Open Our Eyes - Cynthia Saladin 3.4.2016

They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”  Matthew 20:33

Have you ever played that game to show how observant/unobservant you are? You intentionally look around the room for one minute. Then you close your eyes and someone asks you questions about what’s in the room. Most people don’t do very well, even when they know what’s coming. If they didn’t have even a minute to look . . . well, suffice it to say: most people are not very observant.

Helen Keller wrote an essay about having the gift of sight so that she could see for three days. She listed the things she most wanted to see: a sunrise, the outdoor delights in the woods, a busy city street, museums, women’s clothing, and the theatre. But I don’t remember her writing about seeing more than just surface things. For instance, you can see that someone has a red shirt on, but you can also see their expression and judge their emotions, whether they’re having a good day or a bad day. Would they appreciate a silly joke or do they need some serious encouragement?  But to a blind person, one who has never had their sight, they don’t realize the depths to which they can’t see. They may only have an idea of what is possible.

I suspect that it’s like that with us too. We may be able to see, but we don’t realize the depths to which we can’t see. Think about the time (2 Kings 6:8-23) when the Syrians were attacking Israel. Elisha’s servant was afraid of the besieging army. Elisha prayed that God would open his eyes; Elisha’s servant saw that “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha” (vs. 17).

Elisa’s servant could see the Syrian army, but he didn’t have eyes to see the army of the LORD. He didn’t realize the depths to which he couldn’t see - at least not until Elisha prayed that his eyes be opened.

It’s curious, this event recorded in Matthew 20:29-34. As Jesus left Jericho, a great crowd followed him. Two blind men called to Jesus. When He asked them what they wanted, they said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Immediately following this healing of the sight comes the account of the triumphal entry. What an event to be able to see! Immediately preceding the healing of the two blind men is the incident when the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, asked Jesus that they be allowed to sit on either side of Jesus in the kingdom. Jesus took the opportunity to help the disciples see that “whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26).

There’s obviously more to seeing than just observing the surface facts. They’re like water bugs skittering on the surface. There’s so much more that we could see. 

There’s a current Christian song by Brandon Heath which goes “Give me Your eyes for just one second. Give me your eyes so I can see everything that I keep missing.” What are we missing? Like Helen Keller, it’s kind of hard to know what to ask for when we don’t have it.

Perhaps we could ask to see God’s will in our life, to know what path He wants us to take. I’d like to understand how the unfolding of events, leading me in a certain direction, fits into God’s plan. When I run into obstacles, is that God telling me to go a different direction? Is He telling me to wait? Is He waiting to see how very much I want a thing? Is an obstacle a “no” from God or is it the enemy trying to discourage me from something good?

Perhaps we could ask to see more clearly how to interact with others. What is it that they need to hear that will encourage them today in their walk with Christ?

Perhaps we could ask to see, with God’s eyes, the potential of each person. If we could see, as C.S. Lewis describes in The Weight of Glory, what is possible for each person who becomes a child of God, we might have more compassion and patience with each one. We might be more willing to share Jesus Christ with them.

I don’t know. What am I missing that I don’t even realize? I suspect that, like the two blind men, it would behoove me to ask, “Lord, let my eyes be opened.”

What about you?