Blessed Eyes and Blessed Ears

“Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears, because they hear” (Matt. 13:16).

The eyes are meant for sight or vision. With our eyes, we can see the beauty of things and appreciate creation. Blindness is the inability to see or the loss of sight. What does Jesus mean by “blessed are your eyes because they see”? Does it mean that someone gifted with eyes may not be able to see? Truly, one can be physically blind but possessing spiritual sight while another can be spiritually blind but having physical sight. More than the sight of worldly realities, the eyes of true disciples of Christ see heavenly realities. They can gaze at the realm of blessedness, which is precisely why they are blessed. They see the coming of God’s Kingdom realized in Christ. 

We need this kind of sight in addition to our physical sight. Spiritual sight is what keeps us going even in times of difficulty and trials. A Christian must always pray for spiritual sight to see God’s hand in everything. With this type of sight, we would be able to consider the sufferings of this present time as transient and incomparable with the glory that is to be revealed (Rom. 8:18). With our blessed eyes, we can have a glimpse of our future glory. We would have our faith strengthened and get going when the going gets tough. When we are maligned, betrayed, and persecuted because of staying on the side of Christ in our daily life choices, our blessed eyes give us strength and hope. How direly we need such eyes! Brothers and sisters let’s ask the Lord for the eyes of faith. It is indeed a blessed sight.

Again, the Lord said, “Blessed are your ears because they hear”. The ear serves our acoustic needs and he who is able to hear feels glad. The blessed ears are not just those ones able to simply hear, distinguish one sound from another and process their meaning with the aid of the brain, but they are those that hear God’s word and keep it. In Igbo African cultural milieu, hearing implies doing. That is why a stubborn or disobedient person could be referred to as “onye na-anaghi anu nti” (one who does not hear). For instance, when an African child disobeys his parents, that child’s disobedience is seen as an incapacity on his/her part to hear. With regard to God’s word, hearing always entails doing, and this is only for those who have blessed ears. One may not be said to have heard God’s Word when one does not obey it. What kind of ears do we have? Do we only hear God’s word but do not keep it or does our hearing it translate to keeping and obeying it? We all need to pray for blessed ears to hear and obey God’s word. Such blessed ears are associated with fertile hearts where the seed of God’s word is sown, and it produces bountiful fruits. 

Interestingly, Jesus tells a parable and explains it to his disciples and indeed to all of us. This is indicative of how blessed our eyes and ears are. The Lord has indeed opened to us the secret of his Kingdom and how to enter into it. He has given us a heads up on the real obstacles to it, including but not limited to the presence of the evil one who is intent on stealing away the Word of God that is sown in our hearts now and always. The devil does that through distractions of all sorts, tribulations and persecution, worldly anxiety, and the lure of riches. All we need, in order to stand firm and overcome all of those, are blessed eyes and blessed ears. May the Lord bless his words in our hearts now and always. 

Fr. Chukwuebuka Emmanuel Madu  

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