Learning to See

 Learning to See | Learning to SeeIntroduction I don't think we appreciate just what a blessing it is that we have learned to correct most vision problems with lenses. Imagine you had never seen glasses. Maybe your vision goes bad at a young age, and you don't ever remember what it's like to see the world sharply. You might assume that you were seeing the world the way it really is until someone handed you a set of glasses with the correct prescription. You would instantly be struck by the sharpness of everything. You would suddenly realize that the blurry mess you had been seeing wasn't all there was to see. And I'm going to guess that you would wish you had gotten glasses sooner. While we intuitively understand the importance of sharp vision, we can easily forget that Spiritual vision functions much the same way. Of course, this is a metaphor for perceiving what is true and right and good. The person with natural vision can see the letters on a page more accurately, but the person with Spiritual discernment knows the less obvious truths: They might be able to look past external appearances to judge the heart of a matter. They might know the right way to live even when others around them embrace the wrong way. Or they might see what God is doing when others can't see it. So as much as I would recommend going to the optometrist to get new glasses if your eyesight isn't as sharp as it used to be, I think it's more important that we seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who gives us spiritual sight, so we can learn to see the world with God's eyes. I. Mistaken Natural Sight We have a saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover," precisely because it's so easy for us to judge books by their covers, to evaluate things according to superficial standards. We know that physical beauty doesn't always correspond with intelligence, character or a winsome personality, but we often act as if it does. Studies have found that more attractive people often get raises and promotions than their less attractive coworkers (who are equally qualified and performing at the same level). We know that good looks don't necessarily mean someone is a good leader, and yet we subconsciously vote for attractive people more readily than less attractive people. At least we recognize the fallacy consciously, even if we keep falling for it subconsciously. In the ancient world, people often assumed that physical beauty was a sign of good character. As Aristotle reportedly said, "Personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of reference." God's people are not immune from these same prejudices. When the Israelites demanded a king from God, God's first choice was the conventional choice. King Saul was a handsome man with an imposing physique. He looked like he came straight out of central casting. But despite having the look of a king, his vanity and insecurity took the nation to dark places. It's as if God said, "I gave you the king you thought you wanted. Look at how that turned out. After God rejected Saul as king, he instructs the prophet Samuel to anoint a another king, but this time, he uses different criteria to select the new monarch. We read the story in 1 Samuel 16 Now the Lord said to Samuel, "You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king." But Samuel asked, "How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me." "Take a heifer with you," the Lord replied, "and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me." So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. "What's wrong?" they asked. "Do you come in peace?" "Yes," Samuel replied. "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too. When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Surely this is the Lord's anointed!" But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "This is not the one the Lord has chosen." Next Jesse summoned Shimea, but Samuel said, "Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen." In the same way all seven of Jesse's sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." Then Samuel asked, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse replied. "But he's out in the fields watching the sheep and goats." "Send for him at once," Samuel said. "We will not sit down to eat until he arrives." So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, "This is the one; anoint him." So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah (1 Samuel 16:1-13 NLT). Despite his status as the Lord's prophet, Samuel demonstrates the same superficial prejudices as many others. He looks at the external appearance. When he does, David's eldest brother Eliab looks like king material (Just like Saul did). But here God gives Samuel a lesson that we need to learn as well: We shouldn't look at the outward appearance, but instead, we should see what God sees: the heart. David may have been handsome, but he didn't have the look of a king, and God couldn't have cared less. God looked on David with discernment. He rightly discerned that David would be a better king that Saul was. But we're often like Samuel, lacking discernment. Thankfully, God offers to help us see what is actually important. If we judge things his way, we're in a better place than if we judge them in the way that often comes most naturally to us. One area where this commonly comes up is when we start looking for a spouse: I remember as a teenager being smitten by certain girls because of their outward beauty. But any marriage based on physical attraction alone won't endure long. In the end, what makes it work is the beauty of your partners' insides (which hopefully gets more beautiful as time goes on) not their outsides (which will always fade). Sight overemphasizes the external, while discernment recognizes the importance of what's inside. Another area where we need discernment is judging what a good life looks like. In Psalm 73, the Psalmist shares that he sees the life of the wicked and secretly envies them: For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don't have troubles like other people; they're not plagued with problems like everyone else (Psalm 73:3-5 NLT). But then he draws near to God, and sees things quite differently Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors (Psalm 73:17-19, NLT). The people around us might seem to enjoy wealth, success and pleasure that we don't get. But when we submit to God's wisdom, we see what they 'enjoy' differently. And