Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
We start off blind, but the important thing is to be able to admit it.
Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains" (see John 9:41).
Since it is clear that we are not walking into walls or off cliffs the blindness in question must be spiritual. But to say it is spiritual makes it sound abstract and impractical, whereas it is anything but. Spiritual sight allows us to navigate life, not merely based on physical appearances, but on rather by orienting ourselves to those things which are genuinely good and true. Without it we invariably do fall into pits, pits of addiction, of unforgiveness and anger, of despair and emptiness. In such conditions we ought not obstinately insist that we are able to see and yet continue to live as though appearances are all there is, and therefore not in accord with the deeper purpose for which we are made. Appearance alone will have us running from emergencies and chasing blessings both of which turn out to be little more the mirages in the grand scheme. We must learn, we must be taught, to value those things which last forever, to direct our lives toward the God who made us. Only then will we see. And only then can will help others in the same predicament.
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Jesus wants us to become like him, able to see, and able to help others to see. But we must begin with our own blindness. When our priorities are wrong we cannot direct our own lives well, nor help point others in the right direction. The manifold pits this world sets before us will trap us both. But Jesus insists that we can in fact be fully trained enough to be like our teacher, to avoid these pits, and therefore ready to assist others on their life journey.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
It is more difficult to take a deep and introspective look at ourselves than it is to judge or criticize others. But our judgments and criticisms will never be accurate unless we begin with ourselves.
"What embitters the world is not excess of criticism, but an absence of self-criticism."
- GK Chesterton
We must start by recognizing the way that it is our wills that are still to some degree compromised, preventing us from fixing our eyes on Jesus. We must recognize too that our minds are still recovering from the darkness. This manifests as we still sometimes feel as though this world is real and eternity an illusion. Appearance takes precedence over truth, and this because appearance is more convenient for rationalizing the chasing pleasure and the avoidance of pain. Indeed, the surgery we still need is massive, and we should not attempt it on our own.
‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
We must recognize our plight so that we can seek the help of the Divine Physician. If we can only realize that we are still beginners in need of training in the pursuit of the good and true Jesus himself will and train us. He himself will give us the healing we need, removing the splinter in our eye, if we but recognize it and bring it to him. He will give us true spiritual sight in order that we might become his own hands of healing for others.
Paul knew that he had once been blind, so much so that he experienced literally. More than that, he knew beyond question that it was Jesus himself who gave him light. He acted out ignorance in his unbelief and so he was willing to submit to healing when it became evident that he needed it. We too can be confident that no matter how big is the board in our eye, no matter how dark the darkness of our past, Jesus is able to heal it fully. We too can be strengthened and fully trained for mission.
I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because he considered me trustworthy
in appointing me to the ministry.
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