40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"
41 Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
Always attended by His enemies and surrounded by naysayers, our Lord Jesus’ words and actions were under constant scrutiny of those desirous of doing Him harm. Jesus constantly fleshed out for us a perseverance of effort towards well doing even amongst fierce opposition. In our verses for today we discover the Pharisees caviling over Jesus’ allusion to their blindness. They were Israel’s teachers for heaven’s sake, self-sufficient and confident – how dare He speak to them as such. They valued themselves for their insight, wisdom, knowledge and foresight. Self-satisfied, these sneering leaders sarcastically snap back at Jesus a curt question as if to imply His audacity to even suggest their blindness. Sin remains a constant deceiver of those who abide in falsehood - keeping them blind to their own blindness.
Jesus was ever bringing to the attention of Israel’s teachers their actual lack of belief and knowledge of the Law particularly regarding prophesies He was presently fulfilling. Certainly of all people these leaders should have been aware through their study of the Law what the prophet’s wrote in regard to the coming work of the Spirit yet they remained ignorant of the realm of which Jesus spoke. They had been learning all their lives yet knew very little. “You must be born again” was new news to their ears and news most of whom remained unwilling to embrace. We find Jesus asking Nicodemus – a member of the Jewish ruling council – the following:
10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? John 3:10 (NIV)
Ezekiel prophesizes the following regarding the work Jesus came to inaugurate – the giving of a new heart and a new Spirit – bringing dead dry bones to life as only God can do:
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezek 36:25-27 (NIV)
The very thing in which these leaders gloried in – their wisdom and knowledge - Christ here in our verses for today, condemns. None are as blind as those who refuse to see. Jesus stated that it would have been better for them to have been blind and ignorant of the Law as then they would have incurred less blame. As it was, claiming to know Truth, they were guilty of the sin of willful unbelief. There was more hope for a tax collector and prostitute than for those who fancied clarity of vision yet remained in the darkness. Their self-satisfied state was ruining them. This is a good question for us to ponder – Is our self-satisfied state ruining us as well? I am reminded of Jesus’ Words to the Church in Laodicea in Revelation:
17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Rev 3:17-19 (NIV)
“Let us note what a heavy condemnation this text contains for those professing Christians who are constantly comforting themselves by saying, “We know,” “We are not ignorant,” “We see the truth,” while yet they lazily sit still in irreligion, and make no attempt to obey. Such persons, however little they think it, are far more guilty before God than the poor heathen who never hear truth at all. The more light a man has, the more sin, if he does not believe.” J. C. Ryle
The religious leaders were supposed to be managing the Jewish nation for God until He ushered in the new kingdom. They failed in that task as they were not looking expectantly towards it - catching them unaware. Those possessing a great knowledge of God’s revelation will be required to answer for their lack of response to that revelation. Jesus gives us the following Truth in the Gospel of Luke:
47 "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:47-48 (NIV)