We often take for granted the gift of sight. We are privileged to be able to see the beauty of a sunset, a mountain landscape, the faces of those we love, and the beautiful colors of flowers in their many varieties. How can someone explain this beauty to one who is blind from birth? It is a seemingly impossible task to do; I would not know where to begin. We perceive beauty through the instrument of our eyes, and we should gratefully consider this wondrous reality.
The Lord Jesus speaks of another kind of “seeing” in Matthew 13:16,17,
“16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Jesus directs these words to His disciples. Initially you might think He is talking chiefly about His disciples seeing Him with their physical eyes and hearing His message with their ears. I think, though, this misses the point of our Lord’s words. He is speaking of their seeing and hearing Him to mean that they rightly perceive and comprehend His message and His miracles.
In his devotional on these verses, Paul Tripp states,
Jesus “reminds them that they are recipients of the blessing of grace that has opened the eyes and ears of their hearts to see and hear God’s truth clearly. Jesus also tells his disciples that grace has empowered them to see and to hear what God’s people longed for generations to see and hear but did not.”
Let us take the time to be aware of God’s beauty in creation and the wonderful beauty of God’s mercy in saving us and reconciling us to Him through the work of His Son. In our family’s recent trip out to Colorado we had the privilege of viewing the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. Unfortunately, over time human nature can grow so accustomed to blessings that our appreciation for them fades. It is important to have eyes that recognize God’s blessings in His creation, His redemptive work for us, and His handiwork in the intricate events of our lives.
