Scripture Reading And Welcome

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Good morning, Northgate. My name is Emma Bidu, and I'm a freshman at Benicia High School. Today I will be reading to you Mark 8, 22 through 30. And they came to Beth Seta, and some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. And when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, Do you see anything? And he looked up and said, I see people, but they look like trees walking. Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again, and he opened his eyes. His sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent him and he sent him to his home, saying, Do not even enter the village. And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Sesara Philippi. And on the way, he asked his disciples, Who do people say that I am? And they told him, John the Baptist. And others say, Elijah, and others, one of the prophets. And he asked them, But who do you say that I am? Peter answered him, You are Christ. And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. This is the word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. You guys can have a seat. All right. It's good to be with you. My name's Lawrence, one of the pastors here. We uh uh are in Mark chapter eight. If you got one of these, you can open up, follow along. We um uh walk through verse by verse. We've been cruising through the Gospel of Mark, it's in the New Testament that just chronicles the life of Jesus, uh his teachings, and what we can learn from this first century archaic thing and try to figure out how to put it in the context of our 21st century uh you know Western worldview and uh how that continues to work. So let's go ahead and hop in. You guys heard we're doing a couple verses today. Glad you're with us. Um, I don't know about you. I have you ever been absolutely convinced that you were seeing something correctly, only to discover later that you completely misunderstood literally what was right in front of you. Like I think it actually happens more often than we'd like to admit. Like you send the text thinking it was funny and then they interpret it as rude, right? Or you see somebody for the first time and you make uh like instantly decide exactly who they are based on your interaction. And then all of a sudden, six months later, they're like one of your closest friends, and you realize your first impression wasn't just a little off, like it was just completely wrong. Or maybe, uh maybe this is you, maybe you've been driving at night and you look in the distance and you thought you saw a person standing on the side of the road, you know, that time like your heart skipped to beat a little bit. Uh, and then as you got closer, you realize it was just a mailbox wearing a sweatshirt, right? None of you guys. Okay, yeah. That's when I decided I needed glasses to drive in, right? Uh but some of you guys are laughing because you've done that, right? The further away you are, the more your brain starts to fill in the blanks. Uh,

Seeing Versus Understanding

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and here's what I've learned that seeing isn't always the same thing as understanding. You can have functioning eyes and still completely misinterpret reality. I it's true physically, emotionally, relationally, and according to Jesus, it's also true spiritually. And so as we come to Mark chapter 8 today, this is exactly where his disciples are. Like they have watched Jesus do incredible things, calm storms. Like thousands have been fed with literally nothing. And they've watched demons flee and people walk again for the first time and hear again, speak again. They've heard his teaching for months, if not years, at this point, and yet last week it ended with this crazy question, this haunting question that we frankly left in this room, which was Jesus saying, Do you not yet understand? I mean, that's where Mark leaves us, not with an answer, but with a question. And then without any warning in here, he just tells us another miracle story. I think at first it feels almost disconnected, but it's not. It's actually one of the most important miracles in the entire gospel because Mark isn't just simply, you know, recording what Jesus did. He's actually showing us what the disciples are literally experiencing. So Mark begins it this way: and they came to Bethesda, and some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. So immediately there's something that should sound familiar to us. We've seen this uh pattern before. People bringing someone who can't help themselves, right? Friends carrying them, friends believe, friends beg Jesus. It's just another reminder, friends, that faith is like this communal thing before it becomes personal. That sometimes God reaches someone because someone else refused to stop praying. Someone else walks into church because a friend wouldn't quit inviting them. Sometimes a parent that wouldn't stop praying, or a kid for a parent, or a spouse that quietly believes when the other can't. Sometimes you're sitting here today because somebody carried you spiritually before you were able to walk towards Jesus yourself. So I would just say this, just as a reminder, never, never, never underestimate what God does through ordinary faithfulness. So notice the other thing where this happens in Bethesda. I know a lot of you guys, you're like, oh, Bethesda? I know Bethesda. None of you guys know Bethesda. So here's the important thing about Bethesda. This isn't just like a normal, uh, another fishing village. This was actually home territory for several of the disciples. Peter, his brother Andrew, Philip. There's some thought too that even John and James, the Sons of Thunders, uh, they were from around there too. So this is, think about this, this is familiar streets. These are familiar faces. This is familiar territory. So Jesus isn't entering here like this foreign space. He's actually among people who probably recognize him. This is uh like home territory. And yet, throughout the Gospel of Mark, familiarity has never just guaranteed clarity in a situation. In fact, sometimes, to a degree, I think it creates blindness. Isn't that interesting? Like sometimes people closest to Jesus struggle the most to actually see him. And I think it has for me, it ought to humble every one of us lifelong Christians, because proximity is not the same as perception. Being around church isn't the same as knowing Christ. Knowing Bible stories isn't the same as seeing Jesus clearly. Like you can spend years around Christian things and still miss the person at the center of it all. You can decorate your house with all the Hobby Lobby you want. Still be like, well, I don't really know Jesus that much, right? That's why I love Mark he includes this miracle, right? Because this isn't just a story about blind people out there. Get this, it's about all of us. So whether you're exploring Christianity, or whether you're the Muslim, the Buddhist, the atheist, the agnostic, whether you're carrying church hurt, or whether like you've actually followed Jesus for 50 years, come on. Every one of us has a blind spot. Every one of us ceases partially, every one of us has moments where we think we understand God, only to discover he is far bigger than our assumptions. And then Mark records something unusual. Says

