Christian Art | Blind Lead The Blind | King James Audio Bible
Luke 6: 39-42 – Week 23 Ordinary Time, Friday (King James Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word)
Overlapping with Sunday Week 8 Ordinary Time, Year C
39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.
We are called to self-knowledge by Jesus. It can be strange to realise that we have been looking at life, and other people, through the filter of our own prejudices, our own mental baggage, the accumulation of our individual and less than perfect history. Our experience, good and bad, and the impact of our experience constitute in large measure the glasses, the spectacles, through which we see the world and regard other people. These Gospel verses ask us to take off those glasses and to consider them objectively – to consider as objective what had become subjective – and to look again without those glasses, to see the world and other people anew.
This is the beam in our own eyes, which distorts our capacity truly to recognize others, which is to say to see Christ in others. Indeed, we may be assured that when we see another human being and we do not see Jesus Christ in that human being, then we are blind and there is the beam in our own eyes; our bad experience has drawn us away from God, occluding our true sense of our fellow human beings, rendering us blind. Jesus alerts us to this condition, so that we may counter it, reminding ourselves always to look with the eyes of love, and to see Christ always in our fellow man.
Jesus lived with us as our master. He taught us both through what he had to say and through his manner of living. There is a model of perfection here which we may follow. This is a way of humility. Jesus humbled himself by dying for the sake of our sins on the cross. Jesus humbled himself by becoming human, then he nailed the sign of our salvation to the cross. If God can make this staggering leap of humility, to become like us, and one of us, who are we possibly to refuse God’s call?
Concluding Prayer | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
Lord Jesus Christ,
who when the whole world was shrouded in darkness
mounted the wood of the cross
as the innocent victim for our redemption,
give us always that light
which will bring us to eternal life.
Who live and reign for ever and ever.
King James Audio Bible | Endnotes
Blind Leading The Blind
The Gospel contains a powerful message about leadership, discipleship, and self-awareness. The parable of the blind leading the blind warns against following those who lack insight and understanding, and reminds us of the importance of seeking guidance from those who are wise and knowledgeable.
Throughout the Bible, we are warned against false teachers and leaders who seek to mislead and deceive God’s people. In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet warns of the dangers of following false prophets, saying: ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.’ (Jeremiah 23:16)
In the New Testament, we are warned against false teachers who seek to lead us astray. The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15: ‘For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.’
In addition to warning against false leaders, the passage in Luke also reminds us of the importance of discipleship. Jesus tells his disciples that they are not above their master, and that they should strive to become perfect, just as their master is perfect. This idea is echoed throughout the Bible, with many passages emphasizing the importance of following in the footsteps of Jesus and striving to become more like him.
One such passage is found in 1 Corinthians 11:1, where Saint Paul writes: ‘Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.’ This idea of discipleship is further emphasized in the book of Ephesians, where Saint Paul writes: ‘And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.’ (Ephesians 4:11-13)
The passage in Luke also reminds us of the importance of self-awareness and humility. Jesus tells his listeners to first remove the beam from their own eye before attempting to remove the mote from their brother’s eye. This message is echoed throughout the Bible, with many passages emphasizing the importance of self-examination and repentance.
In the book of Proverbs, we read: ‘He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered’ (Proverbs 28:26). And in the New Testament, the apostle John writes: ‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’. (1 John 1:8-9)
Christians have commented on the passage in Luke, offering insights and interpretations. Saint Augustine said: ‘The blind cannot lead the blind, but the clear-sighted can. The disciple is not above his master, but he who is perfected shall be as his master. Do not therefore desire to be a teacher, but rather to be taught.’
