Removing Scales from Our Eyes
I ran across a summer program for high school students awhile back that caught my attention. In describing the program, it included the following statement:
“According to the great texts of the past – those texts on which Western men and women have attempted to build a civilization – the noble life requires, first of all, removing scales from one’s eyes and seeing clearly.”
What struck me about this statement is the idea of “removing scales from one’s eyes and seeing clearly.” It instantly brought to mind the account found in Mark 8:22-26 where Jesus uses a two- stage process to heal a blind man.
Why would Jesus heal a blind man in two-stages? After all, He is the son of God and is absolutely able to instantaneously perform a miracle.
This question poked and prodded my mind. After exploring the surrounding context of this passage, it became clear that it functioned as an indictment on the disciple’s inability to fully understand who Jesus was and what he came to accomplish. In short, they were spiritually blind and lacked understanding.
In the ancient world, blindness was often used as a metaphor to describe a person’s lack of understanding. Immediately before and after the healing of the blind man, Jesus probed his disciple’s ability to comprehend who He was with the piercing questions “Do you still not see or understand?” (Mark 8:17) and “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29). They could see, but not as clearly as they thought with regard to Jesus. Their vision was cloudy.
Much like the disciples, our spiritual vision can be cloudy. We can miss what God is doing in and around us. Even worse, we can have the wrong perception of Jesus. Having a proper understanding of Jesus happens over a lifetime. It’s a process that moves through stages and one that is aided and amplified by learning, not only from the wisdom found in Scripture, but from the best that history has to offer.
Here at Paideia, we invite students to read, discuss and learn from all that is good, true and beautiful. With scripture as our foundation, we incorporate the great thinkers and authors of Western history allowing students to study and observe the world through the lens of God’s love and explore as Mortimer Adler coined, the great conversation. Throughout this process students invariably begin to see Christ at the center of all areas of their lives in a way that compels them to love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Ultimately, removing scales from our eyes is something only God can do. Thankfully, He delights in helping us see the world He created and sustains more clearly. The educational experience of our students is one vehicle that He uses to cultivate a love for His Son, His Word and a desire to diligently seek Him as He refines our vision.
