Are we blind too?

[39] Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” [40] Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” [41] Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
(John 9:39-41 ESV)

After Jesus heals the blind man, Jesus declares that he had come to this world to judge between the blind and those who see. Hearing these words, the Pharisees, high priests at this time, question themselves whether they were blind.

Obviously, Pharisees were not physically blind. And if they were, they wouldn’t be asking the question “Are we also blind?” to themselves. Through Scripture, we realize these people were the spiritual blind who hardened their hearts from the word of God that Jesus had testified.

[16] “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
(Matthew 23:16 ESV)

Jesus testifies against the Pharisees calling them blind guides.

Weren’t these scribes and Pharisees believers of God? They even read and memorized the Old Testament but why does Jesus call them spiritually blind? What does it mean for them to be spiritually blind?

Just like we saw in our previous post, Isaiah 6 prophesied about those who were blind, had dull ears, and calloused hearts. In the New Testament, we see that this prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 13. When Jesus speaks about the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, these people like the Pharisees and Sadducee did not turn their hearts to the words that Jesus was testifying therefore these people remained spiritually blind – not able to receive truth. Not only that those who followed these high priests were spiritual blind believers, for Jesus states…

[14] Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
(Matthew 15:14 ESV)

Therefore, Jesus again states about these Pharisees…

[13] “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
(Matthew 23:13 ESV)

However, during this time, those who sought, humbled, and turned their hearts to Jesus’ words of truth, they were healed of their sight. Jesus says to his disciples…

[16] But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
(Matthew 13:16 ESV)

Unlike the Pharisees and Sadducee full of pride, I pray that we may turn to God’s word with an opened heart so that we may be healed of our spiritual blindness like Jesus’ disciples!

Turn and be healed

[8] And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” [9] And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
[10] Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
(Isaiah 6:8-10 ESV)

In this prophecy, God calls out to the prophet Isaiah and sends him to the people of Israel whose hearts are dull, ears heavy, and eyes blind from hearing and understanding the word of God.

And though this word is spoken to the prophet Isaiah, we understand that this word was a prophecy that was fulfilled through Jesus in the first coming. Isaiah was representing Jesus and the physical Israelites who did not receive and believe Jesus were the ones whose hearts dull, ears heavy, and eyes blind from the God’s word.

[11] And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. [12] For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [13] This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. [14] Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
[15] For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
[16] But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
(Matthew 13:11-16 ESV)

To those who did not accept Jesus (John 1), in their case, this prophecy from Isaiah was fulfilled. When Jesus spoke about the secrets of the kingdom of heaven (the word of God) in parables, these people were the ones who were not able to receive God’s word due to their calloused hearts therefore Jesus testifies that their ears were heavy and eyes were blind from God’s word. However, unlike these type of believers, the Jesus’ disciples sought after Jesus, asked and understood the meaning of the parable (Mark 4).

I pray that we may all be like the disciples with an open heart that diligently seek, turn from our calloused hearts and be healed of our spiritual blindness of God’s word!