Driving Blind

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” -- 2 Corinthians 4:4

I recently visited my eye doctor’s office. Every time I go he dilates my eyes. My favorite part, aside from the high fashion sun glasses they hand out, is trying to drive the car home afterward. Talk about driving blind! There should be a rule against such things. There probably is. 

A lot of people are driving blind in this world. It’s hard to get to the right destination when you can’t see anything clearly along the way. Dilated eyes can’t filter out any of the environment’s light and therefore can’t see the reality of the road right in front of them.

Spiritual blindness is similar. People’s spirits are inundated with worries, demands, needs, problems, and the past, so that they “cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ….” Satan, who Paul calls “the god of this age”, has distorted their vision so they cannot see the true God even when He is right in front of their eyes.

We wonder why some people don’t understand the Gospel, why they refuse to believe. The Gospel is such a beautiful message. Why won’t people believe it? What’s not to get? Jesus trades places with us, taking our curse so we can receive His blessing. Will the blind ever receive their sight?

But then we remember that there are plenty of times when we, the faithful, have been just as faithless. The god of this age frequently distorts our vision too, even blinding us. Satan bombards us with our past so we cannot see the love God has for us right now. So, how does God restore our vision? How do the blind receive sight?

It’s through coming into contact with Jesus. When He touches us in Baptism, Communion, and His Word we began to see again. We’re living proof that the blind can see. So, how will God give sight to those blinded by the god of this age? How will they ever see the true God?

It’s not through us arguing them into the faith; it’s through ongoing encounters with Jesus. Jesus wants them to see and believe. Jesus already died for them so they can live with Him.

We give them to Jesus in our prayers, we give them the Gospel whenever there’s an open door, and we rely on Jesus to touch them. He alone can remove their blindness and give them new eyes with which to see. We rely on the One who, alone, can give sight to the blind.