we see that while they may seem to flourish in the short run, the long-term consequences of their choices lead in the direction of pain. So yeah, all know people who sin and seem to get away with it: Maybe they're treating others dishonestly. Maybe they're living for pleasure and seem to face no consequences. Maybe they use manipulation and intimidation to control the people around them. They may 'get away' with it for a while, but eventually it catches up with them. They will certainly be responsible for their choices when they stand before God, but often it doesn't take that long. When you sow the wind, eventually you reap the whirlwind. So let's remember not to judge with human eyes, but to invite God to give us his perspective. II. True Spiritual Site Just like Samuel, The believers in Ephesus had to learn to see the world differently. They were a persecuted minority in a Roman Colony city. It would be easy to be impressed by the lives of the powerful people who gained their power while participating in the oppressive and idolatrous Roman rule of the city. Many of the Christians in Ephesus had come from paganism to faith, but they might look longingly back at their old lives and wonder if they had made the right choice after all. Paul reminds them that God will judge those who sin, and he invites them to a new way of seeing the world: one where they learn to judge the world rightly. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light." So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise(Ephesians 5:8-15 NLT). Notice the source of the light in this passage: It comes from the Lord. True spiritual discernment doesn't come from human wisdom or intelligence. We don't just need to think harder to get it. Instead, it is a gift from God, but we need to receive it. Like someone who has been given the very best advice, it is of no value to us, unless we put it into practice. Wisdom from God doesn't take the form of bumper-sticker slogans or fortune-cookie advice. Wisdom from God is subtle and nuanced. I think this is why Paul says to "Carefully determine what pleases the Lord." It's not simple to do. When we try to discern what God is doing, we must carefully avoid two opposite temptations. They act like ditches. If we veer too far to either side, we'll end up falling off the road we're trying to follow. A. Serving the Rules When trying to discern how to serve God, the first temptation is to serve the rules. God's rules are good, but only when they work towards their intended purpose. An example: The Sabbath Day was a blessing that God gave to Israel. The Israelites had lived as slaves and needed to understand what it was to live as free people. They needed to learn that while work is a part of God's plan for life, it's not all there is. God designed rest and relaxation and wants us to enjoy those (in their proper place). The sabbath gives us space to do that. But Sabbath is also about helping to meet the needs we can easily fail to recognize. We tend to have a keen understanding of our material needs-food, water, shelter, etc.-so we invest great effort in meeting them.But we also have spiritual needs (things like belonging, transcendent purpose and communion with God). Their absence isn't something we immediately miss the way we quickly sense we've been too long without food. So God made the Sabbath day as a time for us to meet our spiritual needs through corporate worship. When practiced properly it is a blessing that helps us flourish. An over-emphasis on rules, however, can turn the Sabbath into a cruel taskmaster. Jesus confronted this head one. Once, while his disciples are hungry and traveling on the Sabbath, they pick heads of grain to eat (hand-picking grain from someone else's field was allowed under the gleaning provisions of the law). The disciples are confronted by the Pharisees for harvesting on the Sabbath. Jesus says that the laws allow for some flexibility in order to meet their intended purpose: "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath," he tells them. The rules are good, but we need to remember that they point to something beyond themselves. So we don't keep the rules for the rules' sake. We see this same kind of rigidity displayed by the Pharisees in some Christians. For them principles become more important than people. They are happy to enforce the rules even if it means doing so causes harm to others. For example, an unmarried couple who have had children together come to the church. Now, Christian teaching on sexuality is that sex should be saved for marriage. But clearly that horse is already out of the barn. How would we respond: council the couple to split up so that they don't sin by continuing to cohabit? This might seem holy, but the split would cause more harm to the children then it would prevent in the life of the couple. So an appropriate pastoral response would be counselling people to move towards formalizing the relationship in marriage, but not insist on blowing up the relationship in the meantime. We must consider the complexity in the lives of the people involved, not merely the simplicity of the principles we believe in. Rules are a gift from God, but their value comes when they point us towards flourishing. B. Serving Our Agenda If one temptation we face is to enforce the rules too rigidly, the second is to being too lax about the rules. We can easily use the freedom we have to justify serving ourselves at the expense of others. For example, I might say, "God wants to bless me so I flourish. I don't feel like I'm flourishing in my marriage, but I think I would flourish with this other person, so I'm going to leave my wife and kids and start over with this new person because God would want me to be happy." This is, of course, absurd, but the human heart has an almost limitless capacity for self-deception, so it's not as uncommon as you might think. What God wants is for everyone to flourish. So if the thing I want to do helps me to flourish, but it causes harm to someone else, that's not what pleases God. We must also recognize that our vision of flourishing is, is not necessarily the same as God's. We might think flourishing is whatever makes me happy and comfortable, while God's vision for flourishing is what helps us to find freedom from the power of sin and teaches us to love like Jesus loves. So we are free from the law, but the freedom means that we have to do the hard work of discerning what pleases God, and then when we've discerned