Blind Leading the Blind

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the Kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. Woe to you, blind guides! Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? (Matthew 23:13, 16, Luke 6:3, NIV 1984).

My Musings – Ever since my wife Eileen died, my two best buddies from High School get together every couple of months to re-connect and reminisce. They were my best man (Don) and groomsman (John) in our wedding all those years ago. I was the first of us three to get married (in 1975).

One memory that always gets a laugh is from when the last of us three amigos (John) got married. It had been quite some time since we had gotten together. Not since Eileen lost her eyesight. It just so happened that the wedding was in a town near where Eileen grew up and the reception was at the Country Club in the town where Eileen grew up. After the wedding Don and I, along with our wives were talking in the church parking lot and decided to drive together to the reception in my car.

Now Don and his wife (Debbie) were not certain what the proper etiquette was in conversing with someone blind. But enough time had passed that Eileen and I had grown accustomed to her being blind and would not have been offended at or given a second thought about any kind of faux pas. Making small talk, Don commented, “I hope you know where you’re going, because Deb and I have no clue.” To which I responded, “we’ll be okay, Eileen grew up in this town and knows the way. It’ll be like the blind leading the blind.” Eileen chuckled, but Don and Deb, completely speechless, were horrified. Probably thinking, “woe to you Steve!” We made it to the reception without a wrong turn. And this was long before GPS.

My Advice – Blind guides don’t always lead you into a pit, but I expect that it is the exception rather than the rule. We, as Christians, in how we “walk the walk” and “talk the talk” best not do so in such a way that we effectively “shut the Kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.” Rather, by giving such good directions that they need not “fall into [the] pit” of hell. “Into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:42, NIV 1984). Woe to them who causes them to fall.