I’m guessing you’re looking at a phone, possibly a monitor or tablet. Take a brief moment and notice: do you see a blank dot in your vision? It should be about the size of a grapefruit held at arm’s length.

Don’t see anything? Good. It’s not there for me either. But technically, it is there for both of us. Your whole life, that grapefruit-sized hole has been blocking what you see every day. It exists because there is a blind spot where the optic nerve attaches to the retina. There are no photoreceptors there, no rods, no cones, no information passed on. So why don’t we see a blank spot?

The brain has a remarkable way of filling in what it believes is missing, almost like the paintbrush tool in Adobe Illustrator. So instead of a hole, you see the full canvas. What an incredible tool our brains are.

However, that raises a question: if our brains are so magnificently designed that they can fill in missing information about the physical world, are they capable of doing the same elsewhere?

The Scriptures contain several instances of Jesus simply seeing people. He saw Levi and asked him to follow Him. Similarly, He saw Nathanael and Zacchaeus. Now contrast that with the sight of the Pharisees:

“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

There is no denying that the people at the party were sinners, although it is worth mentioning that you could ask that question of anyone, including the Pharisees themselves, because all of us are sinners. But what I find more interesting is the part about eating with tax collectors.

It is certainly true that tax collectors were looked down upon because many of them helped themselves, sometimes generously, to the taxes they collected. But I find it hard to believe that all tax collectors acted that way. It is similar to assuming every used car salesman is trying to cheat you.

The Pharisees were seeing reality mostly correctly. Jesus was eating with sinners and with a professional group known for corruption. But Jesus’ response is brilliant. This is one reason why, when non-believers read the Gospels, Jesus is so often described as a captivating figure. He responds:

31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

He did not bend reality. He did not deny their accusation. He filled in the blind spot.

When I lack information about a person, my brain often fills in the missing space. Sometimes correctly, sometimes incorrectly. The wonderful thing about God is that He knows only truth and all truth. What may be an illusion to me is seen plainly by God.

The Pharisees had a grapefruit-sized blind spot labeled “sinners and crooked.” Jesus had a blind spot filled with “sinners in need of repentance.”

Ask yourself:

HEART: How do I see people I do not know? Where might my blind spots be showing up on social media, in the news, or in real life?

SOUL: When I stand before God, He sees me without a blind spot, every part of my story. The parts I hide, the parts I am ashamed of, and the parts I have forgotten are all seen plainly. Does the way I see others reflect the way God sees me? Am I willing to ask Him to fill in my blind spots with truth rather than assumption?

STRENGTH: This week, before forming an opinion about someone online, in the news, or in your neighborhood, pause and name what you do not know about them. Practice saying, “I do not have the full picture here.” Then act toward them as if the missing information is generous rather than condemning.

May you go today in peace, surrendered to God’s sight.

“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 ESV