Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons conducted an experiment at Harvard University more than a decade ago that became infamous in psychology circles. Their book The Invisible Gorilla popularized it. And you may be one of the millions of viewers who made their Selective Attention Test one of Youtubes’s most-watched videos.
The two researchers filmed students passing basketballs while moving in a circular fashion. In the middle of the short film, a woman dressed in a gorilla suit walks into the frame, beats her chest, and walks out of the frame. The sequence takes nine seconds in the minute-long video. Viewers are given specific instructions: “Count the number of passes by players wearing white shirts.” Of course, the researchers were not interested in their pass-counting ability They wanted to see if the viewers would notice something they weren’t looking for, something as obvious as a gorilla. Amazingly, half of the test group did not.
How is this possible?
How do you miss the gorilla in the room?
Today is about ‘Opening Eyes’ and Jesus is doing so by pointing out a Gorilla in the room—spiritual blindness. As humans, we are going through life making assumptions, assigning meaning to happenings, often filling in the blanks with whatever we can come up with. At the beginning of this scripture the disciples are doing exactly that. They are walking with Jesus and see a man who has been blind since birth. The disciples ask Jesus who caused the blindness, ‘Was it the man, or his parents?’ Jesus immediately opens the eyes of these religious elitists by clarifying this has nothing to do with sin in this man’s life or his parents. Nor is God punishing them or angry with them.
But, like the religious elite, we fill in the blanks and trying to assign some sort of meaning to life. Sometimes, maybe we joke and use humor to apply harmless meaning to make sense of things. This past week, on top of dealing with the coronavirus, we had an earthquake here in Utah. Many of you heard the trumpet held by the angel Moroni on an LDS temple fell off the statue. Some suggested maybe this was a sign the world is ending. Now, not to toot my own horn, but I had my own clever idea about what was going on, “Moroni threw his trumpet down, signaling the end is not here, and there is still plenty more work to do!”
Other times in life, like the religious elite often do, we assign meaning that can be dangerous. We assume. We gossip. We change the story up a little bit. And… we sound the trumpet, announcing the sins of others. After all, ‘opening eyes’ to their bad deeds; may mean eyes closed to ours.
One of the most dramatic encounters in the bible comes from Chapter 8 in the gospel of John. The Pharisees drag a woman they deem a prostitute to Jesus, interrupting his teaching session. These holier-than-thou's accuse her of committing adultery, even claiming she was caught in the very act. They ask Jesus whether the punishment for someone like her should be stoning, as prescribed by Mosiac Law. Sadly, this behavior mirrors what many believe today. The ‘eye for an eye’ type mentality. Right? Many believe if we do something bad it should be punished with something equally as bad. Can you say 'Blinded by the light.' Or, what they thought was light. But Jesus sheds real light on this encounter with the Pharisees. Jesus first ignores the interruption and writes on the ground as though he does not hear them. But when the woman's accusers continue their challenge, Jesus finds himself ‘opening eyes’ by announcing, ‘the one who is without sin is the one who should cast the first stone.’ The outed accusers tuck their tails, blinders removed, site restored, clarity restored that not one of them is without sin. (John 8: 1-11)
In today’s reading, Jesus is, yet again, ‘opening eyes’ as he solidly states that the concept of ‘original sin’ is a construct of man, not God. Jesus goes on to clarify why the man is blind, “this happened so that God’s mighty works might be displayed in him.” Jesus speaks to the poison of the assumptions, these false notions, and false narrative, made up by the Pharisees. He confronts these surface-only-viewers and says hold up; your sight is skewed. You are errantly blinded by the truth and assigning false meaning. This man is not blind because of someone’s sin, but that God may open eyes by working through him.
How often do we look at the surface and assign meaning? If you’re like me the answer is a lot! Here-in lies the problem. If we are simply looking at the surface, not willing to dig deeper, no willing to ‘ask, seek, and knock’, we not only misinterpret things, our assumptions close our eyes to the truth. Let’s go back to the blind man. If we only see the blind man and assume the blindness is of consequence, we, ourselves, are blind to our opportunity to witness the grace of God. In today’s scripture Christ is ‘opening eyes’, and we see two types of blindness in the story. We have a man who is born with a defect- physical blindness. The second blindness is a defect of the religious folk who were spiritually blind. The latter, spiritual blindness, being the worst by far. Physical blindness can be healed, but spiritual blindness repels healing.
