Berwick Thought for the Week: Seeing correctly is important in spiritual matters

As I was descending a country path near Garvald, my interest was sparked. Through the trees fringing the way, I glimpsed a standing stone in a nearby field.

However, as I got closer, I saw that the ‘standing stone’ was in fact a brown horse clothed in a dark winter coat!

Mistaking what we see is a common experience. Indeed, it might be far more prevalent than we imagine.

Studies have shown that seeing accurately is not just a matter of being in a good location and having clear vision. What we see is also the fruit of our prior experience and learning.

Seeing correctly is important in spiritual matters too. Once, two friends were walking to Emmaus – a village some eight miles from Jerusalem. They had witnessed the death of Jesus a few days before and were perplexed and despondent.

The rumour that Jesus had risen just added to their confusion. In the story, Jesus joins the two on the road, but, for some time, mysteriously, they don’t recognise him.

It is only as they share a meal and Jesus says a prayer over the food in his characteristic style that they at last see him correctly.

Easter, with its message of resurrection, invites us to renew our vision of Jesus. He was undoubtedly a stimulating teacher, someone concerned about justice and who cared for those who suffered.

But, for Christians, because Jesus rose from the dead, we believe that he is also the Lord who is alive, whose Spirit has been transforming the lives of men and women for 2,000 years.