Friday: Further Thought – Jesus’ Teachings and the Great Controversy
Author Leon Wieseltier wrote about what he said was “one of the saddest stories in the world.” He told of an Englishman, named “S.B.,” who had been blind from birth. However, the good news was that, at 52 years old, S.B. had a corneal transplant that gave him sight. For the first time in his life, S.B. was able to see! It must have been incredibly exciting for him to, finally, see the world that had unfolded all around him his whole life but was, literally, out of sight.
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com
However, Wieseltier then quotes the book in which he first read the story. S.B., said the author, “found the world drab, and was upset by flaking paint and blemishes. . . . He noted more and more the imperfections in things, and would examine small irregularities and marks in paintwork or wood, which he found upsetting, evidently expecting a more perfect world. He liked bright colours, but became depressed when the light faded. His depression became marked and general. He gradually gave up active living, and three years later he died.”-www.newrepublic.com/article/113312. Wow! Though hard to understand on one level, on another it’s not. Our world is a damaged place. The great controversy has been raging here for about six thousand years. A six-thousand-year war is going to leave a lot of wreckage in its wake. And, despite all our attempts to make this world better, the trajectory doesn’t seem to be heading in the right direction. In fact, it’s going to get only worse. That’s why we need the promise of Redemption, which comes to us only from Christ’s victory in the great controversy, a victory secured at the cross and offered freely to us all.
Discussion Questions:
- What lessons can you take away for yourself from the story of S.B?
- As we saw in Tuesday’s study, those who said, “Lord, Lord, have we not” done this and that in your name were, as we said, believers in Jesus. At the same time, notice the emphasis of their response. Who were they focusing on? What were they focusing on? How does the answer here reveal why they were so self-deceived?
- If you have a friend or family member doing something obviously wrong, how do you deal with this problem in a way that, first, isn’t judgmental and, second, doesn’t appear judgmental?
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We are call to fix our eyes upon Jesus regardless what we see; if we do so, we will never be disappointed because we will trust in his promises and know that he will restore our relationship with God the Father. We are in danger when we think that because we have the message and we do the right things for our neighbors we will be saved. It is the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ that can save us. Our job is to accept him as the way, the truth and the life, confess our sins, ask for help to forsake our sins and completely depend on Christ. We then will feel the need to tell others about our wonderful, merciful savior and Lord. May the Lord help us daily to surrender everything to him. Amen
S.B also realized that our world is a damaged place because, all Nations, Families, and individuals are filled with a desire to make self a center.- CS 24... That is why we need the promise of Redemption, which comes to us only from Christ's victory in the Great Controversy, a victory secured at the Cross and Offered Freely to us all. AMEN!
Since God said that He "never knew" them, they could not have been BELIEVERS. Faith is a gift of God. One cannot come to faith except through God.
We are living in an imperfect world. It is only through Jesus Christ that we are molded into perfection. Fully accept Christ and you will see the goodness in every worse situation. Appreciate your life's journey with Christ, difficulties would cease to be difficult and would become easy. Ugliness would cease to exist. Worldly imperfections would be erased. We then would realize that these negative things turning to beautiful wisdom and realities are but manifestations of Christ love and presence in our lives. After all, we would not realize positive things when there are no contrasting negative events and attributes. This, the so called "balance if life".
In the story SB didn't show gratitude for sight which is a wonderful blessing
We can see all of God's creation which He made for us
The lilies grow in the mud but bloom gorgeously,the beautiful sunset with it's vivid colours raise our spirits after a difficult day
Even though this world is marred by sin there's beauty when we look for it
In the new earth our new eyes will behold the perfect sight of our saviour who died for us
Oh for sight to behold Jesus who is the light of the world
SB viewed everything with a critical eye. If he had taken the time to look beyond the imperfections he would have seen beauty within the flaws. God knows we are not perfect and has placed Christ perfection on our imperfections so He God can see only Christ perfection which covers all our flaws. What a wonderful and mighty God we serve.
Some may be interested to read a little more about the man, SB.
"Sidney Bradford - (May 30, 1906 - August 2, 1960) went blind at 10 months of age but regained sight on both eyes after a cornea transplant at the age of 52. He was the subject of many scientific studies of perception by neuropsychologist Richard Gregory. His operation was able to reveal idiosyncrasies of the human visual system. For example, not having grown up with vision, Bradford did not perceive the ambiguity of the Necker cube. Nor was he able to interpret the perspective of two-dimensional art. Nevertheless, he could accurately judge the distance to objects in the same room, having been familiar with these distances before regaining sight by virtue of having walked them. In a similar analogy between vision and sightless (touch-only) experience, Bradford was able to visually read the time on the ward clock just after his operation. Before surgery Bradford was a skilled machinist, but upon gaining vision, he became confused and unable to work. He committed suicide two years after his operation."
(From disabled-world.com)
1 What lessons from the story of S.B.? There is no hope without faith, and we cannot live by sight alone in this world.
2 Concerning many who say “Lord, Lord!”, see Isaiah 4:1. These never take the yoke of Jesus.
3 “If a brother be taken in a fault, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness,” Galatians 6:1.