In our individual worlds, there are many voices, experts, who claim to have a handle on life, who appear to have a road map for the rest of us to follow, whether it is a road map to financial freedom, lasting happiness, or marital bliss. But how do we know who to follow? Jesus was one of many voices in first century Israel. In a parable, a short story with a point, Jesus warns us about being blind men following a blind guide. We must be careful who we follow. Blind guides are those who honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him. Blind guides reinterpret the clear teaching of God's Word, adding man's ideas to what the Scripture teaches. Blind guide nullify the teaching of God's Word by their traditions and they emphasize one aspect of God's truth to the neglect of the rest. Jesus warns that if we follow blind guides, it may lead to our spiritual devastation for we will become just like them. But we must not only be careful who we follow, but HOW we follow. We should never follow blindly, but rather with our eyes wide open. We need to know something about our spiritual guides-- their teaching, way of life, character, conduct, purpose, faith. And everything we hear must be judged according to the standard of God's Word, so that our faith does not rest on what the preacher says, but rather on what God's Word says. SO, be careful WHO you follow and HOW you follow. Only then you will not be a blind person following a blind guide! |
