When Our Vision is Blurred by Sin
Many people had different opinions of just who Jesus was. Today’s reading focuses on who Herod thought Jesus was. It appears he struggled with guilt over the murder of John the Baptist and believed, to his horror, that he had returned from the dead in the form of Jesus to torment him. Truly, our vision is blurred by our fears, mistakes, and rebellion.
There is no way back to God through sin. This is why the message of John was taken up by Jesus and his disciples: repent. The only way to the Father is through repentance. He longs to welcome us back into His arms. He promises to leave the ninety-nine and search for the one who has wandered away. He fights for us; defends us; provides us with opportunities after opportunities, but we must turn. God will never force righteousness on anyone. That is why repentance is a key part of salvation. Repentance is more than a word of regret. It is more than an absent-minded apology or a hastily made, half-hearted, prayer spoken as a back-up plan against the fires of Hell. True repentance is a turning away from sin. It is a new start, in a new direction, but so much more. When we repent, we express the truth that our ways lead to destruction and only God’s ways lead to everlasting life.
Until we repent, we suffer from blurred vision. The deeper the sin, the more blind we become. Remember being a child. When we lie tucked into our beds, our imaginations turned shadows into monsters, doorways into the abyss, and every sound into a warning of dangers. Once the light was turned on, we could clearly see that the long-armed goblin about to eat us was nothing more than the branch of the tree out our window. The same is true of the darkness and confusion of sin. For Herod, it convinced him of the impossible. It blinded him to who Jesus truly was. For us, it does the same thing. Guilt lies to our heart and tells us we are not worthy of God’s love. It distorts the truth to keep us blind. Repentance turns the light on. It shows us the truth and dispels our fears and false beliefs. There is no heart Jesus can’t soften, no life he didn’t die for, no sin too great to be forgiven. Don’t allow sin to blind you to the truth of who Jesus is.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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