During Jesus’ life on earth, Jesus walked in the midst of blind leaders. In Matthew 15:14, Jesus called the religious leaders of the house of Israel blind leaders of the blind. What did Jesus mean by blind leaders of the blind? What does the Bible say about blind leaders of the blind and their destination?
Jesus in the midst of blind leaders
Khangela, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him: khangela, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young (uIsaya 40:10-11)
And David, My Servant shall be King over them; and they all shall have one Shepherd: they shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them (UHezekile 37:24)
While Jesus was in the land of Gennesaret, some scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem came to Jesus, because His disciples had eaten with unwashed hands. They asked Jesus, why His disciples transgressed the tradition of the elders.
Instead of answering their question, Jesus asked them a question, why they transgressed the commandment of God by their traditions?
Jesus gave them an example. He said, that by their tradition, they had made the commandment of God of none effect.
Jesus called the religious leaders of God’s people hypocrites aka actors of life, who played a role, which they were not. It was only a pious outward appearance.
The religious leaders drew nigh unto God with their mouth and honored them with their lips. But their heart didn’t belong to God but was far from God (uIsaya 29:13).
The leaders of God’s people worshiped God in vain, by teaching precepts, which were the commandments of man and not of God. Kwaye, they made the people followers of man instead of followers of God.
“Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man, but that which comes out of the mouth defiles a man“
When Jesus called the multitude, He said, Hear and understand; No that which goes into the mouth defiles a man, but that which comes out of the mouth defiles a man.
The scribes and Pharisees heard the words of Jesus and didn’t appreciate the confronting words of Jesus. The words of Jesus offended the leaders of the people (UMateyu 15:1-12).
The Pharisees were offended after hearing the words of Jesus
Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them, And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, My flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth and none did search or seek after them (UHezekile 34:2-6)
Then came His disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But He answered and said, Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch (UMateyu 15:12-14)
When the disciples told Jesus, the Pharisees were offended by His words, Jesus didn’t excuse Himself for His words. Jesus didn’t change His words because of the feelings of the Pharisees.
Jesus offended the Pharisees even more by saying, Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Let the blind leaders alone
Jesus was spiritual and saw. Therefore Jesus saw their spiritual state and their hypocrisy. Nangona kunjalo, Jesus didn’t keep His mouth about the spiritual state of the house of Israel and the (religious) leaders of the house. But Jesus revealed the truth and exposed the sin.
Although the leaders pretended they were appointed by God and knew God with their pious words and outward appearances (Long prayers in the presence of people, offerings, amasiko, keeping the traditions of man, njl.) and impressed the people and making them believe that they stood in God’s service, Jesus was not impressed and misled by their outward appearances. That’s because Jesus was not led by the flesh, but by the Spirit.
Therefore Jesus knew the truth. He knew, that they didn’t belong to God, and didn’t know God and definitely didn’t stand in His service.
If they had belonged to God and had known God and stood in His service, they would have done His will.
They would have kept His commandments and never put the words and traditions of man (their ancestors) above the words and commands of God.
the blind leaders didn’t recognize Jesus Christ; the living word
If they really belonged to God and knew God and stood in His service, they would have listened to the words of Jesus. They would have recognized the words of Jesus as coming from God. They would have recognized and acknowledged Jesus Christ, uNyana kaThixo. And they would have repented on the basis of His words (and works). But they didn’t.
Instead of repenting, they were offended by His words, whereby they took offense at God.
Kodwa uYesu wathi, Let them alone. Considering they were offended by the words of Jesus, Who preached the words and the truth of God, which proved, that they were carnal, prideful, and rebellious and had a hardened heart of unbelief and therefore they were not willing to humble themselves and repent and serve the living God.
Every plant, which the heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up
Ngoko ke, ye shepherds, liveni ilizwi likaYehova; As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because My flock became a prey, an My flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds led themselves, and fed not My flock; Ngoko ke, O ye shepherds, liveni ilizwi likaYehova; Itsho iNkosi uYehova; Khangela, I am against the shepherds; and I will require My flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them (UHezekile 34:7-10)
The Father Himself would deal with these blind leaders, who were false witnesses of God and false teachers, who spoke falsely about God and taught the people in false doctrines. Kwaye ngenxa yoko, they represented and presented a false god, whom God not really was.
Despite their title and leadership role, they were spiritually blind and led the blind. Together they were on their way to fall into a ditch.
After hearing the words of Jesus, they had the ability to repent. But they didn’t. Kunoko, they rejected the words of Jesus and consciously chose to stay blind.
And many people, who belonged to the house of Israel, followed the example of their leaders. They also consciously chose to reject the words of Jesus and to stay blind. They kept listening and obeying the words and commandments of the blind leaders.
