Introduction
The discussion on the testimony of the book of Psalms about Christ Jesus is continued in this edition of our Newsletter. According to the book, Christ is supposed to open the eyes of the blind as part of His divine assignment. Here, the focus is on the physical and the spiritual blindness.
The Blind
The book of Psalms testifies of Christ when it indicates that: “The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous” (Psa 146:8).
Webster defines blindness as follows:
- Impoverished of the sense of seeing, either by natural defect or by lack of sight.
- Lacking the faculty of discernment; destitution of intellectual light and unable to understand or judge.
The first definition deals with the physical blindness whereas the second embodies that of the spiritual. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to heal mankind of all manner of diseases including both blindness. The above scripture confirms that which was prophesied by Isaiah which was read by Jesus from the Gospel of Saint Luke (read Isa 61: 1-3), where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luk 4:18).
Jesus understood that recovering of the sight to the blind was part of His mission. Isaiah again mentions this a number of times in his prophecy (Isa 35:5, 42:7). Jesus healed many people of their blindness during His time (Mat 21:14, 8:28, Mar 10:49). When John the Baptist sent his disciples to enquire whether Jesus is the Savior or they should expect another man, Jesus sent them back to tell him that the blind see, the dead are raised, others receive heir healing and the gospel is preached (Mat 11:5, Luk 7:22).
Jesus´ healing of the blind was also attested to, by those who witnessed this healing including His disciples, as well as those who experienced these phenomena (Mat 9:28, Mat 12:22, Joh 10:21, Joh 11:37). The boy who received his sight testified that “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see” (Joh 9:25). Jesus’ healing of the blind is in evidence and could never be denied or disputed by any sound-minded person who loves the truth.
Blindness as Destitution of Discernment
In the second definition of the ´blind´ by Webster as detailed above, is the idea of lack of discernment or understanding and destitution of intellectual light. Such blind people have eyes but their souls and spirits are blind. According to Paul, these Jews are confident that they are a guide to the blind, and a light to them which are in darkness (Rom 2:19). Jesus, however, refers to them as the blind leaders of the blind (Mat 15:14). They claim to read and understand the scriptures, but they do not comprehend them as they ought to. They have been blinded from the truth. Therefore, they lead the people in the wrong direction and to the wrong destination.
On lack of understanding and discernment, Isaiah rightly confesses “We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men” (Isa 59:8-11). So when the leader and the led are both blind, they both fall in a ditch (Luk 6:39).
It is possible for the visually blind to have a clearer sense of vision and discernment while people with sights are destitute of vision and knowledge. It is the lack of this vision and the knowledge of God that people stumble and perish (Pro 29:18, Hos 4:6). The severest kind of blindness is refusing to accept that Christ Jesus has come in human body (1Joh 4:2-3, 2Joh 1:7) and He is the only way, the truth and the life (Joh 14:6) and that the entire scriptures point to Him (Joh 5:38-40, Heb 10:7, Psa 40:7).
Conclusion
It is the Lord that opens the eyes of the spiritually and physically blind and makes them see the light of His salvation in Christ Jesus.
Prayer: Dear Lord, may you open the scales on our eyes and cause the light of your beloved Son to shine in our hearts, to give us the knowledge of your salvation, in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord. AMEN!