My sister sent a message on our family chat the other day updating us that due to the coronavirus her children’s school was now canceled through May. It seems the world is finally realizing how serious this pandemic is becoming. As shown through our Risen Christ, this is the time of year New Life is on the horizon. It may take days, it may take months, but in a strange way, I feel like the world is being given a much-needed chance this to awaken from our spiritual blindness. An opportunity to heal from the divisiveness of the nation. ‘Opening Eyes’ back up and reminding us we are all human-- we need to be able to count on one another--- to rely on one another. There is a nostalgia associated with 1985, for those who are old enough, this is when the world sang together “We are the World… We are the Children… We are the ones who make a brighter day so let’s keep giving…’ Today we have an opportunity to participate in healing the world. A chance to heal the world. Yet we struggle because we have been given so much. Because have taken so much in our lives for granted. It's no lie, most of us have spent our whole lives living in overabundance. Eyes have closed to the needs of others as we engage in this ‘Me, Me, Me, it’s all about me’ type world.
So, how are YOU going to choose to participate in this world? Is your vision that of a follower or taker? Open or closed? Are your eyes shut and closed off to your neighbors in need? Do you add to the negativity of an already cruel world? Or, are you truly a follower, choosing to open your eyes, a helper in the world? A doer of good, out pursuing acts of kindness and good deeds; Shopping for the elderly. Buying food for your neighbors, checking in on people.
A quick word of caution, if you will, it is easy to get stuck focusing on the negativity in the current climate of the world, including the physical devastation. It is easy to lose faith and become spiritually blind. But, let’s remember our mantra ‘God is still speaking’. Be a listener. Be a follower. Serve others. Be Kind. Don’t allow yourself to get lost in the negativity.
Eyes closed…
Both eyes closed, blinded by the physical and to the spiritual. For generations now, many of us have been spoiled to varying degrees. Some have a lot more than others, some have a little more than others, and some just have very little, but I think it is fair to say, generally, most of us have a lot more than those who traveled before us. Even looking at many third world countries today, you seem to see most glued to their cell phones. According to GSMA real-time intelligence data, today, there are 5.17 Billion people that have a mobile device in the world. This means that 66.77% of the world's population has a mobile device. I'm secure in saying, comparatively, no other generation has more access to ‘stuff’. And that ‘stuff’ has become so important. That ‘stuff’ we take for granted. Right? Our eyes closed off to what is important. This past week I was sickened by a newscast where I watched an elderly gentleman offer up a population of elderly to the coronavirus in the name of saving our economy for future generations. I was astonished. How is this even a thing? Eyes closed to the idea we are one big family, and nobody gets left behind. I still can’t believe what I heard. And, for many people in our world, that is what life has become about. A life of luxury. A life of overabundance. Stuff, Stuff and more stuff. We have traded meaningful relationships for stuff. Floorspace has been exchanged for family and friendships. ‘Eyes closed’ to the idea we should treat EVERYONE, ALL our fellow man, ALL our neighbors, how we want to be treated. What kind of visionaries are we? Have we closed our eyes to the fact our amazing God sustained the Israelites in the desert for 40 years? Have we lost faith that the same God will continue to sustain us in our trials? Are our eyes closed to the fact God created us to survive, to be an innovative people? He gave us science for a reason, he gave us doctors for a reason! It reminds me of this joke:
A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help.
Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you."
The stranded fellow shouted back, "No, it's OK, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me."
So the rowboat went on.
Then a motorboat came by. "The fellow in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you."
To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith."
So the motorboat went on.
Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety."
To this the stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith."
So the helicopter reluctantly flew away.
Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, "I had faith in you but you didn't save me, you let me drown. I don't understand why!"
To this God replied, "I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?"
In these difficult times, let's not be blind to the power of faith, but also it is important to remember God has gifted his children with differing abilities. Like I mentioned before, let's pay attention to our doctors, pay attention to scientists, they are our rowboats, our motorboats, they are our helicopters! And, let's remember to love and worship the sender with all our heart, mind, and strength!
I want to get back to living in overabundance for a moment. Here we are a people living in surplus and we fear not having stuff… Much of this 'stuff' is of convenience and unnecessary to live. For example, plug your ears if you don’t want to hear me swear, but I am going to say one word… ready…set… ‘Toiletpaper!’ The new American swear word. People are hoarding this stuff, many buying in bulk to have their own 20-year supply, others buying to price gouge. Literally bringing an elderly population, a disabled population, a poor population, to their knees in fear there would not be adequate supplies for them. These blinded hoarders are clearly spiritually wounded. Case after case of a fear-driven people-- talk about bad vision-- ‘the blind leading the blind.’ ‘Eyes closed’ we were a people brought to our knees.
Today’s good news is that the physical can be healed. Opening eyes can come from things like going without, being a witness, and experiencing what it is like to have access to less. Like the blind man, many of us have lacked this vision in our lives. Good thing our teacher still teaches…
In Matthew 13, the disciples ask Jesus why He spoke to the people in parables. He responds (13:14-15) by citing the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9:
“In their case, the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears, they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise, they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.’”
