So where does this idea of faith as seeing appear in the Bible? Let’s have a look at a few texts before we come back to look at it in Hebrews 11:
In Matthew 13:13, the Lord says, "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” (NIV). This passage brings out such a dearness between the Lord and His disciples. Although there are crowds pressing around Him most of the time, the majority of them can’t see. Yes, they have eyes, and they are looking at Jesus, but there is something in particular they can’t see. What is that? The Lord answers that question in verse 11, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” So God has given those disciples (and all true believers) the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but He has not given them to everyone. Remember, not all men have faith!
“But what does that have to do with seeing?” you may ask. Again, the Lord answers that question in verse 16, “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” Is it not obvious that the disciple who has been given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven is the disciple who can see? Those who have not been given that knowledge are those who cannot see. Please take some time to take this passage apart because I have hardly even touched on it here.
Consider Mark 8:17-18. The disciples are in the boat and the Lord speaks to them in response to their concern about the bread supply. He asks them if they still don’t see. Of course they can see; they are looking at Jesus as He speaks to them. Jesus was asking them something far more vast however. He is shaking them awake because while they are gawking at him with their physical eyes, they can’t see that they are looking at God-with-us! Don’t they grasp the magnitude of this moment. The Creator of the universe is speaking to them, do they have any idea of the measureless eternal concepts in the mind of Jesus? Do they have any idea of the stupendous privilege of being called by God—twelve men out of a world of wasted sinners? Jesus is asking, “Can you see?”
One last text for today is John 3:3. This verse encapsulates such visions of glory that the believer will only grasp it in any significant sense when he comes to see Jesus, in eternal glory, as He is. (1 John 3:2, Psalm 11:7, Revelation 22:4) So many people have interpreted this verse to mean that unless a person is born again he will never get to heaven so he will never see the kingdom of God. It appears to me however that it should be taken to mean that unless a person is born again, he has no ability to perceive the kingdom of God. Here, the person who is born again is the person who has the ability to see the kingdom of God. This, I understand, to be one of the simplest, most direct, most delightful statements of faith as seeing in the whole Bible. We will look at some more next time.
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