Blind leading the blind (Luke 6:39)

And He also spoke a parable to them: "A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? (Luke 6:39 NASB)

This verse is also reported in Matthew's gospel. In that passage, Jesus had just argued with the Pharisees. They complained that the disciple/apostles did not follow the "tradition of the elders" because they did not always wash their hands before they ate. Jesus said (Leanna version), "YOU are breaking the law of God by not taking care of your parents! You are a bunch of hypocrites!" Later, the disciple/apostles cautioned Jesus that He had upset the Pharisees by what He said, but He was not worried. He had been headed to the cross from the time He was conceived, and their indignation was just a stop along the way. His response was a less than flattering description of the Pharisees. "The blind leading the blind straight into a ditch!" 

That metaphor is repeated here. Although not physically blind, He was describing them as spiritually blind. They were unable to "see" and recognize the Messiah standing right in front of them. They picked and chose the laws of God they wanted to obey and, at times, created laws of their own that they would prefer to obey. Worse, they presented themselves as knowledgeable and led the unsuspecting crowds down the same hopeless path.  

The Pharisees were the blind leading the blind. Jesus said that a blind man leading another blind man was most likely to eventually stumble into a pit. It should serve as a warning to us to choose wise and discerning leaders, and not ones who only say what we want to hear. 

Whose leadership do you most often follow? What criteria do you use when evaluating leaders? What about your own leadership standards?  Are you careful to obey Jesus or do you, like the Pharisees, pick and choose those things you would most prefer to obey, yet leave the harder things undone?

Pray today that we will be obedient to the entire counsel of Christ and not just the "easy parts".  Pray, too, that our loved ones will see our obedience, find no hypocrisy in our lives, and be drawn to Christ by the purity of our walk of faith. 

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Link to last night's post:

http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/04/saving-daylight.html