Willful Blindness

This time we did all we could to 
help a young girl find her way home.

Scripture:

Luke 8:9    Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. ¹⁰ He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that

‘looking they may not perceive,

and listening they may not understand.’

Observation:

As Jesus speaks in parables, he also encourages his disciples to live life with all of their senses. The preceding sentence tells those with ears — to listen and hear what he is saying. Now, when the disciples ask him to explain the parable, he seems to be cautioning them “against hardening the heart to the message of the kingdom, as Pharaoh did (Exod 8:15, 32; 9:34). Willful refusal to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah is the cause of blindness” (Neale, NBBC). 

Application:

Sometimes we are willfully blind about spiritual matters, because allowing the Lord to confront us is painful. This parable of the sower was really about the soil. It would take self-examination for every listener to understand where they found themselves in the story. We don’t like this self-examination because it may reveal that we are not where we ought to be in life, and God may be expecting change. Therefore, we adopt willful blindness, and then we plead ignorance. 

Yesterday I was driving through a part of town where people live under the highway. I had to stop for a red light, but it placed me right next to a man who was begging for money. I literally had no cash in my purse and so it created this awkward moment. I didn’t want to look in his direction or give him eye contact because I had nothing to give. Looking straight ahead at the stop light I willfully looked the other direction and conviction gripped my heart. 

There have been times when I have had willful blindness regarding the suffering of others around me, because it makes me uncomfortable. The gospel of Jesus Christ is supposed to make us uncomfortable, and to shake us free from our complacency. This is what Jesus meant when he spoke of those who look but do not perceive. 

With our eyes and ears open, utilizing all the senses that God has given us, we are to go into the world and be ministers of good news. If we are to become fertile soil, we have to become vulnerable. 

Prayer:

Lord, I don’t want to be willfully blind. Even when it hurts, help me to listen and see what you want me to, and to live into your mission. Amen.