Those Who Truly See – April 6, 2025, Fifth Sunday in Lent
Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 20:17-34
April 6, 2025
As I look at the second half of Matthew chapter 20, I see three stories – three paragraphs. But the more I look at them, the more I’m thinking that they’re related. One of my Seminary professors once said that there was so much that Jesus did and said, that the Gospel writers had to pick and choose what they were going to include in their accounts. “So,” he said, “it’s always good to ask why each story is there.”
Well, I think it’s no coincidence that these three stories – these three paragraphs – are recorded together. And the other thing to keep in mind as we look at them, is that, when they were written, there were no paragraphs! In fact, there weren’t even any spaces between the words. All the letters ran together, and it was up to the readers to figure it out as they went along. Oh, and the chapters and verses? They weren’t added until the Middle Ages!
It’s like what Victor Borge once said about early pianos. Do you remember him? I loved that guy! He said, “Early pianos had only one, very wide, key.” “Music in that time period,” he said, “was very monotonous.” “But then somebody invented the cracks!” (But I digress…)
So here we have these three stories. In the first, we find Jesus telling his disciples, for the third time, about his death and resurrection. And this time he tells it in great detail! He said he was going to Jerusalem, and there he would be handed over to the chief priests and scribes who would condemn him to death. Then they would hand him over to the Romans, and they would mock him and scourge him and crucify him. And then three days later, he’d be raised. And because we know the end of the story, we know that’s exactly what happened!
So then, as though they understood none of that, James and John – the two “Sons of Thunder,” asked for positions of power in his kingdom! And it was right after they were told about the terrible fate Jesus was to suffer. And so he asked them if they were ready to face the same suffering, if they were ready to “drink that same cup.” And they said yes. And we read that feeling a bit apprehensive, don’t we? How could they possibly know what was in store for them!
The other disciples reacted with indignance! They couldn’t believe the audacity of those two. But then Jesus responded to all of them by explaining, once again, his vision of the kingdom. “He who would be great, must be servant.”
Then, almost as an afterthought, the chapter ends with Jesus healing these two blind men, men who simply asked him to open their eyes and make them see. And yes, I know it wasn’t simple. But their request was! There was no pretense. They had no agenda. They were persistent! But they just wanted to be touched by Jesus. And as I read this, I’m thinking that story is a fitting end to this chapter, because I think it shows us that all of this is about “Those who truly see.” And that’s the title of this sermon.
I was talking with someone recently who had gotten new glasses. And the person was saying how great it was to have good vision again. And if that person is here today, they just learned an important lesson. And that lesson is, “Be careful what you say to a preacher. You might end up hearing it in a sermon!”
It made me think about two times in my life when I received new vision! The latest was in 2001, when I had my Lasic surgery. I think I’ve talked before about that amazing experience, and incredible it was to see so well, after all those years with glasses and contact lenses. And mine were rigid contact lenses! Not that soft, smooshy kind! And I wore them for 25 years!
The other experience came years before that. I was in grade school. That’s when I first got glasses. They must have given me a vision test. I don’t remember that. And I guess I didn’t do so well. But I’ll never forget leaving the eye doctors office with my new glasses, and saying to my mother, “Hey! I can see every leaf on every tree!” And she said, “Yeah! That’s what you’re supposed to see!” And I think not realizing what I was supposed to see, and then seeing it, was an even bigger kind of revelation experience!
The blind men in this story are like that. It doesn’t say they had lost their vision somehow, or if they had always been blind, like the man in John chapter 9. They just asked to be healed. They just asked to see. And we can only imagine what it was like for them, at that moment, when Jesus gave them their sight. I’m sure it was even better than my “all the leaves on the trees” experience!
I contrast that today with the disciples, who I think choose not to see. They chose not to deal with what Jesus was saying about the fate that awaited him in Jerusalem. Or, to their credit, maybe they did. Maybe they thought, “Ok, that sounds bad! Jesus is going to suffer terribly. But, when he comes back, when he’s raised, maybe then he’ll bring in the earthly kingdom that everyone wants!” Remember his Ascension in Acts chapter one. They asked him then, “Lord, will you now restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Even if that were the case, they were still missing that whole “last shall be first” thing! (Even though that would be great for fishermen like themselves!) But they still didn’t seem to get it. Because still, we have this request by James and John – by their mother, actually. Still we have the indignance of the others. And to that Jesus gave this great statement about the “Rulers of the Gentiles” and how they “Lord it over the people,” he said. “And their great men exercise great authority.” “But it shall not be so among you.” And I love that! “But it shall not be so among you!” “For whoever is great among you must be your servant. And whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Now, we know that they would truly see those things – eventually! Eventually they would take that idea of servant leadership, and change the world. But in the meantime, isn’t it great that we get to see these guys as human – like us. They too just didn’t get it sometimes. They too were a bit clueless to what Jesus was saying. They sometimes even refused to see!
It’s great to know they were like us. Because we can have those same troubles, can’t we? The principles of Jesus’ kingdom, the idea of “servant leadership,” is foreign to our world. The rulers of the Gentiles still “Lord it over” people all around us. And it’s easy to succumb to that kind of thinking. In fact, sometimes the idea of “The great being servant” seems somehow weak to us, doesn’t it?
Lent is a time we think about all of that. How do we fit into Jesus’ kingdom? How do we set aside our earthly understanding of power and importance, and try to understand the real power of meekness and humility? How do we get beyond the worldly understanding of love, and try to see the power of the cross? Paul would later write to the Corinthians (and to us!) about that. He would say, “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing. But to those of us who believe, it is the power of God!” (I Corinthians 1:18)
We need to ask ourselves, “What is it that we need to truly see this Lenten season?” That’s a good prayer, it’s it? We can pray, “Lord, what do I need to see?” Because sometimes we’re not even aware that there’s something we need to see. So, I challenge you to ask God. And while you’re at it, ask him, “God, what should I be thinking?” That’s a good prayer, too! We can ask God to guide our thoughts.
So, do that this Lenten season. Because maybe we are supposed to be seeing “all the leaves on the trees,” but we don’t even know it. May we be those who truly see.
Prayer
Eternal God, open our eyes this Lenten season, so that we can get beyond our understanding of things that we sometimes cling to so tightly. Help us to see with your eyes what is truly important in this life and in your kingdom. Guide our thoughts and prepare our hearts and minds for the amazing event of Easter. Help us to truly see what it means in our lives. For we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.