Title: To Give Sight and to Blind (a purpose of the Lord's First Coming)

Topic: First Coming

Summary: We look at a puzzling statement Jesus made about why he came into this world. Giving sight is a great goal, but what did he mean that he came that those who see may be made blind (John 9:39)?

Use the reference links below to follow along in the Bible as you watch.

References:
John 9:39, 5, 16, 21, 25, 38-39, 41
Genesis 19:11
Deuteronomy 28:28, 34, 67
2 Kings 6:17-18
Psalms 69:20-23; 146:8-9
Isaiah 6:9-10; 29:9; 43:8-11; 36:10
Zephaniah 1:17-18
Zechariah 12:4
Matthew 4:16; 15:10-14; 22:46; 23:16, 24, 26, 33, 37
John 3:3, 16, 18-21
Acts of the Apostles 9:9
1 John 5:20; 2:10-11

When the Bible speaks of "Jehovah," it is representing love itself, the inmost love that is the essence of the Lord. That divine love is one, whole and complete in itself, and Jehovah also is one, a name applied only to the Lord. The divine love expresses itself in the form of wisdom. Love, then, is the essence of God -- His inmost. Wisdom -- the loving understanding of how to put love into action -- is slightly more external, giving love a way to express itself. Wisdom, however, is expressed in a great variety of thoughts and ideas, what the Writings collectively call divine truth. There are also many imaginary gods, and sometimes angels and people can be called gods (the Lord said Moses would be as a god to Aaron). So when the Bible calls the Lord "God," it is in most cases referring to divine truth. In other cases, "God" has reference to what is called the divine human. The case there is this: As human beings, we cannot engage the Lord directly as divine love. It is too powerful and too pure. Instead, we have to approach Him by understanding Him through divine truth. Divine truth, then, is the Lord in human form, a form we can approach and understand. Thus "God" is also used in reference to this human aspect, because it is an expression of truth.