Having trouble seeing Jesus? That’s okay. We all do. The Spirit wants to reveal Him to us. Listen closely!

7 Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools [who do not ask the Lord for wisdom].

We all begin spiritually blind. In fact, we all have scales like Paul that keep us from seeing Jesus as He really is. The illness of wrong-thinking that leads to wrong-doing has blinded us to the truth. The salve of Jesus (Revelation 3:18) cleanses our eyes and we see light. That light is Him, and He reveals the truth about Himself to us. Let’s read Paul’s account in Acts 9,

Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. ² He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.

³ As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

⁵ “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.

And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! ⁶ Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷ The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! ⁸ Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. ⁹ He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.

¹⁰ Now there was a believer/disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord!” he replied.

¹¹ The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. ¹² I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”

¹³ “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers/disciples in Jerusalem! ¹⁴ And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

¹⁷ So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. ¹⁹ Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.

Literal- Saul later becomes known as Paul (His Greek name). He who was a great persecutor of the church became the greatest evangelist known in Christianity. What changed? His perspective! We know that Paul had trouble with his eyes (Galatians 4:13-15, 6:11). He learned to live with his infirmity. It is ventured that he was referencing his eye problems in 2 Corinthians 12:7-8; his conclusion certainly applies,

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Moral- Saul couldn’t see clearly even though he had studied the Scriptures (all OT at the time). Why? Because he needed the Father’s perspective. Once he met Jesus, Saul, who became Paul, immediately understood the truth. The filling of the Holy Spirit gave him the understanding to interpret the Scriptures correctly concerning Jesus Christ and His vision of the Father. The Spirit will do the same for us.

Spiritual- Only those who have seen Jesus Christ in His resurrected form see Him clearly (Paul and John, whose accounts we have); even then, they know only what He has revealed to them. Paul says,

¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

And John says,

² Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2

We spend our whole lives struggling to see Christ clearly. We have the Scriptures, but we need the Spirit to help us interpret. Let’s keep everything on the table and allow the Spirit of Christ to guide us into all truth.

Abba, once we were blinded by the evil one, the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), but now we are children of light (1 Thessalonians 5:5). May we see You with new eyes of the Spirit, O Lord. Our heart’s desire is to seek Your face (Psalm 27:8). Amen.