JOHN 5:39-44: “You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me; and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you accept glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?” NASB

OBSERVATION: When was the last time I had my spiritual eyes examined? This may seem like a strange question. How can one have a spiritual eye exam? The last time I looked, Lens Crafters did not offer this service. Yet, just like I need to watch the health of my physical eyes, I also need to care for my spiritual eyes.

Spiritual nearsightedness or farsightedness is a real malady that affects all believers. We are all vessels of clay going through different times of trial and testing. These struggles, and how we react to them, have a lot to do with the health of our spiritual eyes. It is very easy to begin to see and understand God’s Word incorrectly – through our eyes of hurt, disappointment, or failure.

This was the case with the Jews whom Jesus was addressing in John chapter 5. They took great pride in their religion and in being the recipients of the Word of God. Yet, they completely missed the very Messiah that God’s Word proclaimed. Jesus, standing in their midst, was not embraced for who He truly was. It was not that they did not revere God’s Word. The problem was with their spiritual eyesight. Jesus said,“

• “You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me; and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”

How can a person be a student of the Scriptures and miss the very essence of God’s Word? How could one pour over the Word, day in and day out, and miss the very life they were seeking – when it stood right before them? And, it was not simply that they were missing it. Rather, they were openly resisting it!

• “…And yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”

What were these people missing? What do we so often miss in our pursuit of the truth? What is the defining component of healthy spiritual eyes? It is not the amount of time we spend in the Word. There are many that use God’s Word in ways that lead many astray. So what is it?

It is the condition of our heart that determines the health of our spiritual eyes. And, the condition of our heart that is a prerequisite to the health of our spiritual eyes is – HUMILITY! This is exactly what Jesus focuses on when He challenges those who were resisting Him.

• “I do not receive glory from people; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you accept glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?”

Jesus had only one focus in His life. It was to please the Father, to do His Father’s will, and to speak His Father’s words. Jesus did not do this for any fanfare or acclaim. He did this out of a humble heart of obedience. The result of this obedience was both suffering and misunderstanding from those He came to save.

On the other hand, the Jews who stumbled at His word were more interested in their own personal comfort and acceptance from others. They hungered for their peers’ glory and honor and would do anything to receive it. This spiritual pride, this hunger for acceptance, and this need for affirmation from their peers, blinded them from seeing the very Son of God. Instead of humbling themselves before Jesus, they criticized what He did because it did not fit into their personal framework.

In the recent movie, Jesus Revolution, there is a scene from the movie where one of the church leaders is upset because the hippies that are now attending church do not wear shoes. His objection is that their dirty feet will stain their new carpet. When we begin to worry more about the church’s carpet than the heart of someone who needs Jesus Christ we have lost our spiritual eyesight!

I love the scene that follows. As Sunday approaches, the man who objected to the dirty feet, and his family, approach the church, only to see a long line of hippies at the door. He angrily pushes through and mutters – “What is this all about!?” When he gets to the door he sees the pastor, kneeling down, and washing the feet of each person who came to church without shoes. Angrily, he passes by and takes a seat. He would soon leave the church!

We are all the Jews who stood before Jesus, or the angry man worried about the carpet if we do not humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God. If we worry more about pleasing others than pleasing God – we will be blinded from the very truth that will set us free. God always resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble. His grace is like a finely tuned pair of eyeglasses. It keeps us in a place of humility and enables us to see and understand the truth.

Grace corrects our spiritual vision so that we can clearly see!

The more we strive, the more we try to convince others, the more we worry about what people will think of us – the more we move away from the heart of the Father and the truth of His Word. Yet, when we humble ourselves under His mighty hand, when we desire to please God more than man, when we are willing to count the cost of discipleship and take up our cross and follow Jesus – we receive God’s grace and our spiritual eyes are opened!

Lord, I hunger to see You and know You. I hunger to know You through Your Word. I hunger to be pleasing to You in all that I do and say. So, this morning, search me and know me and see if there are any roots of pride or insecurity that are springing up in my heart. Give me the grace to humble myself under Your mighty hand.

Open my eyes and let me see Jesus!

In Jesus’ Name!