Break Open The SkySample

Shut Your Eyes to See

Fred Rogers, affectionately known as Mr. Rogers, hosted one of the longest-running shows in network television. He was awarded an honorary doctorate—his twenty-fifth—by Boston University some years ago.

At the commencement ceremony, Rogers was met with exuberant cheers by the student body as he invited them to sing along to the theme from his television program: "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood… Would you be mine?” All across the stadium, people swayed to the rhythm of the well-known tune. Then Mr. Rogers said, “It’s not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outside of life which ultimately nourish our souls.…what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

For a man who dedicated his life to crafting visible story in an age where image became paramount, Mr. Rogers chose to point to things unseen as being the most important.

Jesus wasn’t caught up in the fancy outside of life either. When he presented a series of eight principles, or values, called The Beatitudes, he would have drawn a collective gasp from his audience.

Jesus ran roughshod over the religious norms of his day by assigning virtue to a group of unlikely people: the poor, sad, meek, merciful, hungry, thirsty, peaceful, and persecuted. Jesus conferred divine favor, or blessing, not to the revered moralists of his day, but to the ragtag outsiders. The respectable folk within earshot likely squirmed while the outcasts dropped their jaws and Jesus’ disciples sat dumfounded. How could the poor, meek, mournful, and merciful be happy or blessed?

Jesus’ words would no doubt have offended, confused, and sparked disbelief in many. What we often consider most important in life is, in fact, not; and, conversely, what we sometimes laugh at, look down upon, or outright dismiss might be, in fact, essential.

For Jesus, like Mr. Rogers, the most important things in life were invisible. Only those willing to shut their eyes would see.