Christian Art | Our Lord Jesus On The Cross | God The Father | God The Son Office Of Readings | Advent December 23rd | A Reading From The Treatise Of Saint Hippolytus Against The Heresy Of Noetus | The Hidden Sacrament Is Revealed ‘The hidden sacrament is revealed.’ In this reading, Saint Hippolytus writes against the Noetic heresy, which denied the real distinction between the Father and the Son by treating them as the same person acting under different names. The purpose of Saint Hippolytus is to defend the Church’s confession of one God who is not solitary, but who exists with his Word and Spirit. Hippolytus begins by setting a principle: knowledge of God comes from the Holy Scriptures, not from speculation or private reasoning. Faith is not shaped by human preference but by what God has chosen to reveal. The Father determines how He is believed, the Son how He is glorified, and the Spirit how He is received. This establishes Scripture as the rule of faith and guards against theological invention. Hippolytus then affirms that God existed alone before creation, with nothing co-eternal alongside Him. At the same time, God was not without reason, wisdom, or power. Hippolytus insists that plurality within God does not compromise divine unity. God contains within himself Word, wisdom, and counsel. Creation begins when God wills and manifests His Word. The Word is not created from nothing but proceeds from God and acts as the agent of creation. The Word is first invisible to the created world, though known to God. When God chooses, He makes the Word visible, described as ‘Light of Light’. This language safeguards both distinction and unity: the Word comes from God and reveals God, without being separate from Him. The manifestation of the Word is ordered towards salvation, so that the world may see and be saved. Hippolytus identifies this Word clearly with the Son of God. Through him all things were made, and he alone comes forth from the Father. The Law and the prophets belong to the same saving plan. God speaks through them by the Holy Spirit, so that they proclaim not their own ideas but the Father’s will. Revelation is therefore coherent: creation, prophecy, and incarnation belong to one divine purpose. Hippolytus appeals to the Gospel of John to show continuity between prophecy and fulfilment. The Word spoken of by the prophets is the Word made flesh. Though the world was made through him, it failed to recognise him. This failure does not negate God’s plan but reveals the depth of the mystery now disclosed. A Reading From The Treatise Of Saint Hippolytus Against The Heresy Of Noetus | The Hidden Sacrament Is Revealed There is, brethren, one God, the knowledge of whom we gain from the Holy Scriptures and from no other source. Whatever things the Holy Scriptures declare, at these let us look; and whatever they teach, let us learn it; and as the Father wills our belief to be, let us believe; and as he wills the Son to be glorified, let us glorify him; and as he wills the Holy Spirit to be bestowed, let us receive him. Not according to our own will, nor according to our own mind, nor yet storming by force the things which are given by God, but even as he has chosen to teach them by the Holy Scriptures, so let us discern them. God, subsisting alone, and having nothing coeval with himself, chose to create the world. And conceiving the world in mind, and willing and uttering the Word, he made it; and at once it appeared, formed it in the way he desired. For us it is sufficient simply to know that nothing was coeval with God. Outside him there was nothing; but he, while existing alone, yet existed in plurality. For he did not lack reason, or wisdom, or power, or counsel. All things were in him, and he was the All. At a time and in a manner chosen by him he made his Word manifest, and through his Word he made all things. He bears this Word in himself, as yet invisible to the created world. He makes him visible, uttering the voice first, and begetting him as Light of Light. He presents him to the world as its Lord; and whereas the Word was visible formerly to God alone, and invisible to the world which is made, God makes the Word visible in order that the world might see him and be able to be saved. This is the mind which came forth into the world and was manifested as the Son of God. All things came into being through him, and he alone comes from the Father. He gave us the Law and the prophets; and in giving them, he made them speak by the Holy Ghost, in order that, receiving the inspiration of the Father’s power, they might declare the Father’s counsel and will. Thus, then, was the Word made manifest, even as the blessed John says. For he sums up the things that were said by the prophets, and shows that this is the Word, by whom all things were made. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him, and without him nothing was made. And later, The world was made by him, and the world did not know him; he came to his own, and his own did not receive him. Christian Prayer With Jesus Lord God,You are one, and from You come the Word and the Spirit.You have chosen to make Yourself known, not by human effort,but by what You have revealed in the scriptures. You spoke Your Word, and all things were made.You made that Word visible, so that the world might see and be saved.Grant that we may receive what You give,believe what You teach,and worship You as You have shown Yourself to be. Keep us […]
Saint Cyril’s exhortation to catechumens on the cusp of their baptism is both tender and trenchant—a passionate plea for authentic conversion and inward renewal. Saint Cyril’s language, though steeped in fourth-century catechetical formality, rings with timeless clarity: ‘Confess what you have done… if you confess at the acceptable time, you will receive the heavenly treasure.’ The stakes could not be higher, nor the invitation more generous [ … ]
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