Pentecost XXII Bottom Line Spirituality:Worldly and Godly Thinking

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Godly Abiding Spiritually in Jesus Changes the Meaning of What we See Worldly When Not Abiding in Jesus.

Godly thinking understands the difference between worldly reading what is seen and spiritual seeing what is not read.

Mark 10:46-52 "Call him!"

There are two ways of seeing things, worldly and godly. Worldly thinking sees the physical as real and the spiritual as symbolic.  Godly understanding sees the spiritual as real and the physical as symbolic.

Jesus is traveling into Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd follows them. As He is coming out of the City Bartimaeus, a blind man, was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more. “Son of David have mercy on me!”  Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” 

They called to the blind man, “Cheer up. On your feet, He’s calling you”. Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”   “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Worldly understanding thinks the blind man came to Jesus to be healed of his blindness. When he was healed he followed Jesus. Godly understanding wonders how a blind man without anyone’s help could come running to Jesus if he could not see where he was going. He must have been healed physically before he came to Jesus. He came to Jesus and asked to be able to see things spiritual. Jesus put him in the Presence “to see” (discern, sense, feel) the grace of God. From then on he followed spiritually and gracefully along the grace way of Jesus Christ.

Jesus speaks to us several times in the Gospel saying those who have eyes to see, let them see, those who have ears to hear, let them hear. He was not talking about physical or worldly eyes and ears. When He spoke, most of the people were seeing and listening physically. He was speaking to them and now to us about our spiritual or godly eyes and ears. We need to “let” them consciously see and hear spiritually.

This conclusion cannot be understood by rational thinking. Only if one is willing to think spiritually can it be understood. There are none so blind as those who will not see.

We are constantly moving back and forth from the rational to the spiritual. We all have had times when we felt at Peace in cataclysmic times, when at other times we would be a nervous wreck. Same position different condition. All this series is pointing out is: if we can name the movement we can claim it. Otherwise we are playing spiritual roulette. Every now and then we may hit a live chamber. Spiritual understanding makes what we are playing into the real thing which is to know when and how to abide in Christ Jesus. 

Have you ever been spiritually blind? If so, you knew it when you began to see spiritually. The only way we can know if we are spiritually blind is to know the difference being in or being out of His Presence makes. Can you see the difference? Not if you don’t do it!