The Blind Man Outside The Village

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he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. I'm just gonna stop there for a second. Why? We've actually seen this before already in these kinds of stories. Why take him outside the village? Like Jesus has already healed publicly before. Uh, he's healed in churches or synagogues on hillsides, he's in crowded homes. So, like, why the privacy? Why take him outside? Mark doesn't explicitly tell us, so we should be careful not to like speculate too much. But one thing to me, honestly, as I read this, that becomes beautifully clear is Jesus isn't treating this man like he's a spectacle. I see this so genuinely just treating him like a person. Because if if you would for me a second, let's just actually get into the story right here. Imagine being blind in the first century. Like for reels. There's no braille, there's no mobility training, there's no guide dogs, there's no social services. Blindness isn't simply just a medical condition. It often means dependence for your whole life, marginalization, poverty, like people talked around you and about you, sometimes as though you weren't even there, even though you could hear, right? But Jesus doesn't perform for the crowd here, he reaches out for the man's hand. I mean, come on, can you imagine? I mean, just again, sit here with me. Can you imagine for the moment someone you've never seen reaches towards you? You can't see his face, you don't know his expression, but you feel his hand. I think there's something profoundly beautiful about that. Before this man ever sees Jesus, he experiences being led by Jesus. I wonder how many people in this room could say that same thing. Like maybe when you look backward, like over your life, you realize Jesus was leading you long before you recognized him. Is that your story? Like you just before you just thought it was coincidence, you thought it was luck, you thought it was timing, and years later you realize he had a hold of your hand the whole time. That's the grace of God. Sometimes he begins leading before we fully believe, sometimes he begins drawing before we understand. Jesus doesn't wait until this man has perfect vision. He beats him exactly where he is, and then comes one of the most unusual moments in Mark. And when he had led him out of the village, he spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, and then asked him, Do you see anything? I mean, come on, just say a second. Let's be honest. If you knew the church, this is where things you start wondering, like if it just got weird. Like you're thinking, like, I was tracking, and then there's like spit in the dude's eyes, right? So, like, as I'm just reading this, I do the same thing I hope as you do. I'm like, Oh, this is beautiful. He's, you know, leading him, and then everyone's looking around and then like can't even see. I mean, get there. He can't even see, and all of a sudden you just hear, and all of a sudden you're like, oh gosh, right? If I was a disciple, I'd be like going, come on, that's Jerry. Why you do God? Why you gotta spit his face? Like, why you gotta do that, Jesus? Come on. That's nasty, right? I mean, can you imagine? I'm like, why is that in here? Why do we have to? And then he asks them, you see anything now? And he's like, Oh gosh, like this is the crazy part. So sorry, this is just how I read this though. I'm just sitting there all week being like, how's this happening? But remember, we've learned this actually throughout Mark. Jesus is never performing magic tricks, right? He heals people in different types of ways. Sometimes he simply speaks. I'd prefer that one. Sometimes he touches, sometimes healing people happens from a distance, sometimes instantly, and sometimes here through physical actions. The point is this is it isn't creating a formula. The point is always the person. Thank God this is not the formula for like healing. Jesus isn't giving us a healing technique. Thank you. He is revealing his compassion. But then something happens that should prize us, right? What did he ask him? You see anything? Well, why ask? Doesn't he already know? Yes, of course he does. He isn't just gathering information. What he's doing right here is he's inviting participation. He wants the man to describe actually what's happening. See, faith isn't merely something done to us. Jesus, he's continually inviting us into a relationship, into a conversation, into honesty. And then notice this man's answer. He looked up and he said, I see people, but they look like trees walking. That's this is extraordinary. Like, first of all, that's weird, but also extraordinary because this is the only miracle in the gospels where healing actually appears to be incomplete at first. I mean, think about it. Every other miracle seems like immediate, right? Storm stop immediately, demons leave, immediately, lame walk, immediately. But here, like partial sight, like blurry vision. Like I can kind of see, but not

