”Then the disciples came and said unto him, Why do you speak unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given; for whoever receives, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whoever continues not to receive, from him shall be taken away even that he has. Therefore, I speak to them in parables because they seeing, see not, and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning them, which says, By hearing you shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing you shall see and shall not perceive; for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
What someone sees, meaning, they think they know something, it can blind them to the truth or to greater truths. What blinds them is what they see. What you “know” can blind you from understanding greater things.
If I think I absolutely know something to be true or hold onto it too strongly, it can keep me from knowing or understanding other things. “Knowing” can be blinding.
One way this can happen is by reducing complex answers to accepting only a “yes” or “no” type of response. If I am only willing to accept a “yes” or “no” answer to a question that really requires a much more complex explanation to really understand, the “yes” or “no” answer can be blinding to ever appreciating the details that are necessary to obtaining an accurate understanding of the issue.
Another way that “seeing, [we] see not” is by going too far with what we really know. I may have seen pictures or read about a beautiful tropical island, but without actually being there and experiencing it first hand for myself, do I really “know” what the island is like? If I visited there, would I know it as well as someone who lives there? Is there a difference between someone who has spent a good amount of time there and experienced it first hand from someone who has studied and heard and seen a lot of details about it? If the person who has not been there acts with the same degree of certainty as the person who has, what confusion might that bring? If I claim to “see” or know something, that I have not actually “seen”, could I be deceiving myself, as well as those who hear me? Could I be selling myself, and others short of what they could actually “see” if they were to go there and experience it for themselves?
Sometimes, seeing one thing can lead to not seeing another, especially if what I believe I “see” is only partially correct, or maybe an illusion or is perhaps is false. Holding onto something false but treating it as if it is true can be particularly blinding. This can happen a lot with how people perceive one another. Perception can lead to actions of how we treat one another. Likewise, false beliefs lead to rejecting truth. “Knowing” something is true, when it is not, is a terrible form of blindness.
It is one thing to be blind and know you are blind. It is another to be blind, but think you can see. False knowledge can be more devastating to deal with than not knowing at all. False knowledge can even be soul crushing for a person when the truth does present itself. A person would be better off if they only have a false belief to overcome when the truth is made known rather than false knowledge. It would be better to “believe”, which allows for more flexibility than to rush into “knowing”.
Holding onto something that is false but treating it as if it is true might even become a form of loving a lie. If I love a lie so much that I refuse to accept the truth, will that damn me?
While “knowing” may be an ultimate goal, jumping to the finish line without really going through and appreciating the course may undermine the real point of the race. Learning how to navigate the course may turn out to be more valuable than standing over the finish line.
The first principle in the doctrine of Christ is faith. It is not knowledge. Faith is first for a reason. Jumping ahead to knowledge can lead to all kinds of foolish errors. It may be more important to learn how to discern and discover the truth than it is to have the truth handed to you. How many times has Jesus spoken of how blessed people are because of their faith, because they believe? Believing is curious and flexible. Belief invites more exploration which can bring greater clarity and deeper understanding. Thinking something is “known” and needs no further exploration can be damning. Such “knowledge” can conceal many important details that will never be explored because a person thinks they all ready know. One who “knows” can be unteachable. In order to become teachable, it’s necessary to “become blind” or to realize that they really don’t know. But it is a blessed state for one to “become blind” or realize that they are blind and don’t know as much as they thought, when they now desire to see. A person who is blind but satisfied because they think they can see, or all ready know enough, is damned already.
As Jesus also said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that they who see not might see, and that they who see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these words and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If you were blind, you should have no sin, but now you say, We see; therefore, your sin remains.”
It takes some humility to admit to not knowing something, especially when it is something very important. It also takes some confidence to admit that. But that admission can be rewarded by gaining more insight and understanding on a topic. Such humility and confidence can open doors that might otherwise be closed. Isn’t it better to be blind, but willing to admit that I don’t know, than it is to “know” something that isn’t quite so?