There are three sorts of vision. There is natural vision; mental vision or imagination; and spiritual vision, which the apostle Paul describes as “he eyes of the heart.” The most important is the third, but our familiarity with the KJV unfortunately blinds us to its existence, as the translators present it as “the eyes of the understanding.” In addition, the false contention that when the New Testament uses the word “heart” it really means “mind” blinds us even more.
Blessing of sight
It is a wonderful blessing to be able to see. The amazing mechanism by which light penetrates our brain through two eyes, giving us stereo-vision, flooding our whole inner being with consciousness of the world around us, is a marvel of itself, a testimony to the God who designed it.
The man born blind tells this story perfectly. As he knelt by the pool Siloam and splashed water upon his mud-caked eyes, and looked up, he must have been overwhelmed as light flooded into his being and color became an astounding reality for the first time.
Perhaps we fail to realize that Jesus did more than cure a diseased retina or lens. There is a schoolboy in one of the West Indian islands who has perfect eyes, ears, nose and tongue. But his brain does not process or interpret stimuli from those organs. The only sense he can use is touch. Amazingly, special teachers helped him to be literate and numerate by the age of five using tactile devices. With the man born blind, Jesus must have healed his brain as well as his eyes.
Blessing of imagination
Mental vision is a marvelous thing. How drab conversation would be without it. Imagination brings us to places where we could never have been. With it we can see fearlessly — challenging that mountain of flesh Goliath and demolishing him with a slingshot. With it we can peer with Nebuchadnezzar into a blazing furnace and marvel to see “four men” walking around unscathed after only three went in. With it we can enter a bedchamber and see a little dead girl lying, and hear a voice, “Little one, it is time to get up,” and see her run into the arms of her overjoyed parents.
That, indeed, is the greatest blessing of mental vision — with it the Bible and its personalities come alive. Even the man born blind possessed it. With it God becomes real, and Jesus especially makes a powerful impact. We can even dimly perceive the glories of the Kingdom which is coming. What a blessing is mental vision!
Seeing with the heart
To the Ephesian brothers and sisters the apostle Paul wrote about “the eyes of the heart.” What is he saying? A careful perusal of the whole chapter (Ephesians 1) reveals some of the most exalted language about the lofty calling of the saints at Ephesus — and by extension, ourselves. It climaxes in a prayer which begins “that the Father of glory may give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him (the Lord Jesus), having the eyes of the heart enlightened.”
What is it that demands this special spiritual insight? It is found in what follows (vv. 18-23) which briefly summarized is: the immeasurable greatness of God’s power in us, as a result of God’s mighty act in allowing his Son to die, in raising him from the dead, and exalting him to his right hand as head of the community of saints. How are we expected to understand how Jesus Christ can work in us? The apostle wrote we do this through “the eyes of the heart” — that is, spiritual discernment affecting the emotions and the conscience. That is what he says and means.
Responses of the heart
Let us illustrate. She came resolutely into a place where she was held in contempt, a Pharisee’s house. Unhesitatingly, she threw herself at the feet of Jesus, lavishing the precious ointment she carried on his head and his feet. She wept copiously, drenching his feet with her tears. She covered his feet with kisses.
Why?
We are mistaken if we think that hers were tears of contrition. They were tears of gratitude and love. As Jesus made clear, her sins had been already forgiven, and she loved much as a consequence. The eyes of her heart were wide open in contrast to the blind intellectual Pharisee. She could see what he could not, and appreciate with all her heart the death, resurrection, and glorification of her precious Lord.
The chariot came to a halt. An excited Ethiopian said, “See, here is water, what prevents me from being baptized?” The answer was: nothing, if you believe with all your heart. On that basis the man was baptized.
What caused his heart to respond so eagerly to baptism? It was the story of a suffering Savior as outlined in one of the most vivid biblical prophecies. It impacted his heart that one should suffer so much for his salvation, and the knowledge that the simple response of dedication to him in baptism could effect the bearing away of his sins (as in the type or figure of the scapegoat) moved him deeply. He grasped his opportunity with open heart, and went on his way rejoicing.
Does the mighty work the Lord God has done in giving His Son to us, so that he might be a mighty power in us, move us as it did this woman and the Ethiopian?
Are the eyes of our hearts open?
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One