Blurry Vision And Slow Formation

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clearly. Now, if we're honest, and if I'm honest, this kind of makes us feel uncomfortable. Like, well, why would it make you feel uncomfortable? Come on, let's just have the conversation because we love instant results, right? We live in a culture built on immediacy. Like I started the diet yesterday, tomorrow I better look like that, right? This is what we do. Instant streaming, instant food. Like, why is my DoorDash going somewhere else first, right? Instant chipping, instant answers. Like, we assume growth should happen in the same way. I mean, I prayed once. Look at it. I went to church twice this month. I listened to that podcast once. Like, why am I not completely different right now? But what if Jesus is teaching us something like much deeper? What if this miracle isn't demonstrating a lack of power, but maybe it's actually revealing how spiritual transformation often works. I mean, think about the disciples, isn't it exactly where they're at? I mean, they can see something. They they know by now Jesus isn't just merely like another rabbi. Like they know he's an extraordinary, he's something extraordinary. They know he's you know sent from God, but they don't yet see clearly. Everything's still just a little bit blurry. And they keep reaching the right conclusions, but for the wrong reasons. They they expect a conquering Messiah instead of a suffering savior, they expect earthly power instead of sacrificial love. They see, but they don't yet understand, which, again, I think describes many of us. You know, some of you are just beginning to explore faith, like everything feels blurry. You're you're asking questions, trying to make sense of Jesus and God, and keep asking. Keep asking. Others have literally followed Jesus for years, yet there are still areas where your vision is being corrected. They actually call that discipleship, or to use a big vocabulary word for the today, sanctification. Christian maturity isn't arriving at the perfect understanding, it's actually just allowing Jesus to continually sharpen your vision. I think one of the great lies that many people believe is this okay. If I don't understand everything immediately, something must be wrong. No. Sometimes growth looks exactly like this man. Like I see more clearly today than I did yesterday, but I'm not seeing everything clearly yet. I just want to tell you, that's not failure, that's formation. I also want to tell you to my young friends in here, I see you. I thought the same way, right? It's formation, it's a process that happens. And here's what gives, I think, enormous hope. Notice what the blind man doesn't do. I love that he doesn't pretend that everything's fine, that he doesn't fake like clarity. He doesn't say, like, oh yeah, no, I I see, right? Because he can see a little bit, just not clearly, but he's like, oh no, no, I see. It's good. He tells them the truth. He's like, no, no, no, it's it's blurry. That's where I think actual transformation begins. Not pretending, but just honesty. And the beautiful thing about Jesus is he's never threatened by incomplete faith. He's never uh intimidated by honest questions or frustrated by your sincere uncertainty. Like I think he would rather hear, I see, but not clearly, than false confidence, pretending that everything makes sense. Because the people who, if you look through this, the people who keep coming to him are just people whose vision continues that he continues to restore when they're honest about it. And then he tells us something remarkable. He says, Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again, and he opened his eyes, and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. There it is. The second touch. But also, can I just take you back to like how I read this? So it's almost like he just got spit on, right? And now he's starting to see, and he's like, I don't see. Clearly, people are walking around like trees, and it's to me, I'm like, because Jesus went like, oh gosh, I better wipe that off. So then it's like he touched him with his eyes. It's like wipe this off, and then open his eyes. You see now, and he's like, Oh, there it is. Like, that's what I'm like, oh gosh, of course, because you got spit on his eyes.

