This morning’s Gospel reading is Luke 6:39–45:
Jesus told his disciples a parable,
“Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye. A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
“A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”
How many readers paid close attention to the front-page image for today's reflection? For those who did, I hope it provided at least a chuckle, because Jesus wants us to see the absurdity of His 'parable.'
Normally, I look for front-page images that inspire us to seek the truth, beauty, and love of the Gospels and scriptures. Fortunately, Wikimedia Commons maintains an excellent library of images of fine art from centuries of interpretation of scriptures, a collection of public-domain content that can illustrate the lessons we are to take from the Word. Normally, my tastes run toward the classical -- anything from Middle Ages to Impressionism, although I am particular to the Renaissance. I mainly have an eye out -- so to speak -- for truly fine art.
Does today's image from Pieter Mortier the Elder qualify? Maybe not, but it comes from a copper engraving, and the skill is clearly demonstrated. The image here is more comic than transcendent -- and that's the point. It demonstrates in one image the absolute folly of trying to remove the speck from another's eye while having a beam in your own. But the image goes beyond that too, as a reflection of our fallen humanity and hubris.
Jesus understood this as a humorous way to make His point. He wanted to lift up His disciples to be teachers after His saving death and resurrection, but very clearly after that point. Jesus leads this parable off by warning that the disciples cannot be the masters of the Teacher, not until their education is complete. Until that time, the disciples are the blind, and the Teacher is there to guide them -- because the Teacher has the clear Vision of the path ahead.
It would be absurd for the disciples to guide the Teacher. They have not yet seen the full Vision, so they cannot possibly lead others along the way. All that can happen is that everyone gets lost -- hence the "blind leading the blind" comparison.
Why is that important? It certainly could have applied in the moment. Jesus had an enthusiastic core of disciples who wanted to serve Him, but also to do the work themselves. We see hints of this in some of the disputes around leadership; James and John ask to be at Jesus' right and left hand in the kingdom to come, without even grasping what that will mean. When Peter proclaims Jesus as the Christ and Jesus lifts him up for it, Peter then tries to rebuke Jesus when He reveals what will happen to Him.
The disciples were still blinded, and trying to guide themselves without seeing.
However, the lesson isn't just limited to the contemporaneous setting. The entire arc of salvation has consisted of humanity attempting to walk where it can't see. Jesus' point about disciples and teachers has a larger meaning about the nature of our relationship with the Father. Throughout the scriptures, we see the people of God rejecting His word and replace it with our own wills, appetites, and ambitions. And it never ends well, and often makes us look as ridiculous as Mortier's image.
Jesus' lesson emphasizes the need to trust in the Teacher, and not to usurp His authority. That is the core of faith: trust in where the Lord will lead us. We are all spiritually blind to some degree, some more than others, and we all have fallen short of the glory of God in some way. Jesus wants us to understand that He is not just the teacher of the 12, but the Teacher to all of us. Some have the charism of teaching us through Him, but even those priests and bishops are on the same journey and have all of the shortcomings that the rest of us do. The Holy Spirit works through them so that they and we may not be lost but guided by Jesus to salvation.
We can only follow, as the blind, by trusting in the Lord rather than those who are fallen and just as spiritually blind as we are. We must have faith in the Teacher and listen to His voice, trusting in Him and the Holy Spirit to guide ourselves to salvation.
Otherwise, we will all get lost and try to knock the splinters from the eyes of others while trying to look past the wooden beams from our own. That's as silly as Mortier's image, and comic in a sense -- if it didn't lead us to tragedy. It is never too late to listen to the true Teacher, however, and be guided by love and truth to Him.
Previous reflections on these readings:
The front page image is "Balk en splinter," an engraving by Pieter Mortier I, c.1700, in an illustrated Bible known as the Mortier Bible. Via Wikimedia Commons.
“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature that looks at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here.
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