This picture reminded me of a preview I saw yesterday. "Avatar" is its name and it is a story of confrontation between Earth and the people of a fictional world called Pandora. The inhabitants are blue skinned and very majestic like the Elf's in the Tolkien trilogy. A handicapped soldier Earth soldier is given a chance to serve his world by using an Avatar to blend in with the Pandorian population and bring about a victory for Earth. Through his Avatar he sees more than he bargained for, once he really begins to look. And so, this passage from the Gospel of Matthew came to mind.
Matthew 13:14-17 WEB (R)
(14) In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, 'By hearing you will hear, and will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, and will in no way perceive:
(15) for this people's heart has grown callous, their ears are dull of hearing, they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and should turn again; and I would heal them.'
(16) "But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
(17) For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn't see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn't hear them.
Why didn't everyone "get it" when Jesus taught? Because they weren't willing to allow themselves to see life though other eyes is my answer. Human beings often think about things and once they arrive at a conclusion, that's it; case closed. I feel sorry for people who live life this way, because others can teach you a lot. Back in the very early 70's (yes, I know.. I am old) I was a quality control supervisor for Norton company. I oversaw the quality of the cloth finishing department and this was a big job for my years. One night a helper on one of the giant machines walked over and said to me something like this. Gary, you have a big job and you are important, but any night of the week I can make your job terrible by just deliberately not doing something right. I never forgot that because it helped me look at myself through another's eyes and I grew just a little that night. When we stretch our understanding like that God has a way of changing us and somehow we see with new eyes, hear with new ears and our thinking is never quite the same again. By the way, the movie debuts the week of December 14 and I can't wait to SEE IT!!