And… from Acts 26:18 we learn what the healing power of God can do for people as Christ instructs Paul to share the healing power of our Lord, a power “To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
Time to start opening our eyes, shedding the darkness and moving to light.
One eye open...
Does anyone remember the Metallica song “Enter Sandman”? James Hetfield sings the lyrics, ‘sleep with one eye open… gripping your pillow tight… exit light… enter night…’ Sleeping with one eye open speaks to fear, to the darkness that looms. When we only have that physical eye open, and the spiritual eye remains closed, how much more fearful are we?
When we operate with only the ‘physical eye’, that ‘me, me, me’ eye, we start to understand an ever darker, more terrifying darkness. The apostle Paul says, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” -Ephesians 6:12.
An entire system of spiritual darkness-- spearheaded by Satan himself, carried out by hordes of demons, and influencing every corner of the earth— rages right below the surface of our everyday lives.
Years ago, when I was stuck in my addiction, the world had more than dimmed, I was engulfed by darkness. I was broken. Reaching near soullessness. I choose a lifestyle that focused on the physical things the world had to offer, like my next ‘fix’, things of monetary value, and other physical desires. What’s the name of that soap opera, “As the World Turns”? Well, that was my life, turning into a soap opera. Looking back, I would change the name of my soap opera to “As the World Darkens”. And, like all soap operas, the focus of life was on the desires of the flesh. The physical. It became all that mattered. I didn’t have faith that God even existed. I feared death because I believed this world, was it. I feared all that awaited me in the end was a pile of dirt. I knew I was killing myself, but I lost care, my demons were relentless. As my darkness overcame my life, I developed an insatiable need for the physical… more, more, more… Thankfully, just as God did with Saul, as God did with David, and many others, God finds us in the darkness, God is relentless in seeking us, God gives us an opportunity to open that spiritual eye, and aims to create in us a clean heart.
In Psalm 139:7-12 we read, “Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? To be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, You’d find me in a minute-you’re already there waiting! Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!” It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.”
Eye’s Open...
For fifty-one years Bob Edens was blind. He couldn’t see a thing. His world was a black hall of sounds and smells. He felt his way through five decades of darkness. And then, he could see. A skilled surgeon performed a complicated operation, and, for the first time, Bob Edens had sight. He found it overwhelming.
“I never would have dreamed that yellow is so . . . yellow,” he exclaimed. “I don’t have the words. I am amazed by yellow. But red is my favorite color. I just can’t believe red. “I can see the shape of the moon—and I like nothing better than seeing a jet plane flying across the sky leaving a vapor trail. And of course, sunrises and sunsets. And at night I look at the stars in the sky and the flashing light. You could never know how wonderful everything is.”
Max Lucado, God Came Near: God’s Perfect Gift. Thomas Nelson.
When our eyes are wide open, we have a whole new view. No longer is the world a dark and dreary place. Like Bob, we now notice and partake in the beauty of God’s creations. We become connected. We learn the power of appreciation, gratitude, service, love, and kindness. We not only see in color but dimensions. I read a short article answering the question, “Do humans see in 3D or 4D?” The answer was that our brains can only process in 3D information and that anything beyond that cannot be seen. I am not much of a scientist, but I wonder if I could argue we can see in 4D? Length, width, height and... spiritual attunement. The connection, the view, the vision, the blessings we get from moving in concert with the spirit are powerful. And, we start to learn we can connect in many ways: Eliciting a child’s laughter. A run in the hills. A long drive. A gift for a neighbor. Money to the panhandler. Recognizing and respecting the beauty of the earth. And the list goes on… and on…
God has anointed us, as followers of Christ, with the power to change our vision, to change vision in the world, by seeing that which is good, by being that which good, by sharing that which is good.
Luke 4: 18-19
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
As you go out into the world, social distancing, looking for opportunities to spread love, I hope you focus on ‘opening eyes’ to goodness in the world. Don’t be negative, your 2020 vision should not be over, we have been gifted with a multitude of opportunities to love better and in many more ways, ways we have not loved for a before. We are gifted we opportunities to help one another. To get closer to our families spending more time at home. And... we can show up for each other by not showing up. Do not close your eyes becoming part of the negativity, the bashing, the bullheadedness. Do not operate with one eye open, for fear-based bias is not becoming of followers of Christ. Open your eyes, open your hearts, and be the change you wish to see in the world.
I want to close with a few words from the song Broken Vessels by Hillsong United:
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me, oh
I once was lost
But now I'm found
Was blind but now I see
Oh, I can see it now
Oh, I can see the love in Your eyes…
Here comes Easter... a new love... a new life.
Open your eyes... Keep your vision strong!
In the name of one eye-opening example, no giver of a truer love, Jesus The Christ, Amen
