In my sermon yesterday, The Transforming Power of Seeing Jesus, I proposed that our ultimate transformation into glorified saints will be the result of seeing Jesus with our physical eyes. Even as the apostle John says,
I anticipated an objection to this from someone who is blind - "What if your physical eyes don't work and you can't see anything, let alone the coming of Christ?" This is a legitimate question and my response was twofold:
First, it's not the power of our vision that effects the change but the power of Christ whom we see that will transform us. And such will be the power of Christ's presence at His coming that the radiance of His glory will penetrate even the darkest physical blindness, instantaneously renewing the eyes along with the whole body. Indeed, His glory will even penetrate the grave and bring to life the dead in Christ.
Secondly, though I think physical sight is in view here it is not primary - the vision of faith is primary; and at the second coming we are told that our faith will become sight (whether our physical eyes work now or not).
What I was not able to add regarding the primacy of the vision of faith is the interesting fact that the prophets of the old testament in very ancient times were called "seers." As we're told in 1Samuel 9:9, "Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of God, he would say, 'Come, let us go to the seer,' because the prophet of today used to be called a seer."
For clarity "seer" means "one who sees." This very literally translates the Hebrew word which has the root meaning to see. The Hebrew prophets saw what others did not. They saw the unseen world, the spiritual world. They saw the working of God in the events of the world. They even saw God Himself.
The occasion where Elisha and his servant found themselves surrounded by the Aramean army is a notable example. The prophet's servant awakens early to start the morning coffee and sees they've been surrounded in the night. In alarm he asks what is to be done. Elisha's response is classic and illustrates the spiritual vision of the prophets:
"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." 2Kings 6:16-17.
Another example is more to my point - that the vision of faith supersedes physical vision. Long before the time of Elisha, the prophet Ahijah ministered in the northern kingdom of Israel. Concerning Ahijah the Bible tells us "Now Ahijah could not see; his sight was gone because of his age" 1Kings 14:4.
His physical blindness made him a likely dupe for the trickery of king Jeroboam and his wife. Seeking God on behalf of their deathly ill son and hoping for a good answer in spite of the king's wickedness, the queen disguises herself and pretends to be someone else. Yet as she enters the house where the prophet Ahijah sat, he looks at her and says, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why this pretense? I have been sent to you with bad news" 1Kings 14:6!
Not only does he know who she is but why she is coming. How is it that he saw through this ruse? Because of the vision of faith! Before the woman arrived it was revealed to him by God what would happen: "But the LORD had told Ahijah, 'Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill, and your are to give her such and such an answer. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else.'" 1Kings 14:5.
Those of us who see by faith, who see what God has revealed to us not only see the unseen world but we see this present world more truly than those who do not believe - even if our physical eyes are blind.
