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Breakfast with the Word. Friday 23rd Week Ordinary Time
Luke 6:39-42
Blind leading the Blind
There is a story of two blind men who wanted to cross a busy road. As they were deliberating on how to cross the road, another blind man overheard them as he was coming by.
Now thinking that the two were not blind, asked them if they are crossing the road. They shouted in affirmation and the third blind man said: “okay let us go”. The other two thought that the third man is not blind while the third man thought that the two are not blind, and together, holding their arms, they rushed into the busy road.
Then there was a quagmire. All moving cars stopped, onlookers began to shout and the three blind men became surprised at the shouting from the people. They became confused about which way to follow. Imagine such an experience.
This is what happens when we jump the training to become the masters, It is like one who sees a car and jumps into it to drive when he is unaware of the functions of the components of the car.
This is the situation when we are not deep-rooted in the faith. When someone who is not deep-rooted in the faith tries to be a leader, there is always a problem and confusion along the way, many souls are led astray, biblical truths are turned upside down.
Today, Jesus was referring to the Pharisees who are not yet opened to the truth and secrets of the kingdom and at the same time teachers of the law. Sometimes they misinterpret the scriptures and force people to obey them.
Jesus calls them blind guides because they are spiritually blind. They have refused to act on the spirit of the law, focusing more on the letters.
The disciple is not above his Master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his Master
In the time of Jesus, this saying was already a proverb, and Jesus frequently uses it (Matthew 10:24-25; John 13:12-16; John 15:20). A disciple is someone, who is still on the training and not yet to the finished point. He is groomed day by day. He is still on daily learning and discipline and as such should not count himself more than the master until he is perfected.
When he has learned the much he needed to learn, he can then be like the master. The implication is that before one becomes a master, he has to undergo rigorous training and discipline.
To be a citizen of heaven, we have to allow God to mould us in His perfect manner and way. Before we become leaders of the people both in political and religious settings, we need to learn what it truly entails to be a leader and know the deeper truths in the bible.
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One cannot just wake up and pick up the bible, cram the quotations, and begins to blow out of point.
To understand the bible, you have to get into the mind of the author, the settings, and the community in which he writes. Sometimes you have to get into the original language of the time to actually pull out the meaning. We do not have to take everything in the bible literally. This is why we need rigorous training to do this.
One can not give what he does not have, what we have is what we can give. This is why it is good to learn first before we do. Those who jump the training and the discipline to be a master will always like the blind men, leave people in confusion.
The Log and the Splinter
Jesus says how can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take out that splinter in your eye,” when you cannot see the great log in your own?
A splinter is only a fragment of wood or small pieces of wood but a log is like a stump, a part of the trunk, or a large branch of a tree.
The log is bigger than the splinter or speck. Jesus while referring to the Pharisees says that they pay more attention to the little problems in other people’s lives, forgetting to remove the bigger problem in their lives. First of all, they have to remove the log in their own eyes.
This infers that first of all, we have to work and remove the bigger log in our eyes, we have to work on ourselves first to be able to effectively evangelize and touch souls.
Secondly, it is not always good to criticize and maim others while we also have problems bigger than them. It is not always good to be the first to condemn others. We also have our own problems facing us every day.
Paul says that “For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself because you who pass judgment do the same things”. (Romans 2:1). Before we condemn the other person, think of your own weaknesses.
When we understand this, we then correct and teach. We cease to condemn and maim the other person.
We can remember the time the Jews are trying to stone the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Jesus asks them “let he who has no sin be the first to cast stones. (John 8:7). When a brother misbehaves, do not condemn yet but correct and admonish him as a brother (2 Thessalonians 3:15).
What motivates true leaders are love, mercy and forgiveness. Wherever you are, you are a guide in one way or the other. Always correct and do not be the blind one.
May God bless you dearest and give us the grace to live for Him and for Him amen.
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