Matthew 13:17
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
Last year social media was up in arms in a debate about a picture of a dress and it's color. People were asked to describe the color of the dress. The prevailing opinions were blue and white or gold and white. Some may have seen other colors. Then a few months ago, there was a debate on a sound that was perceived to be "Yanni" or "Laurel." There was much conversation and even consternation from some on what they were hearing. When opinions varied, people were amazed at the differences of perception of what was seen and heard. "How can you not see this?!! Are you blind or crazy?!! That dress is clearly yellow!!" "It's clearly saying "Laurel!" It was an interesting perceptual experiment.
The disciples of Jesus asked him why he taught in parables. Jesus said "the righteous people longed to see what you see, but didn't see it, or hear what you hear but did not hear it." In other words, some people are at different levels of perception based on their experiences of God. In the Old Testament in the time of Moses, God was perceived as fearful, awesome and powerful, and even vengeful for some. In Jesus time, God was kind, gentle, understanding and loving. All of us see God and our faith in general, based on our life experiences. We are called to study, meditate and pray always, so that God's goodness and graces can be revealed to us. In today's world that can be a challenge. It was challenging 4000 years ago, it was challenging 2000 years ago, and it is challenging today. But we must be up to the challenge. Open your eyes and ears and see and hear the goodness of God!
