At the front of our church sanctuary hangs a large HD proportioned screen. In its “natural state” this screen is a large white rectangle outlined by a black border. Even though this is the actual color and look of the screen, most people never see it like this. On Sunday mornings during worship services, this screen is receiving a projected image that transforms it from a simple white rectangle to a colorful picture, song lyrics over a moving background, or an announcement for a future ministry event. With the projector on, the screen takes on a totally different look . . . and that new look blinds us from seeing the true/natural colors of the screen. Only when the projector is off can we see the screen for what it really is.
Screens in sanctuaries are not the only things in our lives that receive a projected image that obscures an object’s natural state. In reality, we are frequently “blinded” from seeing reality because of projections we shine on others. From the depth of our past experience, personal biases, and future hopes, many times we project onto the world around us our personal feelings so strongly that they blind us from REALLY seeing the truth. We do this unknowingly and unintentionally, but with a shocking degree of regularity.
Spiritually speaking, our personal “projectors” can broadcast onto the world around us such erroneous beliefs as “there is no God,” “God does not care about me or my problem,” or “I am unlovable or unforgivable because of my sin.” When we project these beliefs onto our world, we can sometimes be blinded to what is REALLY true.
Jesus’ disciples struggled with this kind of spiritual blindness in their early days of following Christ. The disciples projected onto Christ their future hopes of a conquering political king, so they were blinded to see the servant-savior. The disciples were preoccupied with their own performance, so they were blinded to Divine provision. Because of their “projections” Jesus said of them, “Having eyes, you do not see.”
The disciples (and many religious leaders in Jesus’ day) were blind to see what the blind man Bartimaeus clearly “saw” . . . that Jesus was the Messiah (Mark 10:45-52). Because of the spiritual truth Bartimaeus saw and embraced by faith, Jesus restored Bart’s physical sight. Later on, Jesus opened the spiritual eyes of the disciples hearts as they also embraced Him as Savior and Lord. When the disciples finally turned off their projectors, they were able to see Jesus for who He really was.
How about you? Are you projecting onto the world an image that is blinding you from seeing authentic reality in your relationship with God? If so, stop for a moment and turn off your projector. Close your eyes and listen to the truth of Scripture that accurately defines who Jesus is and what His attitude and actions are concerning you and me. When we do this, we can see Christ for who He really is, instead of being blinded by our own imaginations.
Last Sunday at Wildwood, we explored this concept from Mark 10:46-52 where we saw two things:
1) Sometimes our sight can blind us. (10:46-48)
2) All the time Christ cares for us. (10:49-52)
As you have processed this message since Sunday, what thoughts, questions, or applications do you have?