"Can a blind person guide a blind person?" (Luke 6:39).
1 Cor 9:16-19, 22b-27; Luke 6:39-42
Jesus' little parable about the speck and the beam captures the reality of human subjectivity. Every person sees the world from a personal point of view and in terms of their own interests and needs. We inevitably make judgments about others from this perspective, but ironically, we have a "blind spot" for ourselves because we are too close to ourselves to be objective.
If you have ever had a speck in your eye, it feels like a beam because it is so obtrusive. It prevents us from seeing anything else clearly. Another lesson of the parable is that we often need someone else to help us remove it. Jesus is that helper, our teacher who wants us to see the truth about the world and about ourselves.
A disciple is schooled in how to see objectively. But there is another paradox. To feel compassion for another person we also need to be able to see as they see. Only then will we understand them and love them as we love ourselves. The ultimate goal of discipleship is to see as God sees, with perfect love.
When we pray to be able to see, this is what we are praying for. What an amazing thing it is to see without judgment, to be free of selfishness. We will walk in the light of love and be able to guide others as our teacher has guided us.
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