How many of you have eye or vision problems? I know I do. I have worn eyeglasses since my younger teenage years. Fortunately, my vision can be corrected to 20/20 which I am thankful for. Vision problems though go beyond physical sight. Many people have problems with their spiritual vision, also. Our corrected vision will help us to know how to reach lost people for the kingdom of God.
Here is an interesting passage in the Bible that serves as an eye-opening illustration. Even though it is talking about physical eyesight, it serves as an illustration of the spiritual as well.
Mark 8:22–25 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
Do You Have Blurred Vision?
It seems that many of us could also have blurred vision as this man did. Only ours is with our spiritual sight. We have met Jesus and he has opened our eyes. But we still don’t see people clearly.
We all have our own lens through which we look. They are assumptions, reactions, and judgments that influence how we see the world and its people.
We must get our personal lens focused and in line with how God sees people. Then we will have a better idea of how to reach lost people for the kingdom of God.
How The Lord Sees Differently Than We Do
Here is an interesting passage that shows how Jesus saw a person differently than a Pharisee did. In Luke 7 a woman came into the room and washed Jesus’ feet. She was viewed by the Pharisee as being a wretched sinner.
Jesus responded to him with a story. “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”
Jesus and the Pharisee See Things Differently
Jesus and the Pharisee looked at the same person but saw her differently. The Pharisee looked through the lens of judgment.
Job in the Old Testament saw his life differently than his friends saw him.
Jesus looked through the lens of compassion. Everyone has a different lens within themselves that influences how they relate to others. We have to take the blinders off and see people of the world the way our Lord sees them.
In our judgment, we often want to predetermine why a person could never make it to heaven.
In 1 Samuel 16:7, it is recorded that The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
Removing Blinders Will Help You Reach Lost People
When we take our blinders off, our lens will change. We will begin to see things the way the Lord sees them. The mission of Jesus was people. His lens was compassion which guided his actions, reactions, and interactions with everyone he met.
Scripture tells us that Jesus felt compassion when He encountered the sick (Mt. 14:14), the blind (Mt. 20:34), the demon-possessed (Mk. 9:22), those who lost loved ones (Lk. 7:13), the hungry (Mt. 15:32), the lonely (Mk. 1:41) and the bewildered (Mt. 9:36).
His compassion expanded to everyone when He gave His life on the cross. On the third day, He rose from the grave making salvation available to all who would receive it. Through this compassionate act of the Lord, we no longer have to suffer the eternal consequences of sin.
When looking at the world around you, what do you see? A world in need? A people worth saving? A generation worth serving? Once you see those things, then that is a start to know how to reach lost people for the Kingdom of God.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Christian Perspectives
Featured Image by David Travis on Unsplash
