Read Matthew 11:1-19. Have you ever despaired of someone who can’t – or more likely, doesn’t want to – see something that’s as plain as their face? Have you ever exclaimed in frustration, “There’s none so blind as those that can’t see!”?
I don’t suppose he ever said it in a frustrated tone, but throughout the gospels, Jesus often says, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” I wonder who he was talking to? The scribes and the Pharisees? The Jewish religious leaders who wilfully failed to grasp what he was saying. The hard hearted? The wicked? The chilling thing is that often, as in today’s passage, he was talking to the crowds. In other words, people like you and me!
Are we deaf and blind to what Jesus is teaching? We may be sincere Jesus followers. We may want to do the right thing. We may want to be loving to those around us. But often, the big issues in life – love, freedom, evil, eternity, forgiveness, grace, mercy and justice – even the nature of God himself – will expose our real thinking.
Unfortunately, going to church, even listening to or reading these devotionals do not of themselves guarantee the transformation in our listening and seeing that we need. We may think we believe in what Jesus taught, but unless we are willing to reflect deeply on the big issues he tackles, listening carefully and seeing the world through his eyes then we will mostly end up thinking like the world, and those around us.
THINK IT OVER
Think about the following:
•Have you thought deeply about the big issues of life? Does your thinking help you to be more loving and more obedient to Jesus’ teaching?
