Dragging my luggage around while trying to navigate Japan’s public transit system was no small feat—especially when I kept encountering the rigid tiles running right down the middle of the sidewalk. They were everywhere.
After losing control of my luggage for the umpteenth time, I exasperatedly said to my wife, “Whose idea was it to put these bumpy tiles right in the middle of the sidewalk?” She responded, “They’re for blind people.” Awkward!
That’s when I started taking a closer look and noticed a deliberate pattern. The tiles ran straight down the sidewalk, making turns at corners and intersections, directing visually impaired people to important places like ticket counters and train stops. They were everywhere.
These tiles must be a crucial guide for people who are blind. It’s hard enough to navigate Japan’s transit system when you can see. I can’t imagine what it’s like when you’re blind.
But do you know what it took for those tiles to be installed? It took a person who could see. Someone with vision had to do the work to help those without it.
Jesus said, “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” (Luke 6:39-42)
If you were blind and another blind person said, “Hey, follow me!” would you? Probably not. You’d likely end up in a dangerous situation you couldn’t get out of.
In this parable, Jesus teaches us that blind people shouldn’t lead other blind people. Neither should we follow one. It’s dangerous.
If you’re going to be led you need someone who can see clearly to guide you. Ultimately, that person is Jesus. We need him to lead us because he understands our spiritual needs more fully than we ever could.
It also means we should strive to become more like our teacher. We need to evaluate our spiritual maturity before trying to lead others.
Jesus went on to say, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Luke 6:41-42)
How can a spiritually blind person help guide another? They can’t.
We must first remove the obstacles from our own eyes before trying to help others. That can only be done by growing to become more like Jesus.
What practical steps can you take to sharpen your spiritual sight so that God might use you to help others? Good and wise people choose to be taught and led by Jesus and those who are more spiritually mature than them.
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