What Do We See?


"Then Mary took a twelve ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 'That perfume was worth a year's wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.' Not that he cared for the poor -- he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples' money, he often stole some for himself." John 12:3-6

I vividly remember the first time I put on glasses. The detail. The clarity. It was truly a moment. Green and brown blurs were now trees with individual leaves. Signs were no longer red and white or yellow and black splotches. They were stop signs and yield signs. Vision is such an amazing part of our physical creation. Sadly, it can fade or even be lost. Visits to vision professionals help us keep our eyesight sharper and for as long as possible.

Our verses for the day capture one of the most stark contrasts of one person with crystal clear spiritual vision and another who had absolutely none. Both spent significant amounts of time with Jesus. Both witnessed his miracles and heard his teaching. Only one of them, however, actually saw Jesus for who he truly was and is. Mary worshiped extravagantly. Judas whined about a missed opportunity to steal more money.

Perhaps it's time for us to have our spiritual vision examined. When asked by Jesus what he would like Jesus to do for him, a blind man responded, "I want to see!" Jesus granted his request. Jesus is still providing vision today to any and all who ask. What do we see when we look at Jesus? Do we respond with worship or something far different? Without the spiritual sight that only Jesus can provide, life will continue to be out of focus. 

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