“From heaven’s viewpoint our earth is populated by sightless people. Blinded by ambition. Blinded by pride . . . success . . . . We need a spiritual ophthalmologist . We need Jesus to do for us what he did for the man on the side of the Jerusalem road.”- Max Lucado
“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”- 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT)
In Chapter 7 (“He Gives Sight to the Blind”) of Never Alone, Max Lucado talks about John’s gospel account of Jesus healing the blind beggar. Most significantly, Pastor Lucado believes John spends 41 verses on this story because the blind man’s story = our story.
Why? Because, Max posits, Jesus desires to spiritually restore our sight. Just as He did physically for the blind beggar. Thus, as Jesus walked along the Jerusalem road, He spotted a man blind from birth.
However, Max wryly observes, Jesus’ disciples only saw a theological case study. Hence, they viewed the beggar as an opportunity to discuss spiritual philosophy. As a result, the disciples merely saw a topic of discussion. Rather than a human being. Above all, Max explains:
“Jesus, by contrast, saw a man who was blind from birth, a man who’d never seen a sunrise. . . . Others had reason to hope; he had reason for despair. Then Jesus saw him. And Jesus sees you. The first lesson of this event is a welcome one. You and I aren’t invisible . . . overlooked . . . dismissed. We may feel like a nameless beggar in the swarms of society, but this story — and dozens of others like it — assures us that Jesus spots us on the side of the road. He takes the initiative. He makes the first move.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you see the need for your spiritual ophthalmologist – Jesus? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the January Short Meditation – “A sunset and the eyes of a stranger”
