Eyes that Cannot See

History tells us that the Jews waited hundreds of years for their Savior to come. At last Jesus came to live with them and these very religious people could not see Him as their God. They had eyes but their mind refused to believe. The Jews were so used to doing what they thought was righteous that to change their religious ways was frightening. To believe in Jesus as their Savior was a leap of faith that most of them could not make.

Our resistance to the Savior is heart breaking after coming all the way from Heaven. After ministering to the Jews for a while He said this: The hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them. Matt 13:15 (NLT). Rejection of Jesus is lethal to every person. 

Isaiah is the favorite prophet of the Jews and he asked the people to listen to God. But the Jews would not obey God’s words and they lost their spiritual sensitivity. God warned that He would: Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing. Isaiah 6:10. Ignoring God is fatal. 

Spiritual seeing and hearing of the Bible is different than any other book. It means that to understand it we must apply the directions God is giving to us. In the previous verse it says that we turn to God by understanding “with our heart”. Most people are trying to approach God by using their mind to understand. This will never work because God is so much greater than we are. This is the reason that all of salvation must be by faith only. 

What Jesus says only has value to His faithful. It is really a waste of time to become an expert in the Scriptures if the person does not accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. The prophet also gave us some good news: Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David. Isaiah 55:3 (NLT). It is a fight but anyone can find God.

The leaders of Israel were held responsible for not warning their people. Isaiah said: For the leaders of my people— the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds— are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. Isaiah 56:10. We have seen leaders abandon their good intentions when they get power. It takes a man that is dedicated to God in order to help people understand what God wants. 

Men with great intellects are usually the blindest of all. Jesus did not use big words to bring people to spiritual understanding. He used simple stories to hide great spiritual truth. This is what Jesus said: I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. Matt 13:13 (NLT). People are spiritually blind until they accept the Savior into their heart. 

Today Jesus comes into us one person at a time. But in the future our Savior will come to save the Jews all in one day. The Scriptures say: In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book, and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness.  The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 29:18-19 (NLT). These will be the survivors of the great wrath of God in the near future.  

Thank the Lord; Christians will not go through this terrible time. Religious Laws blinded the Jews but Gentiles did not follow the Law. The spiritual blindness of Gentiles is caused when people control their own lives and do as they please. We must repent of selfishness and ask the Spirit to lead in our life. It is possible to have the eyes of faith and serve God today. The Spirit living in us can enable us to understand what God’s will is.