Eyes To See And Ears To Hear

Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.” [John 12.44-50] 

This profound declaration by Jesus, in context, comes immediately following this:

But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: “Lord, who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?” But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said, “The Lord has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts— so that their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and have me heal them.” [John 12.37-40]

Eyes to see and ears to hear... Where have we heard that before? 

Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 115.4-8]

The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have  mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and mouths but cannot breathe. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 135.15-18]

Isaiah's writing that Jesus referenced was this:

And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’ Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing.” [Isaiah 6.9-10]  

And, what is the context of Isaiah's writing? It is judgment against Israel for a plethora of violations against God and His Law, the summary of which might be found in chapter 2 of Isaiah:

Their land is full of idols; the people worship things they have made with their own hands. [Isaiah 2.8] 

And then further definition to this violation of idolatry is found in chapter 5 of Isaiah:

Therefore, just as fire licks up stubble and dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will rot and their flowers wither. For they have rejected the law of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies; they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. [Isaiah 5.24] 

The flagship of the law of the LORD (the word of the Holy One of Israel) is the Ten Commandments. Those commandments particularly focus first and foremost on establishing that God is the only God (1st Commandment) and man is not to make idols for himself (2nd Commandment).

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.2-3]

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]

For Jesus to quote Isaiah in John 12.37-40 is to directly implicate idolatry. When Jesus spoke of seeing and hearing in John 12.44-50, it was in the context of His reference to Isaiah and therefore, idolatry. When Jesus mentioned the dark in John 12.44-50, it must be understood that darkness is the curse announced by Psalms 115.4-8 and 135.15-18 upon idolatry.

Ironically (?), as translated in the New Living Translation, the Psalms and Isaiah rank 2nd and 3rd respectively for use of the word dark or darkness. It is (as it should be) furthermore compelling that the two Old Testament writings most quoted by Jesus were the Psalms and Isaiah. Isaiah also ranks 3rd in use of the words idol and its variants, idols and idolatry.

So, why didn't Jesus just come out and say idolatry was the problem? It was for the same reason He spoke in parables:

O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past— stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. [Psalm 78.1-3]

The depth of Jesus' teachings was reserved only for those who would "dig down" to understand them. For us to open our ears, as also to open our eyes, is an act of intention. If we are to ever learn any more of Jesus than John 3.16, we must be intentional about doing so! Look at what follows John 3.16:

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” [John 3.18-21]

Here is the bottom line: 

An intentional gaze upon Jesus (God With Us) is the opening of our eyes and ears otherwise cloaked in darkness from looking upon and listening to idols. We will only see and hear (recognize idols) when we intently look to Jesus. We will only be healed when we do so. 

The question posed here then is: Will we look upon and listen to Jesus with intensity - with intentionality, or will we remain in the darkness of idolatry?

Father, I am so grateful for the glimpses of light that begin to break through when we intentionally look to Jesus. May I be found seeing and hearing ever more clearly as I seek ways to behold and reflect Jesus more and more. So be it.