We Think We See, But We Are Blind

Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath, infuriating the Pharisees because Jesus worked on the Sabbath.

"Some of the Pharisees said,

'This man Jesus is not from God,

for He is working on the Sabbath.'"

John 9:16 (NLT)

The Pharisees may have claimed they loved God, but they really didn't. If the Pharisees truly loved God, then they would love their neighbor as their selves. They would rejoice that once a man was blind, but now he could see, no matter what day of the week he was healed. The Pharisees' code of regulations had become more important to them than the welfare of a human being.

Disturbingly in churches I often see the same thing where a church's focus is no longer on people, but on other things. And when the church's focus is off people, the church's focus is off God. God and people are closely tied together. As a result, the church ends up becoming nothing more than a group of sanctimonious, self-righteous, and hypocritical people, where God's presence is no longer felt.

If we truly desire the presence of the Lord, we need to love others. No amount of prayer, fasting or giving money will do it.