Blind Guides

While Jesus was on the earth, He taught a great many things. Not only did He teach a great many things, but He also taught on a great number of subjects to a great number of people. Jesus often spoke of the Pharisees as hypocrites, because they would teach one thing while doing the opposite. Because of their hypocrisy, Jesus reprimanded them. The Pharisees were in the wrong, and Jesus did not hesitate to point it out to them and all who were around. In Matthew 15, Jesus is asked about traditions that He and His disciples are not keeping. From this question, Jesus points out that God's commands are above tradition, that if the traditions go against God's commands, they cannot be followed. When Jesus finishes giving his evidences about why traditions are below commands, His disciples come to Him and tell Him that He has offended the Pharisees with His sayings. When Jesus hears this, He gives yet another illustration. He calls the Pharisees blind men who guide blind people, and continues to say that, eventually, both will fall into a pit.

This passage is one that I have truly taken to heart, especially in the past few years. I have come to Bear Valley so that I might not be a blind guide, so that I would be able to see and help others to see. When I decided that I needed to preach, one of the first thoughts to run through my mind was, "I need to get equipped". I needed to have tools. I needed to learn how to study the Bible for myself, and how to come to my own conclusions, based solely on the Bible and the teachings and concepts within. I needed to learn how to answer the questions about God and His word that were in my mind. I am constantly finding answers to questions that I have had, and am constantly forming new questions, based on the answers I have found. This process fascinates me. I am blown away by the depth that one book presents and the unending number of connections within it. I have talked with men who have studied the Bible their whole lives, and are still finding new connnections and new ideas within it. I am striving to be one of those men who continues to find questions and answers within the Bible. Along with that struggle, I hope to be one who can instill that need for God in others, that need to search and find answers within God's book. May we all strive to be people who search God's book, and who make others curious about it.

Matthew 15:14

Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind, and if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.