Like our term “half” signifies the fifty-cent coin as well as meaning “fifty percent,” pharsin [u is the term for “and”] meant “to divide” as well as designating a monetary value. The terms mene and pharsin also seemed to suggest the rising empire of the Medes and Persians. All this revelation was “as plain as the handwriting on the wall,” but the magicians were blind to it.
The most tragic of all shortsightedness would be failing to see God when He is present and active in our lives.
Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? (John 14:8-9)
As both a preventative and corrective measure for this kind of spiritual blindness, the scripture continually commands us to diligently and purposefully seek God. For those who seek the face of God, the most popular promise is in II Chronicles 7:14, which says that He hears from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Psalm 24:4-6 says those who seek the Lord have clean hands and a pure heart and are in line for blessings and righteousness from their God.
Whether we will be able to see the Lord depends on the condition of our hearts. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Certainly, the pure in heart will see God in “the sweet by and by” of our eternal abode, but the truth is that we can begin to see Him in the “bitter here and now” of our temporal residence. Moses had this privilege (Exodus 33:11), but this was also extended to all the people of God.
And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. (Numbers 14:14)
Jesus came with an anointing to minister sight to the blind (Luke 4:18) and to give light to them that sit in darkness (Luke 1:79); however, it is only those who are willing to receive their sight that can be healed. Let us not be like the Pharisees who remained in their spiritual blindness because they refused to acknowledge their sinfulness (John 9:40-41); rather let us learn from and follow after the example of blind Bartimaeus who sought out Jesus, cried to Him, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me…that I might receive my sight,” and then followed Him. (Mark 10:46-52)
I’d like to leave you with one simple encouraging thought: unlike the ophthalmologist who charges a large fee to go back and tweak your vision if the laser surgery didn’t totally correct your problem on his first attempt, Jesus is always more than willing to do further correction on your vision if at any point you notice that your eyesight is not as sharp as it should be.
And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. (Mark 8:22-25)