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Sorry, you should hang out with me. This is how I read this stuff. I'm like, oh, sneaky G, he's so funny.

SPEAKER_02 17:29

Second touch, though. This is good. Second touch, right? Like, you if you've read the gospels for years, I think it's actually really easy to skip over that. So seriously, just slow down and read this stuff. It's easy to skip over actually how unusual this is. Wow, how come? Jesus has never needed a second attempt before. This isn't because his power was somehow insufficient this time. Mark's already shown us what he can do with a word. Anything. So why here? Because this miracle isn't only about restoring one man's eyesight, it's about revealing how Jesus restores spiritual sight. See, Mark intentionally places this miracle exactly where he does, because the disciples are actually experiencing the very same thing. They've seen enough to know Jesus is extraordinary, but they have not yet seen enough to understand exactly who he is. They are living between blurry vision and clear sight. And frankly, most of us are. One of the biggest misconceptions about Christianity is that faith means suddenly having every answer. Can I just be really honest with you? I've been the whole time. I'm gonna keep doing that. I still, I still, I'm I'm I'm very human, friends. I still question this stuff. I sit there sometimes and I'm like, is this just all a big joke? Like, what am I doing? Like, that's a very honest human part of me. Like, listen, I read almost 500 prayer requests from you all this week. And for me not to question and be like, I don't have answers. I don't know why. I don't know why it's not all right, I don't know why it's still broken. All of those things, that that the moment that you trust Jesus, like the idea that every question just disappears, every doubt, you know, just evaporates, every struggle just resolves itself, and there's rainbows and butterflies, right? Heavens on earth right now. No, that isn't what we see in scripture. The Christian life isn't just merely about, you know, conversion, it's about continual uh transformation. Theologians often use this word formation, that this place is um forming you just as much as you're forming it. Jesus doesn't just simply save us from something, he slowly begins to reshape actually how we see everything. You know, you heard Sam give a little bit of his stuff. He's like, I got a banking account, now I see everything different, right? He reshapes everything, how we see God, like how we see ourselves, how how we see other people, how we understand success or like the power that we've been given, or the identity, forgiveness, purpose, everything. That's why Paul actually writes in Romans chapter 12, verse 2 he talks about conformed versus transformed. He says, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Or really, what's happening is something is shaping you all throughout the week. We are being conformed or transformed. The bottom line is something is forming us. Notice what he doesn't say. He doesn't say, uh, he doesn't replace it with uh uh renewing with like gr like something else. Um he says renewing, which means like uh gradually, um, slowly, how about this, continuously, like one layer at a time. This is how transformation works. One misconception that you're taking off after another, one idol after another, one false belief after another, and Jesus patiently just keeps opening our eyes. I I find enormous encouragement in that. Because if Jesus was willing to walk patiently with the disciples, perhaps, perhaps he's patient with me too. And you too. Maybe some of you need to hear that today. Maybe you've been frustrated because you still wrestle with questions. Cheers. Maybe you still find yourself anxious, yeah. Or struggle with forgiveness, or find yourself slipping back into uh old habits, and somewhere along the way you've concluded I must be doing it wrong. What if instead you're just simply being formed? I mean, think about how patient Jesus has been throughout Mark. The disciples they just misunderstood over and over and over. They panicked in storms. Yeah. They argue about who's better and greatness. They misunderstood miracles, they miss obvious lesson, and Jesus doesn't replace them, he just keeps teaching them and walking with them and asking questions. He keeps opening their eyes. That, friends, is the epitome of grace, where grace isn't just merely about forgiveness. Grace is pay God's patience, commitment to finish what he actually starts. And you and me. And then he says, and he sent him home, saying, Do not even enter a village. So again, we've seen this pattern throughout Mark. Jesus, he's repeatedly resists, becoming merely just a miracle worker, right? He literally is refusing to let people define him by these spectacular moments alone, because miracles, you gotta understand this, miracles without understanding can create excitement without discipleship. Why? But we love power. People love power. Jesus is after transformed hearts, right here. He's not building a fan base, he's forming followers, and now we see all of a sudden everything changes. So suddenly, in this, you know, it's not remember, this is written continuously. We get a little break, you know, and we're like, next part, verse 27.

