REFUSAL TO SEE

In Bill Moyers’ TV specials on Faith and Reason, he asked scientist Sir John Houghton, “Why did God keep so much of it [understanding the universe] a secret? Why did he make it so hard to find out? Why did he not reveal what is to us incomprehensible?”

Sir John thoughtfully replied,

• “I would just turn that around and say: Why is it that we actually can comprehend so much? Because it was Einstein who said, you know, the most incomprehensible thing about the universe it that it appears to be comprehensible. And when you think of the fact that we can, as human beings, we have the ability to understand, to some degree, the basic equations and mathematical structure and all those things which are the basis of the---universe and its cosmology and the Big Bang and all those things, the very little particles and enormous galaxies and---and all those, we can get to grips with some of it. And that’s very remarkable.”

Why don’t others find this remarkable? Why doesn’t this evidence impress them? And why didn’t Jesus’ miracles impress the religious leadership? Perhaps they were unwilling to be impressed. Seeing that Jesus had raised Lazarus after four days in the grave, many “put their faith in Him” (John 11:45) while others hastened to the chief priests to report this unhappy news.

Did this latter group consider the possibility that Jesus’ incredible miracles---and they didn’t deny them---might reflect the hand of God? If they did, such considerations didn’t last long. On the other hand, they didn’t merely dismiss this possibility saying something like, “Who cares what God thinks anyway!” We never do! Self-righteousness absolutely forbids such dismissals. Even murderers justify their actions, even to themselves. Jesus warned His disciples:

• “They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.” (John 16:2)

It therefore shouldn’t be surprising that many reject the existence of God. They might even reject objective moral truth and opt for the idea that morality is just something we make up. However, few can entirely reject morality. It is hot-wired into us with such authority that must be convinced that we are morally right (Proverbs 21:2). Just look at the Jewish leadership after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the grave after four days:

• Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place [the Temple] and our nation." (John 11:47-48)

Thus, killing Jesus would not represent an act of jealousy and hatred, committed by those who didn’t even believe in their own Torah (John 5:45-47); it would instead be a patriotic act performed by those who deeply loved both God and country. Such is our skill in distorting the obvious and in favor of what satisfies us.

Our tendency towards self-righteousness and believing what is “self-enhancing” is so powerful that the distinguished chemist who invented poison gas during World War 1 argued that his invention was humanitarian, since it would bring the war to a prompt end. Even genocide is justified by appealing to humanitarian considerations.

In view of our tendency towards self-righteous blindness, Jesus taught that we mustn’t judge until will have first judged ourselves:

• “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

We are blind, but the greater tragedy is that we think we can see perfectly. Even now, Governor Cuomo and his supporters are celebrating their new law to kill the pre-born whenever, even at the moment before birth. How can they justify celebrating? They have convinced themselves that the baby is not human until their cries can be heard – a monumental tribute to the refusal to see.