Seeing Things Differently

With Open Eyes

There are certain things in my life that I have spent a fair bit of time learning about. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I have a lot more familiarity with the subject than the average person. And when you become more and more familiar with a given subject, you tend to notice things that are bad or good more and more. Let me give you some examples.

When I was in middle and high school, I played a lot of tennis. During the summer I would spend 3-4 hours a day (except Sundays) on the court practicing, I took lessons, I played in a USTA league, I played for my high school, I helped win a state championship. So when I see a couple of people casually playing tennis at a park, I notice when they have $15 Walmart rackets, I notice that their footwork is wrong, that their court placement is off, and that their swing is technically flawed. On the flip side, when I see two people on a court playing from a few feet back from the baseline, setting their feet just right, with perfect forehands and intimidating serves - I have to stop and appreciate it.

I was also blessed to have a couple literature teachers in high school with very high standards for grammar and style. I learned to avoid passive language, I had a list of over one hundred banned words that were too weak for good writing, the proper use of punctuation was drilled into me. So when people send me emails with poor grammar, I notice every misused word, all the weak language, and all the improper uses of commas. On the flip side, when I read something that is truly well written with compelling rhetoric and well formed grammar - I have to go out of my way to compliment the author.

And heaven forbid we talk about driving. I don’t have any special expertise but some of y’all out there making me look like a professional. Blinkers are meant to signal turns and lane changes, speed limits and stop signs are not just suggestions, and you’re not supposed to pass people on the right when you’re on the highway/freeway. On the flip side, when I actually see someone using their blinker, following the right-of-way rules, and following traffic laws - I have to give them a thumbs up or nod of approval.

These examples illustrate this truth that when you know what something is supposed to look like, when you know how something is supposed to be - it becomes more natural to notice when it falls short or when it is exactly right.

A Bigger Problem

We have a problem on the other side though, because sometimes when you aren’t super familiar with something and there is a problem, we tend to correct it in a counterproductive way.

Imagine you are in your house and you notice that above some of your doors, the paint is cracking in a line radiating away from the corners. If you don’t know any better, you might assume that it’s just an issue with the paint being old or dry and cracking - so the solution is to run over to Lowe’s, get a sample can of paint that matches, and paint over the cracks. But here’s the thing, a lot of times when you start getting cracks like that it can be indicative that something is wrong with the foundation or framing of the house. By painting over the cracks, the problem isn’t solved, just one symptom of the problem is being covered up.

Unfortunately, we sometimes run into a similar issue with, well, reality. We look at natural disasters, we look at the wars going on in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, we experience sickness or the people we love experience sickness - and for each of these things we’re quick to point to different things as the cause and we try to deal with them without acknowledging the root cause of all of it.

Sin.

But just like painting over a crack instead of tearing open a wall, fixing the framing, redoing the drywall, and repainting - dealing with sin is a much bigger issue, it takes a lot more time, and it’s probably beyond our expertise.

Complete Restoration

We get an example of this in our reading this morning. The Pharisees are looking at all these small problems - was this man actually born blind, how was he healed, what was Jesus doing healing on the Sabbath - instead of recognizing that Jesus is giving them a window into what real restoration looks like. Jesus didn’t just deal with the man’s blindness on a surface level, He took away the consequences of living in a sinful, broken world and reconciles the blind man to God. We see this every time that Jesus does a miracle or heals someone - He isn’t just putting a patch on the problem, He is dealing with the core of the issue. He is showing us what things are supposed to look like, one little window at a time, He is giving us eyes to see.

And the greatest way that He does this is on the cross. He takes all of our sins, all of our brokenness, all of what is wrong with the world and restores it to what it should be. It’s a work He started on the cross and will be completed when He comes again. He didn’t just deal with sickness or suffering or death - He dealt with the core of the problem, He reconciled us to God and forgave the sins of all who call on His name.

Through New Eyes

And that knowledge gives us new eyes, a new perspective. He suggests that the Pharisees are spiritually blind, but by the work of the Holy Spirit we aren’t. We see things as they are. We see a world broken by sin and we see glimpses of a world restored by Christ.

But it’s not like a pair of glasses we put on. Because you change glasses right? Sometimes you need your reading glasses for something right in front of you, sometimes you need another pair for things farther away, sometimes you need sunglasses, sometimes people use different color classes to help them sleep, and sometimes you wear contacts or no vision accessories at all. That’s not what this is - you don’t get to say well I’m going to put on my Christianity glasses for a few hours on Sunday, my work glasses on during the week, my family glasses, my sports fan sunglasses. When Christ restores our vision, He changes they eyes we look at everything.

Christianity isn’t something you do. It changes who you are.

Seeing Things Differently

We see things differently now. We see the world for what it is - broken by sin beyond what we can repair. We see the restoration that Christ can bring as something much bigger and much more profound than solving one or two problems here and now. We see the Church as the community we represent all the time and seek out everywhere, not just as a social club or a Sunday morning obligation. When we look through the eyes of faith, everything looks different. And that is my challenge for you this week, because none of us can honestly say we view everything through that lens, I want you to pick one thing in your daily life, something you come across every day, and start to look at it through the eyes of Christ. Through His design, through His restoration, and through His mercy. Amen.