We know that our minds and emotions have "eyes" and "ears" that go beyond what we take in with our physical bodies. We "see" and "hear" things in the psychological realm that we cannot know from the physical realm. Although it is clear that seeing and hearing things from another world may be a sign of a mental breakdown at times, I also think that all of us have some sort of normal, natural intuition or even visceral reactions to things we grasp with the eyes and ears of our psyche, things we "know," but do not know how we know.
In the same way, we have been given spiritual eyes and ears. Jesus often said, Let him who has ears to hear, hear. And to Nicodemus, He said this: Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. After the Resurrection, the disciples traveling to Emmaus reported that in the breaking of bread, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Jesus.
In 2 Corinthians 3:14, we read this:
But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, for only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Our spirits do have eyes and ears, but they have been dulled by "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4), so that we cannot see spiritual truth. We believe we are seeing clearly, but what we "see" is from physical and rational experience. The kingdom of God cannot be apprehended either by physical or mental eyes and ears. Some "see" God always at work in circumstances; others see nothing of the kind. Nor can we reason ourselves to faith---always, it eludes the mind. The reason we must be born again is so that the "second Adam," the spirit-man can begin to see and hear what the natural man cannot grasp.
Like the blind man in the Gospel, every one of us needs to pray, "Lord, open my eyes that I may see!"
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