vision

Seeing Clearly

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”  John 12:20-21 ESV

Recently I realized that I needed an updated eye exam and glasses. Road signs were appearing slightly blurred and reading had become a real chore. Finally, I made an appointment with a local vision center and a couple of weeks later happily walked out with a brand-new set of glasses. What a delight it was to easily read again, and the road signs now stood out crystal clear. When I read today’s passage, I think that maybe the disciples needed something like my eye exam and new glasses. Greeks had come looking for Jesus and those kinds of people were not at all who they were comfortable with. That morning as they had followed Jesus along the road, they had heard shouts of praise from the crowd and walked over palm branches that had been laid in the path. Then, while their heads were spinning from the pace of events, some Greeks came looking for Jesus. “Greeks!” Philip thought. “Oh no! We had to deal with those Pharisees, then the Samaritans, but now Greeks!” Philip, being unsure of what to do decided what many of us do in pressure situations: He passed the buck!

“Hey Andrew, there are some Greeks here who want to see Jesus. What do you think?” he asked. Andrew being no more certain of what to do than Philip, passed the buck again: this time to Jesus, “Jesus! You won’t believe it. Now there are even Greeks who want to see you. What are we supposed to do with Greeks?”

Jesus’ answer must have puzzled the disciples. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:24-25

Today is no different. All around us are people we are not comfortable with. They come from faraway places, don’t speak our language and don’t even like our food, but they want to see Jesus. Passing the buck is not an option. Instead, Jesus said that we must be like a seed planted in a garden that dies before it grows. His plan is for us to surrender our plans and goals to Him, before He shows Himself to others through us. Then, when we turn in our old set of glasses and put on His Gospel lenses, we will begin to see people as Jesus does, and as a bonus we will see Jesus for ourselves more clearly than ever!

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God’s Invisible Things

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

When Jesus sat down for dinner with a well-dressed and wealthy Pharisee their pleasant meal  was harshly interrupted by a weeping woman who burst into the room and began kissing the feet of Jesus and wiping them with her hair. Simon was shocked! It was well known in his community what flagrant sins this woman had committed. How dare she enter his house, and furthermore how could Jesus allow himself to be touched by someone like her?

India and Nepal 115

Yet Jesus saw the circumstances quite differently than Simon or you or I. He didn’t focus on the fine tableware or savor the gourmet cuisine. He hadn’t been impressed by the beautiful columns or the handcrafted door at the entrance of Simon’s home. What Jesus saw was the coldness of Simon’s heart. Jesus had noticed that Simon had not given him the customary kiss on his cheek, or offered water for his feet to be washed. But Jesus saw quite clearly the repentance and gratitude of this woman and He treasured that.

God does not see things as we see them and as we enter this 3rd month of societal shutdown. He does not focus on our abilities, resources of political party.  Instead He sees the worthlessness of the things that I cling to and the value of the people that I avoid. Two years ago during an eye exam I learned that my eyesight was deteriorating because of  pterygiums which were blurring my vision. For those who are unfamiliar with the term those are things that happen to people like myself who spend most of their time outdoors. We have literally just seen too much! But after surgeries to both eyes I am thankful that I can see clearly. Maybe we need to ask God for a spiritual eye exam because the challenges that we face demand 20/20 vision. Even if it means spiritual surgery and a painful recovery it will be worth it when we come out seeing clearly and treasuring the invisible things that Jesus values most of all!

A Look in the Mirror

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:5 ESV

“Why don’t these glasses that I have had less than a year help me enough to read anymore?”  I complained to my optometrist at my annual eye exam.

Why don’t these glasses that I have had less than a year help me read anymore?”  I complained to my optometrist at my annual eye exam.

man reading a book

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“Have you noticed those spots on your eyes?” she asked patiently as she held up a mirror.  There I could see dark patches on my irises which once were clear blue. Then I realized that everyone else could see my problem except for me. Jesus said that before we can help anyone else we have to take a look in the mirror.

Have you ever noticed that people don’t always see things as we would like them to? Maybe they are our children, our neighbors or that crazy politician running for office. No amount of cajoling, reasoning or sarcastic complaints seems to make a dent in their refusal to see the truth. But maybe our biggest problem is that we have some spots on our own eyes, rendering us incapable of delicate eye surgery.

I did finally get my vision back after two eye surgeries. What helped me through my difficult and recovery was the gentle voice of the surgical assistant assuring me that my eye were indeed healing. Her patience with my  complaints encouraged me to faithfully keep taking my eye drops and putting on my eye patch at night. Slowly my vision improved and I will always be grateful for their willingness to listen as well as to cure.