SAYING 34: Jesus said, “If a blind person leads a blind person both will fall into a hole.”
Apart from the obvious implications of this saying, where a blind person guiding another blind person will drive them both off the road and into ruin, there is a deeper meaning for us here if we can see it. No pun intended.
Obviously, a blind person is not qualified to be a guide to anyone. Least of all another blind person. But, what if the person being guided can see? Then they no longer need a guide of any sort, even one who can see clearly.
In other words, if your eyes are opened and if you can see clearly, then you don’t need a guide.
The deeper meaning of this saying is simply this: Once you are awake, and once you have eyes to see the Kingdom of God, you will no longer require anyone else to guide you or lead you.
All throughout the Gospel of Thomas we see Jesus emphasize the importance of knowing Truth for ourselves; seeing it with our own eyes, knowing it within our own souls, understanding it deeply enough to become transformed by it.
So, when Jesus points out the dangers of the blind leading the blind, it’s not an admonition to choose our guides wisely. On the contrary, it’s a critique of the entire system of guru and student, or of rabbi and disciple.
It’s only those who are blind who require a guide. Or, to put it another way, if you need a guide, you’re blind. Those who can see don’t require a guide to show them the way. They can see it for themselves.
What’s more, any self-described guide or guru who can truly see the Truth that Jesus proclaims to us will not hire themselves out to be anyone’s guide. Instead, those who can see what Jesus sees will instead work to open the eyes of others so that those people can see for themselves and, hopefully, help others around them to see clearly as well.
The entire system of guides and gurus is flawed. Only the blind need a guide, and only guides who cannot see set themselves up as guides for others.
Once our eyes are opened and we see clearly that we are all infused with the presence of God, we no longer seek after or search for anyone to teach us. Because this ultimate Truth awakens us to reality and reorients us towards the Source of all life and being.
The lesson is this: Stop following the path set out by the blind and start walking in the reality that only those who truly have eyes to see can walk.
**
Deconstruction is painful. You don’t need to go through it alone.
Join me for SQUARE 1 starting Jan. 9, 2023. This online course and community is designed to help you find your way through Deconstruction without self-destructing and discover your own unique path towards Reconstruction.
**
Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has appeared on CNN, USA Today, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.” His latest book, SOLA MYSTERIUM: Celebrating the Beautiful Uncertainty of Everything is available now on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In