No one is so blind as the one who does not want to see
Jesus knows his own identity. He has seen so much hypocrisy in his listeners at various moments of his ministry that he feels it is time to call them out. It is always easy for us to deceive ourselves when we compare ourselves to others. In social psychology, there is a phenomenon called illusory superiority. This means that most people think of themselves as better than average. The problem is that this is statistically impossible. Only about half of people can be better than average. But consistently, when surveyed, around 80% of people consider themselves to be superior to others.
The same thing was happening to the Jews. Jesus calls out Chorazin and Bethsaida. There were probably plenty of righteous people there. But there was great ease to criticize and look down upon others. Jesus just can´t take it anymore. He compares them to cities that were well known for their depravity. Even Capernaum, his base of operations, does not remain unscathed. Jesus is trying to wake them up so they can escape their own hypocrisy.
Jesus helps us to notice our own blindness. We can fall into the trap of thinking of ourselves as better than others. Then Jesus swoops in and changes our whole perspective. This change of perspective is the reason why it is so great to meet new people. I am always amazed at how much I learn from people I barely know. It is a great way to change my perspective, and I think it makes me a better person.
I remember meeting a homeless man who was sick. Some of us were talking to him for a little bit. He was not complaining at all. Then, he commented about how he had to get up early the next morning to get into work. It made me think of how easy it is sometimes to let ourselves off the hook. If I was as sick as he was, I would consider seriously taking a day off.
We should not feel that we are so much better than others, because we don´t know how much they have had to struggle to achieve their own accomplishments in life. We are better off appreciating each person for who he or she is. This is the way we can listen to Jesus and spread his message of love and forgiveness in the world.
https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/46717625/download.mp3
