Just Eyes
“But a Samaritan came, and when he saw him…he bandaged his wounds.” (Luke 10: 33f.)
“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink….?” (Matt. 25: 37)
Years ago when I was in training to become a choir director, our professor taught us, “Lead your choir to sing with their eyes, because eyes are a window to the soul.”
Our eyes reveal our souls.
I’m struck by how often the Scriptures pay attention to our eyes in matters related to justice. Numerous times when a horrific injustice is described, we read phrases like, “But the Lord saw what had occurred.”
The two short excerpts above come (respectively) from the parable of the good Samaritan and the parable of the sheep and the goats. These passages are central in the biblical narrative about justice; both contrast justice-seekers with justice-deniers, and both also describe eyes as central to the distinction.
When I was very young I was taught this simple worship song: “Oh be careful little eyes what you see (2x), for the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little eyes what you see.” At the time I assumed the song was warning me to stay away from looking at naughty things, but now I know I was wrong. Instead, the song encourages us to see with “just eyes,” to see all creation with the Lord’s eyes.
How do the Lord’s eyes see?
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Gen. 1.31)
“The Lord said (to Moses at the burning bush), ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt…So I have come down to rescue them.’” (Ex. 3.7-8)
“Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said, ‘Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’” (Mark 10.21)
I could list fifty more, but you get the point. The good Lord watches over us with “just eyes,” and calls us to watch over all of his creatures with the same eyes.
I have found that this requires me to intentionally wear “God-spectacles,” and to be alert to the times when I have forgotten them. Recently I walked past a gathering of unhoused persons, and I was shocked to realize that my primary response was one of fear. Later I began volunteering at a breakfast / lunch cafe for the unhoused, and there I rediscovered my God-spectacles again.
Paul describes the contrast between unjust and just eyes with powerful conviction in II Cor. 4: “From now on we see no one from a worldly point of view. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation! (vv. 16-17)
Like the biblical narrative, our eyes travel through the creation - fall - redemption - new creation journey. “We know that when Jesus appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (I John 3: 2). At that point, our eyes are not only a window to our souls; our eyes are also the catalyst for the transformation of our entire being.
Just eyes, now and forevermore.
