Blind Leading

We had practice last night at church for a special event this weekend. At one point one of the guys tried leading/singing a song he had never heard before. It sounded great, but it wasn’t right, and pastor had to stop him a couple of times.

Pastor would laughingly say, “that’s not how it goes” and he would reply, “well, I don’t know the song” and we all laughed. At one point, I remarked, “the blind leading the blind”.

Did you know this idiom is from the Bible?

“Blind leading the blind” comes from Matthew chapter 15 and this particular section has Jesus explaining what contaminates a person. He is motivated to say this after some Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem to confront Him.

Verse 2, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”

I LOVE His reply!

“He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?”

Jesus then proceeds to call them out on man-made traditions, but I want to get to the part where He has had enough talk with the religious leaders and He turns to the people and says,

“…“Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”

Here comes the idiom:

“Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” Matthew 15:10-14 ESV

There it is the blind leading the blind.

Peter asked Jesus to explain this parable to them, and this is what Jesus said,

“…“Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

Jesus throws shade at religious bigwigs for valuing rules over real spirituality. He explains that it is not the outside stuff that messes us up, but our inner attitudes.

Jesus is all about genuine faith, not just going through the motions. Hebrews 11:6 tells us without faith it is impossible to please Him.

It is like He is saying, "Hey, it's what's in your heart that counts, not just following traditions. So, keep your heart right and understand the true essence of faith!"

God wants our focus on Him, not man-made rules and regulations. He has given us the freedom to worship and sing and praise Him in everything we do and do it joyfully.

So, next time you hear or repeat the phrase, "blind leading the blind", remember this story and give your heart to Him all over again.

by Jeanette Stark – Thursday, August 10, 2023