"O Say, Can You See . . .?"

                                     “O Say, Can You See . . . ?”

            This story ran in a California newspaper.  An airplane was on a layover.  All passengers had disembarked except one.  He was a regular on this flight and well known to the flight crew.  The Captain was getting off and asked the passenger if he could help the passenger off.  The passenger, you see, was completely blind.   The passenger told him, “Thank you, Captain, but I’m fine.  However, my dog could probably use a walk and a patch of grass.”  The Captain laughed as the passenger told the dog, “Go with him.”  The newspaper story was about the commotion stirred up when an airline Captain, in full uniform including mirrored sunglasses, walked through the concourse led by a seeing-eye dog.  The Captain had perfect vision, but people saw him as blind.

            We can have the same trouble with perception.  Recently a picture on Facebook went viral as people argued over the color of a dress.  It seemed to me that many people were looking at a different picture than I was.  Police officers get used to four witnesses seeing the same thing and telling four different stories.  I know a teacher who even used the idea in the law enforcement classes he taught.  A person would break into the classroom and, in full view of thirty police recruits, shoot the teacher three or four times.  Then the assailant left and the teacher regained control of the class.  The “witnesses” then had to write their statements about what they had seen.  The statements were collected and the differences were then shown and discussed.  The recruits learned that an aggressive person, or persons, can actually, change other people’s minds.  For this reason, investigators have to separate the witnesses to get their own statements, and not a statement colored by someone else’s story.

            Today’s discussion is centered on the Gospel of John 9:1-41.  This is a long passage discussing the ability to see and the ability to be blind.  Since it is long, I will not copy it here.  Please, read the passage before we go any further.  That will help you understand the things we will be discussing.

            Now, since you have read the passage,

let’s look at those who could see.                                          and those who could not see (blind)

Vs. 1 = Jesus saw the beggar                                                  Vs. 1 = Beggar blind from birth

Vs. 2 = Disciples saw the beggar                                           Vs.  2 = Disciples blind to cause

Vs. 7 = Beggar saw for the first time                                     Vs.  8-9 = Neighbors blind to beggar

Vs. 8 = Neighbors saw the beggar                                         Vs.  13-18 = Pharisees blind to truth

Vs. 15 = Pharisees saw the beggar                                        

Vs. 20 = Parents saw their son          

Vs. 30-34 = Beggar saw the truth

Vs. 38 = Beggar saw Jesus

            Woven through the passage is the Jewish idea that bad things happen to people who have sinned against God.  (This idea was discussed by Jesus in Luke 13: 1-5.)  Because of this belief, the disciples saw a man in sin.  Jesus saw an opportunity to show the power and the grace of God.  Two can look at the same thing and see things differently.

Don’t we all have challenges with perception sometime?  We all know about positive people seeing a glass half full while negative people see the same glass as half empty.  Where one can see an opportunity, another sees a problem.  In seminary, twelve students were assigned to write a sermon on the same short Bible passage.  Twelve different sermons were written.  Some of these contained ideas missed by the rest of the group.  Each student had a difficult time understanding why the others did not see the same thing they had seen. 

            The Pharisees, also, believed that everybody should see things as they saw them.  They were the leaders of the Temple and the law keepers.  Many, like the parents and the neighbors, were afraid to argue with the Pharisees.  Taking on authority takes more courage than most people have.  However, on this strange day, the Pharisees found two that refused to see things as they did.

            The beggar told them, “This one thing I know, I once was blind but now I see.  If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything like this.”  The Pharisees threw the beggar out of the Temple.  Later, the Pharisees called the beggar back.  After giving him another opportunity to say what they wanted to hear, the Pharisees threw him out again.

            Let’s look at the beggar some more.  Jesus caked his face with mud, and sent him away to wash.  When he could see, Jesus was not around.  The beggar did not see Jesus until after the hearings with the Pharisees.  He did, however, testify about Jesus because of his experience.  He still testifies today.

            Jesus sought the beggar out after that second hearing.  The beggar did not recognize him, because he had never before seen Jesus.  Jesus asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of God (Man)”?  “Who is he Sir?  Tell me that I may believe.”  The beggar saw and believed.

            Later, Jesus told the Pharisees, “You believe you can see, but you are blind.  If you were blind, you would have no sin.  Since you say you can see, you cannot escape your guilt.”  “Since you say you can see, you cannot escape your guilt.”   What do you think this means?  Please consider this statement from Jesus.  We will discuss it again in the next blog.

            Believing was easy for the beggar.  He knew he was blind.  When he could see, there was a difference.  It is more difficult to believe for those who are blind but think they can see.  They will not notice a difference until they acknowledge their blindness.  As long as those blind say, as did the Pharisees, “You don’t know me.  I am not blind.  I am above you in spirituality” nothing will change in their lives or their thinking.

            Have you found your sight?  Have you SEEN Jesus?    John 20:29 tells us, “Because you have seen me you have believed.  Blessed are those that have not seen me, and have believed.”

            How is your vision?  O say, can YOU see . . .?  We’ll talk more next time.

God loves you and so do we.

Bishop Dr. O. K. and Rev. Jane Neal, M.Ed. (May 2015)