(unedited/draft show notes here, not a totally dialed-in transcript )
Sometimes your eyes are opened….the hard way.
For me it was the purchase of my second house. The market was tight, properties were moving fast. Then we found it! More space than we’d ever had, a quiet cul-de-sac for the kids, big backyard, and that backyard backed up to a green space with a creek. The inspection came back clean, and just like that we’d purchased…a lemon.
The backyard was at a lowpoint geographically and was a swamp 2/3 of the year. The remodeled kitchen had apparently been done by amateurs and started falling apart. And the inspection had missed a mold problem. And that’s just a few of a long list of issues.
Now I’d be a whole lot smarter. Back then, I didn’t even know the right questions to ask. Now, in a sense, my eyes would be open in a whole new way based on my growth in knowledge.
You have heard it said that the way bank tellers are taught to spot counterfeit currency is by handling a LOT of the real thing.
And I’d bet that in some part of your life, you’ve developed a similar skill. Maybe it’s knowing how to spot a bargain at a thrift store or car dealer. Maybe it’s a sense of taste can tell the subtle-but-important differences between what you get at Olive Garden versus that little independent Italian restaurant serving grandma’s secret recipe.
But now the question is how do you grow in how you see Jesus, interpret culture, etc? Here’s a quick pitch: Today’s reflection is part 1 of this topic of ‘eyes open,’ and today’s email for those of you who subscribe will tackle part 2. If you’re not a subscriber, you can go to the bottom of forthehope.org and subscribe, and if you missed part 2, email me I’ll send it to you.
You probably don’t know this, but you will now: It’s what I pray for you.
I’d love to tell you I’m perfectly disciplined about it, spending hours on my knees or some other equally unattainable, if not false, vision of perfection.
But I do have a reminder printed on a wilty piece of paper propped up in the room where I record my time with you. Here is what I pray for you.
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit, of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength. Eph 1:17–19, CSB
Today’s exhortation from 19th-century preacher and theologian, Charles Spurgeon, talks about recognizing Jesus – the real Jesus – but first let me describe the gravity of what is at stake using Jesus’ own words. This comes from Matthew 24 where he’s speaking to the disciples about what the end times will be like.
If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Mt 24:23–24, CSB
Did you catch those last three words? If you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are the “elect” that Jesus is speaking about. And what’s he saying? The only way you will be able to tell the real thing from all of the alternatives is by the power of the Holy Spirit.
So here’s a bit from Charles Spurgeon, commenting on the two dudes who were with Jesus on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 and the fact that they did not recognize Jesus.
The disciples ought to have known Jesus, they had heard his voice so often, and gazed upon that marred face so frequently, that it is wonderful they did not discover him. Yet is it not so with you also?
You have not seen Jesus lately. You have been to his table, and you have not met him there. You are in a dark trouble this evening, and though he plainly says, “It is I, be not afraid,” yet you cannot discern him. Alas! our eyes are darkened.
We know his voice; we have looked into his face; we have leaned our head upon his bosom, and yet, though Christ is very near us, we are saying “O that I knew where I might find him!” We should know Jesus, for we have the Scriptures to reflect his image, and yet beloved, how possible it is for us to open that precious book and have no glimpse of the Well!
Dear child of God, are you in that state?
Jesus feeds among the lilies of the word, and you walk among those lilies, and yet you behold him not. He is accustomed to walk through the glades of Scripture, and to commune with his people, as the Father did with Adam in the cool of the day, and yet you are in the garden of Scripture, but cannot see him, though he is always there.
And why do we not see him?
It must be ascribed in our case, as in the disciples’, to unbelief. They evidently did not expect to see Jesus, and therefore they did not know him.
To a great extent in spiritual things we get what we expect of the Lord. Faith alone can bring us to see Jesus.
Make it your prayer, “Lord, open my eyes, that I may see my Savior present with me.”
It is a blessed thing to want to see him; but oh! it is better far to gaze upon him. To those who seek him he is kind; but to those who find him, beyond expression is he dear![1]
So as we talk about our eyes being opened, let me add one tidbit.
One mark of a growing maturity in your walk with Jesus is wrapped up in the word “discernment.” Just like if I bought a house tomorrow, I’d be a lot more discerning about the quality of workmanship, growing closer to Jesus means you will grow in how the Holy Spirit guides what you see.
Technically, in a theological sense, discernment is the ability to see right and wrong. You grow in your ability to spot false ideas, ideas that are counter to the teachings of Jesus. You grow in your ability judge in a good sense…meaning make good evaluations (versus judgementalism, or being judgmental, which is a radically different stance of the heart).
But let’s put a little finer point on this. This is a quote that our friend Charles Spurgeon said:
Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong, it is the difference between right and almost right. ~ C.H. Spurgeon
Did you catch that? Why would he say that? Why would he say that it’s about knowing the difference between right and almost right?
Because he knows how Satan and sin work.
Satan doesn’t march into your church with a big sign and spouting obvious falsehoods, right? He’s the master liar, saying stuff that sounds good. Remember, when tempting Jesus, Satan was actually quoting Scripture!
Same with sin. Remember how John puts it in 1 John 1:8 – If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Of course, that doesn’t apply to me, because I NEVER try to justify my own junk. LOL
So… “eyes open” isn’t just about seeing physically, right? Duh. It’s about our spiritual sight, our ability to see through God’s eyes. And that is not, per se, about our knowledge or our amazing spiritual discipline or leading a small group or feeding homeless people. All those things are good and right, but remember – the gospel is about what Jesus has already done for us, not about what we do. And then the indwelling of the Holy Spirit helps us to see Jesus rightly, learning to love him and the people in his world more deeply.
So let’s close with that prayer again that Paul prayed for the Ephesians and I pray for you – that when we read the Bible you would grow in what? Knowledge of Jesus.
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit, of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength. Eph 1:17–19, CSB
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
[1] C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896).