Week 10: Chapter 9 — Recovering Sight

1.Bevere argues, drawing on 1 John 2:9-11, that a person walking in hatred toward a brother is actually walking in darkness — they cannot see clearly, even in spiritual matters. Have you observed this spiritual blindness in someone who was deeply offended? In what ways did their offense distort their perception of reality?

2.Jesus's words in Matthew 7:3-5 about the speck and the plank are pointed at this very problem: the offended person is often convinced they can see clearly, while carrying something that makes clear vision impossible. How does carrying an offense blind us to our own faults and to the truth about others?

3.Bevere describes how long-term offense can warp a person's theology — making God seem distant, untrustworthy, or unfair. Have you experienced, or seen in others, a shift in how God "feels" during a season of bitterness? What did that look like?