what pleases God, we need to actually do it, whether it's something we find enjoyable, or downright hard. III. Who Has Spiritual Sight? So we need to learn to see the world differently, consciously choosing not do see with just our physical eyes, but to also to see with God's spiritual wisdom. But we must remember that unless we humble ourselves, we may well find ourselves failing to see while thinking we do. We see this dynamic in the story of Jesus healing the man born blind in John 9. The condition of any person born with a disability was a source of some scandal. The religious authorities assumed that if someone were born blind, it was God's retribution, that either their parents had grievously sinned or, however implausible it sounds to us, that the fetus had sinned so grievously (in the womb!) that this was God's appropriate punishment. Jesus dismisses the religious authority's understanding, saying it's not because of his sin, but so that God's work could be seen in him. Jesus met the man born blind on a Sabbath. Jesus, wanting to poke the bear a bit, chose to heal the man by making mud and putting in his eyes (According to the Pharisees, making mud was 'work,' and therefore forbidden on the Sabbath). Jesus sent the man to wash the mud from his eyes at the Pool of Silom, and when he did, the man could see. Eventually the Pharisees hear about it and are angered because it clearly (as they see it) violates the letter of the Sabbath law. Many of the Pharisees see this as proof that Jesus is a bad actor. When they ask the man, a man who immediately before had been blind, it's clear that he sees more clearly than they do. The (formerly) blind man says that Jesus is a prophet (which is true, although not the whole story). The Pharisees double-check with his parents to make sure this guy really was born blind, then they question him again. We can see from the questioning the real irony in this story: The blind man sees Jesus clearly while the Pharisees clearly do not; The blind man has spiritual insight while The Pharisees are blind: So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, "God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner." "I don't know whether he is a sinner," the man replied. "But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!" "But what did he do?" they asked. "How did he heal you?" "Look!" the man exclaimed. "I told you once. Didn't you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" Then they cursed him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! We know God spoke to Moses, but we don't even know where this man comes from." "Why, that's very strange!" the man replied. "He healed my eyes, and yet you don't know where he comes from? We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn't have done it." "You were born a total sinner!" they answered. "Are you trying to teach us?" And they threw him out of the synagogue (John 9:24-34 NLT). Afterward, Jesus finds the man, and explains that he is the son of man, and without hesitation, the man believes in Jesus. And then Jesus drives the story home: Then Jesus told him, "I entered this world to render judgment-to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind." Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, "Are you saying we're blind?" "If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty," Jesus replied. "But you remain guilty because you claim you can see (John 9:39-41, NLT). The Pharisees seem indignant that Jesus calls them blind, but some of their number had just proven the point. Jesus had performed a miracle, and instead of seeing it for what it was, they saw it as grounds for accusations and insults. They say they don't know where Jesus comes from, but the (formerly) blind man can clearly see he comes from God. The Pharisees thought they could see, but they were given a lesson about perception from a man who had never seen before. This serves as a warning to us. The Pharisees were religious people who thought they were righteous, yet when they see proof of Jesus' identity, they deceive themselves into denying what is plainly visible. Let's not think that we are incapable of making the same error. God often works in ways we don't expect. We may think that God works within the four walls of a church building. But God works anywhere he pleases. We may think that God works through people with the right credentials and people who seem not to have skeletons in their closets. But God uses whoever he wants, often picking the unlikeliest candidate just to show off his power. We may think that when God works, it should be in ways that seem safe and familiar, but often he's subverting our expectations so he can lead us deeper into faith. If we insist that he do it the way we think he should, God will work in front of our very eyes, and we'll miss it. Conclusion So let's not content ourselves with natural vision. Instead, let's come to God, the optometrist for our spirit. Only he can give us the lenses that help us see the world as it truly is. If we've never had those lenses, we may believe that we see, because it's only after we learn to really see that we realize how little we were always seeing before. Even Samuel, the Lord's prophet from the time he was a small child, failed to see with true discernment. God had to remind him that it's not what's on the outside that is important, but what is on the inside. We have Samuel's story to teach us, but we still might not learn. We might be like the Pharisees who would have know the story of Samuel's misjudgment, who would have convinced themselves that they would do better, but in the end, they didn't. Because we can't gain discernment by intellect alone. We learn it through the Spirit. Sometimes very learned Christians can miss the truth, while people of simple faith can see it clearly. Ironically, if we're proud of our discernment, we probably don't have discernment. Discernment comes to those who humble themselves to learn from the master, to those who want to know God's thoughts, so they can do what pleases Him. So today, humble yourself, and remember that even if your eyes see perfectly, without wisdom from God, your heart will be blind to what he's doing in the world. So let's open the eyes of our hearts, receive the truth from God, and honour him by doing what pleases him. By Peter Law | Crossings Community Church | Kirkland Lake, ON, Canada | March 15, 2026 RCL: Year A Lent 4 | 1 Samuel 16:1-13 | Ephesians 5:8-14 | John 9:1-41