The unfaithful shepherds, who led and fed themselves instead of the sheep
And so Jesus walked in the midst of blind leaders and the blind. He saw the spiritual state of the (religious) leaders of God’s people, abantu bakaThixo, and the temple.
Jesus didn’t see leaders, who were faithful shepherds of God and obeyed Him. He didn’t see shepherds, who cared for His flock and nurtured and fed His sheep and protected them, strengthened them, warned them, helped them and gave them what they needed and healed them, and brought the sheep which were driven away and sought the sheep that were lost.
But Jesus saw unfaithful shepherds, who disobeyed God and were selfish, prideful, rebellious, and fed themselves and with force and cruelty ruled the sheep. Shepherds, who were full of themselves and did everything for fame and their own gain and treated the sheep as merchandise. And so they changed the temple from a house of prayer into a den of thieves (Owu. UHezekile 34, UMateyu 21:13; 23, Phawula 11:17, ULuka 11; 19:46).
The only thing Jesus could do, was to preach the words and truth of God, bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the house of Israel, warn the people, and call them to repentance. But it was up to the people to believe and obey the words of Jesus and repent or not.
The blind leaders in the church
Nothing much has changed. Because, as Jesus walked in the midst of blind leaders, who were appointed in the temple in the Old Covenant, Jesus is still dealing with blind leaders, who are appointed in the church in the New Covenant.
Blind leaders, who are not born again in Christ and don’t see the Kingdom and have not entered the Kingdom and don’t have the Holy Spirit abiding in them, and have no spiritual discernment and knowledge of good and evil. But are still carnal and have build their faith upon the words, doctrines and traditions of man and follow a set of rules, regulations and commandments of man.
On one hand, we see a legalistic church with an Old Covenant mindset, that is strict in church doctrine and follows church rules and instructions, rituals and church procedures that are set up by man and do humanistic works.
Kwaye kwelinye icala, we see a dissolute church without rules, where everything is allowed.
A church, where the words of God have moved to the background and the commandments of Jesus have faded away and the people live like the world in uncleanness and licentiousness
The similarity between both is, that they have adjusted the words of God and the commandments of Jesus to (the will and desires of) the flesh and have made their own rules and commandments, which have originated from carnal man and not from God.
blind leaders replace the words of God with their words
If God has said that you shall not kill, but a pastor approves euthanasia and makes what is evil to do, good to do, then this proves that the pastor doesn’t belong to the spiritual leaders, who belong to God and speak the words and truth of God, but to the blind leaders, who are carnal and belong to the world and speak their own words, which derive from their feelings (inyama) and a carnal (worldly) ingqondo.
They put their own words above the words of God, whereby they could have seen. And they lead the blind with their own words, which are lies, to the death.
This is just one of the many examples, where the commandments of God that were given by the Father and Jesus to the believers, are refuted and made of non effect.
This way the words of God are made of none effect (powerless). Just like the blind leaders in the Old Covenant made the words of God of none effect.
Where does the blind lead the blind to?
Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch? (ULuka 6:39)
Although they think and say they see, just like the blind leaders in the Old Covenant, they are in reality spiritually blind and lead the blind on their way to … Well, where does the blind lead the blind to?
If they rejected the truth of God and not entered the Kingdom of God, how can they preach the truth of God and the Kingdom, and lead the blind to the truth and to enter the Kingdom of God?
How can they call the people to repentance if they keep doing the works of the flesh and walk in sin? (Funda kwakhona: Indlela yokulahla ixhego?)
How can they preach regeneration if they are not born again themselves?
How can they preach the new creation, if they are not a new creation and their heart is unrenewed? Because out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies, which defile a man.
How can they expect people to live holy lives, while they don’t live holy lives? How can they expect people to do the will of the Father, while they undermine the will of the Father and adjust His will to the will, iinkanuko, and desires of people? (Funda kwakhona: Will God change His will to the lusts and desires of man?).
How can they expect people to be witnesses of Jesus Christ and tell the truth and walk in the truth, while they are false witnesses, who preach lying testimonies and iimfundiso zobuxoki and walk in darkness?
Jesus still lives in the midst of blind leaders
Jesus still lives in the midst of blind leaders. Leaders, who don’t listen to Him and refuse to submit to Him and do the will of the Father. Blind leaders, who have carnal mind and are stubborn and go their own way and follow their own thoughts. They don’t heal the blind of their blindness, because they are blind themselves. They are ignorant about the will of God and His Kingdom.
And so the blind lead the blind and they shall both fall in the ditch. The worst thing is, that they are not aware of their blindness, because they are (ngokomoya) blind. They think they see and therefore they don’t repent and see.
‘Yibani yityuwa yehlabathi’
