The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 9:39-41,
"Jesus said, 'For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.' Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, 'What? Are we blind too?' Jesus said, 'If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.'"
This exchange between Jesus and some Pharisees took place just following Jesus' miraculous healing of a man born blind. The Pharisees heard of it and investigated the matter. The conclusion of the investigation was unsatisfying to the Pharisees who subsequently threw the formerly blind man out. Jesus found him, revealed himself to him and invited the man to place his faith in him, which he did and worshipped Jesus right on the spot.
What catches my eye this morning is Jesus' statement to the Pharisees, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." It appears Jesus is saying two things here: because of his coming those who are spiritually blind will gain new spiritual insight, and those who supposedly have spiritual insight will "become blind."
I'm just musing here, but I wonder if that "become blind" is related to the Lord hardening the hearts of some people following their rejection of Jesus, but who are still in this life. In 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 we read, "For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." That happens in this life.
Another passage I think of is Paul's description of lost and fallen mankind that reject the Lord, and how God gives them over to their sinful desires, Romans 1:18-32.
Paul also talks about the hardening of Jewish hearts that opposed God, "What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written: 'God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.'" Romans 11: 7-8 where Paul quotes Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10. He also quotes Psalm 69:22-23, "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever."
In quoting Isaiah 6:10, John spoke of some in Jesus' day who rejected him and now had their hearts hardened by God so they had no hope of salvation in this life, "Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: 'Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: 'He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.'" John 12:37-40. At first they wouldn't believe in Jesus and, while still in this life, their hearts were hardened by the Lord so they could not believe in Jesus. The "walking dead."
I also wonder about the "woke" crowd we see so much of these days. This "wokeness" may be expressed in the political arena, but make no mistake, it has its origins in the spiritual lives of these people. A change has taken place, and that change is anything but friendly to Jesus Christ and those who are his. I wonder if the better term for them, rather than "woke", is the biblical term "hardened".
As I say, just musing here today.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"Jesus said, 'For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.' Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, 'What? Are we blind too?' Jesus said, 'If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.'"
This exchange between Jesus and some Pharisees took place just following Jesus' miraculous healing of a man born blind. The Pharisees heard of it and investigated the matter. The conclusion of the investigation was unsatisfying to the Pharisees who subsequently threw the formerly blind man out. Jesus found him, revealed himself to him and invited the man to place his faith in him, which he did and worshipped Jesus right on the spot.
What catches my eye this morning is Jesus' statement to the Pharisees, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." It appears Jesus is saying two things here: because of his coming those who are spiritually blind will gain new spiritual insight, and those who supposedly have spiritual insight will "become blind."
I'm just musing here, but I wonder if that "become blind" is related to the Lord hardening the hearts of some people following their rejection of Jesus, but who are still in this life. In 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 we read, "For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." That happens in this life.
Another passage I think of is Paul's description of lost and fallen mankind that reject the Lord, and how God gives them over to their sinful desires, Romans 1:18-32.
Paul also talks about the hardening of Jewish hearts that opposed God, "What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written: 'God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.'" Romans 11: 7-8 where Paul quotes Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10. He also quotes Psalm 69:22-23, "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever."
In quoting Isaiah 6:10, John spoke of some in Jesus' day who rejected him and now had their hearts hardened by God so they had no hope of salvation in this life, "Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: 'Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: 'He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.'" John 12:37-40. At first they wouldn't believe in Jesus and, while still in this life, their hearts were hardened by the Lord so they could not believe in Jesus. The "walking dead."
I also wonder about the "woke" crowd we see so much of these days. This "wokeness" may be expressed in the political arena, but make no mistake, it has its origins in the spiritual lives of these people. A change has taken place, and that change is anything but friendly to Jesus Christ and those who are his. I wonder if the better term for them, rather than "woke", is the biblical term "hardened".
As I say, just musing here today.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment