OUR VISION vs. GOD’S VISION
(Monday, May 22)
And Jesus said, “For judgment (εἰς κρίμα) I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.” (Jn 9:39-41)
What does our Lord mean, when He says, “For judgment I have come into this world…”? In several other places He says that He does *not* judge us. For example: “As for anyone who hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” (Jn 12:47) In the passage quoted at the beginning of this post from the end of John 9, which is all about the healing and newfound faith of the man born blind, our Lord is talking about the “judgment” (“krima” in Greek, meaning *a decision*, or *a matter for judgment*), which is not *His* decision or choice (to save or condemn), but ours. We, having been given His salvific presence, are also given the choice to *see* Him for Who He is, or not. Some of us, like the Pharisees, might generally think that “we see” just fine, without Him. But the Lord calls this state of mind “sin” (*a-martia* in Greek, meaning *missing the mark*): “but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.” Let’s note that the Pharisees were well-read in the Scriptures and did know a whole lot *about* God. But they could not *see* Him, when He was revealing Himself to them in a new way, through His Son, because they were so full of themselves, so self-sufficient and closed in, within this “fullness” that they felt they possessed.
This Monday let us recognize our own blindness, when we remain in our own heads, with our own vision of things. This can routinely happen to us, say, when we wake up with a bunch of self-centered fears, which instill in us a feeling of dread about the coming day. Let us not trust our own thinking in these moments, but step into His presence with a bit of heartfelt prayer and contemplation of His word. Faith, hope, a healthy self-love and love for others come from communion with Him, in prayer and healthy reading. He unburdens our hearts, so we can see *Him* in all things, and in ever-new ways, throughout our ups and downs. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” in all things!
