Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament

⁴ Exceeding alarm! “That they which see not may see:” Good. It is a Saviour's office, a profession of healing power, “That they which see not may see.” But what, Lord, is that You have added, “That they which see may be made blind”? If we understand, it is most true, most righteous. Yet what is, “They which see”? They are the Jews. Do they then see? According to their own words, they see; according to the truth, they do not see. What then is, “they see”? They think they see, they believe they see.

For they believed they did see, when they maintained the Law against Christ. “We know;” therefore they see. What is “We know,” but we see? What is, “this Man is not of God, because He thus breaks the sabbath day”? They see; they read what the Law said. For it was enjoined that whosoever should break the sabbath day, should be stoned. Therefore said they that He was not of God; but though seeing, they were blind to this, that for judgment He came into the world who is to be the Judge of quick and dead; why came He?

“That they which see not may see:” that they who confess that they do not see, may be enlightened. “And that they which see may be made blind;” that is, that they who confess not their own blindness, may be the more hardened. And, in fact, “That they which see may be made blind,” has been fulfilled; the defenders of the Law, Doctors of the Law, the teachers of the Law, the understanders of the Law, crucified the Author of the Law. O blindness, this is that which “in part has happened to Israel.” That Christ might be crucified, and the fullness of the Gentiles might come in, “blindness in part has happened to Israel.”

What is, “that they which see not may see”? That the fullness of the Gentiles might come in, “blindness in part has happened to Israel.” The whole world lay in blindness; but He came, “that they which see not may see, and that they which see may be made blind.” He was disowned by the Jews, He was crucified by the Jews; of His Blood He made an eye-salve for the blind. They who boasted that they saw the light, being more hardened, being made blind, crucified the Light. What great blindness? They killed the Light, but the Light Crucified enlightened the blind.