To See Clearly

I had cataract surgery on my eyes recently. That makes me sound old – only older people used to have this procedure done. But these days younger people are having the cataracts removed from their eyes so they can see clearly. Cataracts develop when the previously clear lens in your eye begins to change, causing blurring and sensitivity to bright light among other symptoms.

Anyway…they remove the old lens from one eye and replace it with a new and better lens, then give that eye about 3 weeks to heal before doing the same procedure on the other eye. I’m not sure why – maybe it’s so if they really mess up the first eye, you still have the second one to see with?!?

A few days after my first eye had the procedure done, I was amazed at the difference between what I could see from my “good” eye and what I saw from my “bad” eye. I never knew that over time my vision had yellowed and begun to be less clear. 

Through the new implanted lens, the world looked  so much brighter, colors were more vivid, and I could read the small print as it “crawled” across the tv. After the other eye was done, I was delighted to have that new clarity of vision. It was a little like if scales had fallen from my eyes.

In Acts 9, we learn about Saul, who persecuted Christians and drug them off to prison or worse during that time.  But Jesus struck him blind on the side of the road. He was told to go to a certain house and wait.

After a few days without sight, Saul was visited by a man in the town, Ananias. The Holy Spirit entered into Saul as Ananias laid his hands on him, and something like scales fell from his eyes and Saul could see again. We can only imagine how Saul’s sight (both physical and spiritual) changed. From that moment on, Saul (later known as Paul) spread the Good News of Jesus and became one of the heroes of the Christian faith.

Later in Acts, Paul defended himself to King Agrippa by explaining what Jesus said to him when he was struck blind.

‘And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles— to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ ‘ Acts 26:15-18 

Paul wanted to be obedient to Christ and he spent the remainder of his years being used by God to open spiritually blind eyes with the truth of the Gospel. He helped a blind world to turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Paul’s writings in scripture are still being used to do that today.

For unbelievers it’s hard to explain, except to say that the god of this world, Satan, blinds people from understanding the abundant life that awaits when they surrender to Jesus.

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor. 4:4

Jesus even talked about the blindness of the people He taught during his ministry on earth.

‘That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.’ Matthew 13:13

When we become Christians and receive the Holy Spirit, the spiritual “scales” fall from our eyes and we can see Jesus more clearly. We begin to understand biblical truths that might have seemed foolish or unbelievable before.

Just as I’m delighted to have new physical eyes to see life more clearly, I’m even more thankful that God gave me new spiritual eyes to clearly see the wondrous beauty of a life surrendered to Jesus Christ.

If you haven’t yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, and have questions or would like to know more, please leave a message on my Contact page and I’ll get back with you.