A Watchman’s Report

Seeing farther requires humility enough to admit when our present view is incomplete.

There is something dangerous about believing that what we can see is all there is to see. Scripture actually describes a condition of spiritual shortsightedness:

“But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off…”
2 Peter 1:9 KJV

Notice the language: “cannot see afar off.” That is the problem of the shortsighted. They can see something, but they cannot see far enough. The greater danger comes when those who cannot see afar off become convinced that they can.

“We See”

Jesus addressed this very problem after healing the man born blind. Some of the Pharisees asked whether they were blind also. Jesus answered:

“If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” John 9:41 KJV

Those two words should give every believer pause: “We see.” There is no shame in acknowledging that there are things we do not understand. The danger lies in becoming so convinced of our own understanding that we are no longer willing to look again. Paul described another form of the same human conceit:

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:22 KJV

We do not know what we do not know. The problem begins when we refuse to acknowledge that fact and assume that whatever lies beyond our present understanding cannot possibly be true.

Zacchaeus Knew He Couldn’t See

Here is where Zacchaeus becomes such a beautiful picture. He wanted to see Jesus, but he was short and the crowd obstructed his view. Scripture says:

“And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.” Luke 19:4 KJV

Zacchaeus had limited vision, but he knew it. So he changed his position. He climbed higher. His limitation did not keep him from seeing Jesus because he acknowledged it. The symbolism is striking. Zacchaeus effectively said, “I cannot see,” and climbed higher. The Pharisees said, “We see,” and remained blind. The man who recognized the limitation of his sight changed his vantage point and saw Jesus, while those confident in their spiritual sight could have Jesus standing directly before them and still fail to recognize what God was doing.

There is a caution here for Churchianity. We may say that our scholars have studied it, our denominations have settled it, our traditions have defined it, and therefore we see. Study matters. Sound doctrine matters. But study should make us more humble before God, not less teachable by God.

Knowledge Is Not Understanding

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7 KJV

Knowledge alone is not enough. A person can know where an automobile was manufactured, how its engine was designed, and what every major component does, yet when the radiator fails he may not know how to replace it. An experienced mechanic may possess fewer academic credentials while knowing exactly what to do when the hood goes up. Knowledge knows something. Understanding comprehends it. Wisdom knows what to do with it.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally…” James 1:5 KJV

Not pretend. Not presume. Ask. That requires humility. I have learned this repeatedly in my own walk with the Lord: every time I think I have all the answers, God changes the questions. Just when I think I understand something, He seems to ask, “Yes, but have you looked at it this way?” When I change my vantage point, sometimes the picture changes with it.

The Watchman Must Keep Looking

That brings us to the watchman. God told Ezekiel:

“O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.”
Ezekiel 33:7 KJV

The watchman was not commissioned to manufacture something frightening. He watched, he heard from God, and then he spoke. His elevation gave him perspective. He could see approaching danger before those at street level could see it. But what happens when the watchman stops looking because he thinks he has already seen everything there is to see? He may still stand upon the wall and carry the trumpet, but he has ceased to function as a watchman.

Come Up Higher

John heard an extraordinary invitation in Revelation:

“Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”
Revelation 4:1 KJV

In its immediate context, this is John’s invitation into the heavenly vision. Yet the imagery gives us a fitting spiritual caution: there are things we cannot see from ground level. Zacchaeus climbed higher because he could not see Jesus from where he stood. The watchman stood higher because he needed to see farther than those within the city. And Jesus promised His disciples the Spirit of truth:

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…” John 16:13 KJV

Guidance assumes that we are still traveling. We still have somewhere to go, something to learn, and things we cannot presently see. Perhaps one of the healthiest prayers God’s people can pray is simply, “Father, what am I not seeing from where I am standing?”

A Report From the Wall

This Watchman’s Report is not a prediction about tomorrow. It is a caution about today. Do not mistake the limits of your vision for the limits of God’s reality. Do not become so confident in what you know that you become incapable of learning what you do not know. Do not assume that because everyone around you sees something the same way, everyone must therefore be seeing clearly. Remember Zacchaeus. Sometimes the crowd itself can obstruct our view.

If we cannot see clearly, let us acknowledge it. If we lack wisdom, let us ask for it. If our view is obstructed, let us change our position. If God asks, “Have you looked at it this way?” let us remain humble enough to look again. Above all, let us learn something from a short man who wanted desperately to see Jesus. He knew he could not see from where he stood, so he climbed higher, and there he saw Jesus.

The greatest danger may not be that we cannot see. It may be that we cannot see, but have convinced ourselves that we can.