Caesarea Philippi And Competing Truths

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This is this keeps going. He just all of a sudden Mark shifts the scene immediately, sent him off, and then says, and then Jesus went on with the disciples to the village of Caesarea Philippi. Okay, so we've been learning, if you're newer with us, that geography matters in Mark. It's literally, I've I've said it like this it's theology in motion. We've learned that all throughout Mark. So Caesarea Philippi, it's sat roughly 25 miles or so north of the Sea of Galilee. So the Sea of Galilee is already in the northern part kind of of uh of Israel. Jerusalem is down to the south, like 90 miles or so like this. This is also like not as much desert in this area. It's a little more lush, it's a really pretty area. And it's also unlike anywhere that Jesus has taken his disciples so far. The city was filled with like pagan temples, uh, Roman influence, heavily political symbolism, like religious pluralism right here. So, if as an example, if Jerusalem represented Jewish religious power, Caesarea Philippi represented everything else. So here's a picture. You'd have to zoom in on some of this to see some of these things. It's from a couple years ago, was actually there and got to see this, but towering above the city stood this massive, these massive rock cliffs. Um, some of you guys can think about like Sedona, right over there. So this red rock, massive cliffs where these shrines, you can see some of them, they're kind of all over, are literally carved into the mountainside. And there'd be this one shrine that would uh be honoring Caesar, and another that honored like the Greek god of Pan, which is that really big one kind of on the bottom on the right, right there. Um, and there were these temples right here that were dedicated to Roman emperors, and people traveled here to worship many different gods. Excuse me. Think about that for a moment. Jesus is intentionally choosing one of the most spiritually confused places in Israel to ask one of the most important questions in history. I mean, that's fascinating. He doesn't ask this question he's about to ask in a temple. He doesn't ask it inside of a church or a synagogue. He asks it surrounded by all these competing claims about truth. I mean, what's taking place here in this modern time today? I mean, that's just full of debauchery and paganism and dancing and rituals and sacrifice. I mean, that's all taking place all in this scene. I mean, again, come on, let's go ahead and sit there for a second. So he's now got these like goody two shoes, they're not really, but these dudes that he's taking up there, that uh uh these disciples, and you'll see next week that there's actually a crowd coming along, too, going like, what are we doing here? This is crazy. Sitting around this space with these surrounded by rival gods, by alternative worldviews. Why? Because that's exactly where every one of us lives. Maybe not physically, but culturally. Every day our culture tells us something different about ultimate reality. One voice says success is your identity, another says politics will save you. Another one says money, another one says pleasure or personal authenticity, another says technology is gonna save you. Then the next day somebody says, no, it's the end of the world, right? Another says religion, or another says spirituality, another says science. Friends, we are surrounded by voices claiming to explain reality. And into that environment, Jesus asks one question. Who do people say that I am? Okay, now notice really quickly, he begins really broadly here. Like, what are people saying? What's the public opinion? So the disciples answered. They told him, John the Baptist. Others say Elijah. Others say one of the prophets. I mean, those are impressive answers, actually. Nobody says Jesus is insignificant. Nobody says he's just ordinary. Everyone actually recognizes as something extraordinary. I mean, John the Baptist is one of the greatest prophets of their generation. Uh Elijah, perhaps maybe Israel's most famous prophets, one of the prophets? I mean, still, that's an enormous compliment. Today we might hear answers like this: like, oh, they say that you're a great moral teacher. He's a revolutionary, a philosopher, a social reformer, a spiritual guide, a prophet. Even many outside Christianity speak uh respectfully about Jesus. You've heard this, right? The Muslim honors him as a prophet. Many Buddhists admire his compassion. Secular historians recognize his influence. Atheists often really acknowledge his moral teaching. Few people argue that Jesus was, you know, completely ordinary. The question has never primarily been whether Jesus was remarkable. The question has always been, who exactly is he?

