Several weeks ago, I had one of the most disconcerting experiences with one of my eyes. I had looked in the mirror, and when I looked back a few minutes later, one eye was full of blood! I became very alarmed and was just waiting to see when the blood would start to flow down my cheek. It did not; it stayed in my eye and began to spread. I called my son and two or three other members of the congregation. It was 5:30 a.m., and reaching someone was not forthcoming at that point. Finally, one good sister, who is a retired nurse, said it sounded like a ruptured blood vessel, and I should call my ophthalmologist.
His service told me to call after 8:00 a.m. for a same day appointment; my doctor confirmed that it was a ruptured blood vessel. He also showed me pictures of those who had experienced the same thing; some looked worse, some better. His bottom line was it would take 10-14 days for the blood to clear without any treatment. After he had allayed my fears he said, “Next year will be the year of the ophthalmologist.” I didn’t understand his meaning. With this broad smile, he exclaimed, “20/20!”
What does it mean to have 20/20 vision? According to the American Optometric Association:
20/20 vision is a term used to express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should be normally seen at that distance…Having 20/20 vision does not necessarily mean you have perfect vision. 20/20 vision only indicates the sharpness or clarity of vision at a distance. Other important vision skills, including peripheral awareness or side vision, eye coordination, depth perception, focusing ability and color vision, contribute to your overall visual ability.
Just as there are several aspects to complete 20/20 vision skills, so there are in having complete 20/20 spiritual perception. The Bible does not allow for a “private” interpretation of Scripture, meaning we can all read it differently and whatever we want to believe from our own personal understanding and slant will be fine with God. This is nothing but another lie out of Satan’s playbook! Please listen to God in 2 Peter 1:20-21, which reads, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
What is the teaching? When the Bible is read and understood as God has revealed it, the message is the same for everybody. There are several things that we must do for the Bible to be the priceless source that it is for how to get to Heaven. Some questions that are essential in having the right answers are: (1) Who is doing the talking? Is it God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan, or some other Bible character? (2) To whom is one speaking? Christians, unbelievers, people in general or some specific person? (3) When was it spoken? Was it during the Patriarchal Age, Mosaic Age or Christian Age? (4) Why was it spoken? Was God revealing Himself to a particular person or a group? Was Christ addressing the crowd around Him or was what He said for all people everywhere? To whom did the Holy Spirit speak and why? Of equal importance is the fact that all Scripture must be read in context.
From the spiritual perspective, what does our 20/20 vision “look” like? When the Bible is read with spiritual 20/20 vision, we are reading (1) prayerfully, (2) carefully, (3) slowly, (4) expectantly and (5) reverently. What does having 20/20 spiritual vision mean? Psalm 119 is God’s answer because it brings a laser sharp image of self into perfect focus. The Psalm addresses repeatedly how imperative it is to look at ourselves in the most penetrating way in our relationship to God! In this Psalm, God brings us eyeball to eyeball with “me, myself and I.” It is written in first person—a biblical fact that had eluded me until I read it again with new spiritual eyes; this reading was different. This Psalm commands a soul-searching look at self. As I read it yet again, and I have read it for years and even taught on it, I was convicted over and over from the directness that is stated with God’s rightful expectation of my repentance, obedience and faithfulness.
There are 176 verses in Psalm 119, making it the longest chapter in the Bible. That speaks volumes. Using the NKJV, I wrote down every instance of the pronouns “I,” “me,” “my,” “mine” and “myself.” These personal pronouns were used over 300 times. In his commentary on The Songs and Devotions of David, Volume 6, “Psalms 109-119,” Tom Wacaster wrote about Psalm 119. “Not only must we seek God with the heart, but we must do so with the fullest intensity of our will and determination.” Is that the litmus test on seeing with 20/20 spiritual clarity and focus with the vastness of eternity in view?
Mark 8:22-26 records Jesus healing a blind man in Bethsaida. Some of the people brought this blind man to Jesus and begged Him to touch him. Verses 23-25 read, “And He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid His hands on him, He asked him, ‘Do you see anything?’ And he looked up and said, ‘I see men, but they look like trees, walking.’ Then Jesus laid His hands on his eyes again, and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly” (ESV). The Bible is as silent as the tomb as to why this man needed a second healing touch from the Master. Verse 24 indicates he was not born blind. Perhaps he had become blind by disease, injury or some other known or unknown cause. Whatever it was, Jesus restored his sight completely.
Can we admit to ourselves that we all have 20/20 spiritual vision deficiencies through ignorance, prejudice, pride, unforgiveness, greed, hypocrisy and a host of other sin damage? In humility, we must desire to gain and live by the correct message of God’s righteous Word. We must pray as Paul did when he wrote to the church at Colossae that they might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9-14). Gaining and maintaining true 20/20 spiritual vision will be an until this life has ended vigilant endeavor.
