8. Jesus Makes a Point to Call Out the Spiritual Blindness that Persists in the Church.

Slide 8 of 8

“For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” – Rev. 3:17

When we think of the church, we don’t tend to associate it with spiritual blindness, but there’s something important we need to understand about the “visible church” and how it operates on this earth.

Jesus knows who truly believes in Him.  Likewise, He knows who doesn’t.  From the earliest days of the church, there have been people who operate within the visible fellowship who don’t actually believe in Him.  That may have been the case in the church at Laodicea.  They were known for being a “lukewarm” church that, in one respect, professed faith in Christ but, in other respects, seemed to place an abundance of faith in their material prosperity.

Living during our prosperous times, we are highly likely to demonstrate characteristics very much like the Laodicean church which is mentioned in the book of Revelation. Some would argue that references to that church were also meant to serve as a symbolic illustration of the spiritual peril that is present during our era of history, even within the church.

So let’s test ourselves.  Are we convinced that we don’t have spiritual needs because our material or financial needs are met?  Does our personal prosperity blind us to our spiritual bankruptcy?  Could we be content in Jesus even if we were stripped of our wealth and property?  

Please understand that if your heart cannot be content with Jesus alone, you may possess a lukewarm faith or maybe no faith at all.

The lessons we’re invited to learn from the gospel accounts of Bartimaeus’ interaction with Jesus are consequential.  Bartimaeus trusted Jesus, received both physical and spiritual sight from Jesus, and then as it states in Mark 10:52, Bartimaeus “followed him.”

Jesus sees you right now.  You need His merciful intervention in your life.  By trusting in Him completely, He will grant you the ability to see what you cannot naturally see. When He opens your eyes, don’t turn back.  Follow Him.

Originally published at Bible Study Headquarters. Used with permission.