"Blind but Yet I Can See"
Readings: Job 42: 1-6, 10-17 Psalm 34 Mark 10: 46-52
When you think of the word blindness what comes
to your mind? Being in the darkness,
mobility, not being able to get around, aloneness, a burden to others? We heard two stories this morning that suggest there are two kind of
blindness, not one but two. There is physical blindness as
in the case of Bartimaeus but in the case of Job, we find a great example
of spiritual blindness.
Bartimaeus was physically blind, he had no
sight, but medical science tells us that if we lose one or our senses often
other senses kick in and become more acute.
With physical blindness hearing and the ability to listen usually improve
considerably. Just recently in the news
you may have seen that we are discovering that the blind have sonar abilities
never understood before. They can with
training, actually detect objects and there distance from them by using clicking sounds. Some have gotten so good at it they can tell
you the size and description of the object and its distance. Scents and odors may become more alive, more distinct, touch or taste
more sensitive, you become more open to others, listening opens up new
possibilities. The opposite occurs
often with Spiritual blindness. The lack
of spiritual awareness can cause people to become desensitized to the holy in others,
and in nature itself. People who suffer
from spiritual blindness can easily become paranoid, more fearful, more self-centered,
narrow in thinking, reluctant to change and new possibilities. These conditions can exists not only with
individuals but within groups, governments and even some religions. Ecologists and environmentalists and theologians are
suggesting today that those who are in charge of our resources, our economy yes even some religions have the blinders
on. We are using up all our resources faster than nature can replenish
them. We were meant to be stewards of nature not to plunder our natural world. This kind of spiritual blindness
can lead us into a world of greed, protectionism and eventual self-destruction.
Bartimaeus’ blindness was considered by the people of his time to be a
curse or punishment from God because of some sin he or one of his family members committed. This way of perceiving God,
a God who punishes sin with affliction is still being preached in some religious circles
today. Yet Jesus refutes or disproves this perspective, this belief by reaching out and healing both physical
and spiritual blindness. Did you hear that Jesus can heal both kinds of blindness.
Now I did not say cure because, often healing only changes us on the
inside not the outside and God seeks to
heal us not punish us. God heals
because our God is a God of rescue, a God of unconditional love. Not trusting that God has our best interest
in mind, regardless of our personal circumstances helps to add to our Spiritual
blindness. When we indulge in or commit
to wrong doing within our world, we create our own spiritual blindness and
condemn ourselves to certain punishment. God has no need to punish us, God gave to us our own will that allows us to punish ourselves. It’s built right in to our choices folks. Take a long hard look at the Old Testament
stories your blinders will began to be removed. Jesus isn’t trying to heal or save us from
God’s punishment, Jesus wants to heal and save us from creating our own
punishment. That is the true essence of salvation. We can be our own worst enemy as we create
our own Hell. Job is one of the
stories that can help us with spiritual blindness. He was a righteous man whom loved God, yet
God doesn’t stop misfortune, or disease from befalling a good person. Yes even the righteous have a human nature
that causes trouble in their lives. Spiritual blindness here can allow ourselves
to think like Job’s friends. That
we are puppets on a string, that God manipulates us with a system of rewards and
punishments. Job’s friends wrongly
assume that suffering always comes as a result of something we had done to
upset God. Job knows this is not so and
maintains his faith no matter what the devil throws at him, even though he
can’t understand the workings of God.
Spiritual blindness here might make us question the goodness of God especially when our expectations are not
met or when we have to endure suffering because of some choice we have or our ancestors have made
along the way of life. God’s wisdom
is greater than our understanding. He
allows our human nature and our minds the freedom to choose. God doesn’t force control over our human
nature but we can. Here we need to remain faithful regardless
of our circumstances, trusting and believing. Spiritual blindness allows us to think that we can figure out and
understand the wisdom of God. God is God
and we are just his children no matter how mature we think we have become. Spiritual
blindness can keep us form believing and having faith in God’s promises.
Many people today make the claim that they are not spiritual. I believe that Jesus
would disagree with them because that suggests that only some of what God created is of the Spirit . To be human, to be part of
creation is to be spiritual. You can’t
separate the two, God and you are one and nothing can separate you from that reality. Everything in
existence is spiritual. God breathed
into existence everything by the spirit.
According to the Gospel of John chapter 1 Everything in the cosmos both
in heaven and on earth were created by the Word, and the word was light to the
world. In verse 3 we read: through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that
has been made. In him was life and that life became a light to the world, it
brings spiritual awareness, to a world full of darkness, full of the spiritually
blind. Therefore we could conclude
that everything in life that has ever existed is sacred and spiritual. If we have eyes to see, and ears to hear,
all things, the rocks and trees, the flowers, and the bees, the oceans and all
of its contents, the land, the insects and animals are all spiritual creations. We humans are special, we are not like
anything else that was made, we were given spiritual awareness, dominion over
all things in creation. We were meant to be stewards of creation. We have and
many feel this special spiritual connection to each other and to our world. Many of us feel this connection when we
commune with nature, or with certain people. Our
spirits seems to be on the same wave length, and there is a sense of peace and
contentment when we are in each other’s company, you can sense our
connectedness. Spiritual blindness can
prevent us from experiencing this unexplained joy and oneness with others,
with Jesus, and with nature .
"Born Blind but yet I see"
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