When people prefer darkness to light

“The Lord has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts — so that their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to Me and have Me heal them.”

(John 12:40)

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These words have puzzled many a mind.

Does a loving God blind the eyes of His creatures?

Were we not told that it is He who takes away the stony, stubborn heart and gives the tender, responsive heart?

It is so. Whatever is good comes from Him, and nothing but good.

But it is good to inflict righteous judgment; and there is a sin for which blindness is a righteous judgment. 

You know, when people prefer darkness to light, and persistently avoid the light, eventually God blinds their eyes. For what use is sight to those who choose to remain in darkness?

Jesus, God's light, came into the world; but there were many whose deeds were evil. They refused to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.

It was these whose eyes were blinded, and whose hearts were hardened, so that their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand.

The morning light from heaven shone upon them, to guide them to the path of peace, because of God's tender mercy; but they rejected the glorious light, that light which fills all heaven with joy.

Oh, how it must have shocked the angels to see men turn their backs on the Son of God!