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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
“And the disciples came and said to Him, 'Why do You speak to them in parables?' He answered and said to them, 'Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: “Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive.'” (Matthew 13.10-14).
Seeing, they do not see! Hearing they do not hear! The force of these statements is absolutely tremendous! Ask one of the ones about whom Jesus was speaking, “Do you see?” His response would be instantaneous and he would appear to be shocked by the question. “Of course I see! Do you think I am blind or something!” Ask, “Do you hear?” and get a similar response. The eyes and ears are the doors, two of the senses, that God appointed as doorways into our beings. However, they are but doors that open into the hallway that leads to the heart; they do not open into the heart itself! There is yet another door that guards the heart; it is separate from the two avenues just mentioned. Like a vestibule to a building grants entrance to the outermost part of a building, the eyes and ears grant access to the outermost regions of our beings, but not to the heart!
This is what Jesus was talking about when he spoke of those that see, but do not see and those that hear, but do not hear. Now, pay heed to a real life example of this principle. “Jesus heard that they [the Pharisees] had cast him [the blind man whose eyes Jesus had healed] out; and when He had found him, He said to him, 'Do you believe in the Son of God?' He answered and said, 'Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?' And Jesus said to him, 'You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.' Then he said, 'Lord, I believe!' And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, 'For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.' Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, 'Are we blind also?' Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, “We see.” Therefore your sin remains.'” (John 9.35-41).
Read and pay special attention to this case. Jesus came to heal blinded eyes, but He also came to cause those who see to realize their blindness! This is a paradox that strikes at the heart of this entire series! The strong delusion from which the Pharisees suffered was the delusion of thinking that they could see (spiritually). Jesus told them that as long as they professed to see, their sin remained! Only when a person admits his inability to see and perceive, can true sight and understanding come. As long as one depends upon feelings (the natural), just that long shall they remain sightless, deaf, and without understanding. God does not speak through feelings; He speaks through words! That is not to say that there are no feelings connected with hearing God; there are strong and irrepressible feelings, but that is not how God speaks! As long as we depend upon how we feel (the natural), we will remain blind, deaf, without understanding, and hopelessly trapped in our sins!
For the Pharisees, this was a bitter pill to swallow. Everything about their senses told them they were right. However, everything about their senses was wrong! Admitting blindness is a prerequisite to spiritual sight! Now, dear reader, I speak to you personally; Do you see? Be careful how you answer!
Questions:
1. In order for the statement to be true that some people see and yet do not see, what must be true about the word, see? Same question about hear/hearing?
2. Do you think this has any connection to Jesus' charge, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”?
3Jesus said in John 9 that He came into this world “...that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” Explain this statement.
4. We have asked this question before, but because of its significance, we ask it again. What means did God choose to convey truth to His creation? How does faith come (Romans 10.17)??
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