Peter’s Confession And The Cross

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And then Jesus asks the real question, the one every human being has to eventually answer. But who do you say I am? Notice the shift. Not what does your family think about me? What what does your professor think? What does your political party think? What does your social media say? What do you no no no? What do you say? Because you see, eventually, friends, borrowed faith runs out. Eventually, our inherited beliefs become insufficient. Eventually, everyone has to answer Jesus personally. Who is he? Not what your parents said who he was, not who your church or Lawrence said he was, not who your favorite author says he is, who do you say he is? That's why Christianity has always centered on a person before it centers on a philosophy. Jesus doesn't first ask, Do you guys agree with my teaching? He says, Who am I? Because your answer to that shapes everything else. Uh C.S. Lewis, to quote him, he famously actually argued that Jesus uh doesn't leave the option of simply calling him good moral teacher. He said, if Jesus said things that he claimed, uh if he forgives sins and he claimed authority over creation, if he accepted worship, then he cannot simply be another wise teacher. Either he is tragically mistaken, deliberately deceptive, or exactly who he claimed to be. There really isn't much middle ground. So then guess who speaks up? Peter. Peter says, I got the answer. You are the Christ. Finally, we've spent nine chapters trying to get these guys to figure this out. You are the Christ. The disciples say it, the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one, the king of that Israel has waited for for centuries to receive. Like this is the turning point. This is one of the major turning points in the entire gospel. Everything has been building towards this confession. Like every miracle, every question, every confrontation or journey, lesson that they've been given, every misunderstanding, everything literally has been moving towards these four words. You are the Christ, but don't miss something. Peter's confession is correct, yet incomplete. See, he finally sees, but not perfectly. That's why this miracle of the blind man actually comes first. Peter has moved from complete blindness to partial sight. He right now has correctly identified Jesus, but we're going to discover next week he still misunderstands what kind of Messiah Jesus has come to be. So he sees Jesus, he just doesn't yet see him clearly. Which means Peter and the blind man are telling the same story. One physically and one spiritually. One receives a second touch, the other still needs a little further uh formation. And here's the beautiful part Jesus doesn't reject either one. He keeps walking with them. And some of you probably need to hear that. You don't have to understand everything before Jesus will welcome you. You don't have to solve every theological question that you have. You don't have to eliminate every doubt that you experience. You don't have to have the perfect clarity. Just come honestly and humbly and come willing to keep learning and growing because discipleship isn't pretending that you've arrived. It's just continually allow Jesus to just sharpen your vision. So for the skeptic in the room, perhaps your next step isn't pretending certainty that you don't possess. Perhaps it's just honestly saying, like, I see something, just not clearly yet. I think that's a wonderful place to begin. For the lifelong Christian, maybe your greatest danger isn't blindness anymore. Maybe it's just assuming that you've already seen everything there is to see. I'll tell you this: the longer that I follow Jesus, the more convinced I become that every year he shows me another layer of himself that I previously had missed. Not because he changed, but because he is infinitely greater than my understanding. Every year the picture becomes just a little clearer. Every year my assumptions are corrected just a little bit. Every year I realized I had been seeing people like trees walking. And that's the invitation of discipleship to just let them keep opening your eyes. And then Mark ends this little section we're going to end with today with one sentence. He strictly charged him to tell no one about him. So again, he's not hiding his identity, he's protecting it from misunderstanding. Because if people proclaim the Messiah before they understand the cross, they're going to create the wrong Messiah. A political one, a military one, a nationalistic one, a messiah who conquers Rome but never conquers sin. A messiah who changes governments but never changes hearts. And he refused to reduce to people's expectations. Because the clearest vision of Jesus will not ultimately come through miracles. It's going to ultimately come through a cross. Because Mark isn't ready to take us there yet. He leaves us here with a healed blind man, a partially understanding disciple, a beautiful confession we've been waiting a long time for, and an invitation that literally reaches across 2,000 years into this room. What do you say he is? Because the answer to that question will shape every other answer that you'll give. And maybe today, before anything else changes, before your circumstances change, before your questions are all resolved, before your life feels completely put together, the prayer isn't just Jesus, make me understand everything. It's much simpler. Jesus, keep opening my eyes. Because whatever else this passage teaches us, it teaches us this. The one who opens blind eyes is still in the business of helping people see him clearly. So don't rush past this moment. Sit with this question. My invitation to live with this question. Pray. Pray over this question. Jesus, am I seeing you as you truly are? Or only as I want you to be? Some of you guys need to take a picture of that and put that on your screensaver this week. Come on. That may be the most important prayer this week.