“Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matt. 15:14)
Christians seem to come in two forms, those who cannot stop talking about Christ, and those who refuse to, except in certain company, and then rarely indeed.
The lost have been blinded by Satan to the truths of the Word of God, when we speak to them, we are attempting to help them to see that truth, their need for repentance. “Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not.” (Jer. 5:21) Those of you who are of the first group, those who can find no profitable conversational topic outside of Christ understand these words, the blind are indeed a burden to us, up until we reach the point where we find the need to apply Matthew 7:6 towards certain people, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”
The second group of individuals do not experience this dilemma, for they do not seek the lost to give them the good news, but instead keep it to themselves, they profess Christ in an inaudible way, and believe they are being obedient servants. The blind are allowed to remain that way, they will not reprove, they will not admonish them, in fact, even in “approved company” they rarely if ever initiate a conversation about the Lord in any way. This second group is only known to be saved within themselves, and we are left to wonder about their supposed salvation. If they are truly saved, why do they not speak of Him, why is there only an occasional word or verse, and that sparingly, how can they profess Christ yet not have a desire to share Him with all they meet?
Those blind people that the Lord was speaking about had a religion, they had no personal relationship with the Lord, yet it seems as if they did to not only the outside world, but even to their closest confidants. They were blind but were so deceived that they thought themselves as one of the citizens of the kingdom.
I suggest to you that many that you meet are not saved but are blind to the fact that they are not, they profess a Christ they do not know. They may occasionally read the Scriptures, attend a church, bow their heads and seem as good people, but they will not obey the commandment of the Lord to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) They have a personal faith that does not reflect Christ, but an adherence to what Christ said we are to be in form only. “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” (Matt. 15:8)
To suggest this to them is to invoke their wrath, for they are that much deceived, to ask them to give an account of their faith (1 Peter 3:15) is to question their faith in their eyes, they do not see it as another opportunity to lift up the name of Jesus. Many of those you meet who claim to know Christ as Lord are blind, and they do not even know it.
Such is the manner of religion, it sets certain standards that must be adhered to, or the participant is meant to feel unworthy of the Lord, and so the most basic precepts are followed, church attendance, baptism, friendliness and never being offensive. There is no need to share Jesus Christ with others, that is not their responsibility, in fact, there are pastors who frown upon those that attempt to do so without much training in the “proper technique” first.
Those that are blind yet hold onto some form of religion, some traditions, some habit of study or reading, but do not speak openly about the Lord, they are blind, and they do not even know it. They can be difficult to spot, but it can be done, if you can see, you are responsible to help those who cannot, but if they will not listen, you are to leave them alone. That is the burden of those that can see.
