Is it possible for someone to observe something but make the choice to not see it?
I’m a Star Wars fan and have a prized collection of memorabilia that people have given me over time. But when we relocated to Southern California after retiring, my compilation remained in a moving box in our garage for a couple of years. Then, some of our grandchildren came for a visit and wanted to see it. So, we spent a couple of enjoyable hours unpacking, viewing, discussing, and playing with my souvenirs.
Afterward, instead of putting everything back in storage, I decided to find a way to display the items in the house. But I had to come up with a plan for doing it that wouldn’t conflict with the ambience of my wife’s carefully crafted interior design. So, I made the decision to build a special shelf for them above my desk in the small room the two of us share as an office.
Now, you have to understand, it’s a tiny space with our desks facing opposite walls and only three feet apart. And when I started my project, Sue was at her desk working on her laptop editing a new book she’d just written. Admittedly, it wasn’t an ideal time for me to be measuring, drilling, hammering, and arranging my display just 36 inches away. But she was so focused on her work and blocked what I was doing out of her mind so effectively that it wasn’t until weeks later when our grandkids were visiting again and pointed out to her the result of my labors that she finally saw my Star Wars shelf.
Like the dust bunnies under the bed we’ve ignored for so long that we no longer see them, if we make the choice to not see something, we can reach a point where we can’t see it. And this type of willful disconnect with reality is what’s being described in John 12:37-41.
This passage sadly reports that most of the people who’d witnessed the many miraculous signs Jesus performed made a conscious choice not to believe. And it quotes two Old Testament prophecies from Isaiah addressing this. The first one (Isaiah 53:1) predicted that people would observe the “arm” or power of the Messiah but choose not to acknowledge his divinity. The second one (Isaiah 6:9-10) said that because they would make the choice to not see, they would enter a state where they wouldn’t be able to see, and tragically, be unable to receive the spiritual healing being offered.
I’m a Jesus-follower and have been most of my life. I chose to see him with eyes of faith and receive his saving grace long ago. But salvation is not the only aspect of my relationship with him that requires a willingness to see.
For instance, to benefit from the work of his Spirit addressing my destructive habits and behaviors means first being willing to stop ignoring or excusing them and acknowledge them as sin. Until I confess or see them for what they are, I won’t cooperate with his sanctifying work. And the longer I close my eyes to this reality, the closer I get to not being able to even recognize my need. James 1:22-24 describes this as self-deception that’s like viewing ourselves in a mirror but walking away without taking action on what we’ve seen and forgetting what we really look like.
The Christian life requires moving beyond observing to seeing. But we can always do so without fear. The light Jesus uses to reveal our spiritual imperfections in that mirror is the same light he uses to transform them. So, I invite you to join me today in claiming the promise of 2 Corinthians 3:18. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”