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‘A certain blind man.’
Luk_18:35
I. Blindness from materialism.—First of all let us look at materialism. The reason is simple enough. If you follow one thing only you are almost sure to destroy your power of seeing other things. The person who thinks only of worldly things, only of being rich, is, as our Lord says, blind. May God save us from the blindness of materialism!
II. Blindness from prejudice.—And then, again, prejudice has the same effect. Prejudice destroys spiritual sight. How well we know that the Christian faith is in a great many quarters hated! Is that the result of reason? It is because people are blindly prejudiced against the whole thing. How can we run the way of God’s commandments if we are blinded by prejudice?
III. Blindness from political animosity.—Thirdly, we have the question of political and religious animosity. In the campaign against Church schools there were many people who told us, with regard to the religious teaching in elementary schools, that there must be no religious tests for teachers. That is a good example of political animosity bringing about spiritual blindness.
IV. The duty of the Church.—What follows? Surely that it is the duty of the Church to break down materialism and prejudice. How is that to be done? Our Lord had to encounter the tremendous Messianic prejudice of those who believed in one kind of Messiah and no other. Did He try to break it down by abusing it? No, but by patience and love. Surely that should be our method in the treatment of heresies. And we must kill prejudice in ourselves as well as try to break it down in others. Spiritual blindness is a moral fault. Spiritual sight is not the privilege of the intellectual, for our Lord said, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’
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Rev. G. C. Rawlinson.