Seeing is...Accountability

Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth."  (John 9:41)

Two little words: "I see." We say them often, and with hardly any appreciation of their significance and consequence. Jesus had just healed a blind man; and the Pharisees, with their usual flair, had managed to turn an occasion for rejoicing into one of interrogation and intimidation. They were like many today who are so hung up on delving into the "why" of behavior, they can't seem to find the time to simply change (v.2).

The subject of blindness turns from the physical to the spiritual in the last few verses of the chapter, when Jesus says to these nit-picking Pharisees, "For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and they which see might be made blind" (v.39). This declaration evoked an immediate reaction from the Pharisees that seems to drip with sarcasm: "Are we blind also?" (emphasis supplied)

And at this point, Jesus gives them (and us) a principle that is found over and over in the Word of God: Illumination adds both advantage and accountability.

Make no mistake; this is serious business.

In a verse in Luke that begins with a concept, whether taken literally or spiritually that is sobering, to say the least, our Lord adds these ominous words: "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required..." (Luke 12:48). By insisting, "We see," Jesus said, these Pharisees could be assured that their failure to give Christ the recognition of Lordship He was entitled to, meant that their sin was far greater than the sin of those whom they would have considered to be inferior, when it came to spiritual matters. Claiming 20/20 vision only emphasized the enormity of their blunders.

Someone once said to me, referring to a mutual friend, "He is way too accountable." And I'm afraid the same thing could be said of many of God's children who chronically make poor decisions, enter into unhealthy relationships, or come to unbiblical conclusions. If you are one who falls into this category, be aware that you cannot claim either ignorance or blindness; and therefore, as Jesus said, "Your sin remains."