Genesis 19: Move From Blindness to Light! - a podcast by Fr. Jos Tharakan

There are two major stories contained in this chapter which we have heard many times over. First there is the story of The Destruction of Sodom and The Deliverance of Lot. (1-29) and secondly, The Sin and Disgrace of Lot. (30-38)

This chapter of Genesis is more known in the world for two words - Sodom and Gomorrah. The destruction of these two cities has historically been attributed to the lifestyle of the people of these locations. I do not want to disagree with the findings of other writers with regards to lifestyle but in my view, the lifestyle we are talking about here is not about homosexuality among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah as many preachers have said but rather it is about the inner blindness to see other people with dignity and respect. 

Look at the different aspects of the story. See how the people of Sodom treated Lot, the Angels, and the daughters of Lot. Everything of this chapter speaks volumes of one’s attitude towards people around them. 

For the people of Sodom, Lot was nothing but a foreigner without rights. He was belittled for being a man without the right to welcome guests into his own home or even to be a man with dignity. They questioned his moral judgment. They disregarded his pleas. They failed to believe his story and his request not to harm his own guests. 

The people of the town were blind to the fact that these three men they didn’t know, the angels, were there for their pleasure. They made a mistake in assuming who the strangers were when they actually had no clue about the identity of their guests. They were blinded by their own self-grandeur. The people Sodom failed to welcome God’s angels. 

We find the blindness of Lot’s wife to see the hand of God in everything that happened to them. Her curiosity got the better of her. Her fear got the better of her. Her need to control the outcome got her in trouble. She became a pillar of salt that had lost its saltiness. She became an immovable pillar in the middle of destruction and uncertainty. 

The story doesn’t end there. The daughters of Lot continue the path of the blindness of their parents. When Lot was given a chance to choose, if you remember from the past, he chose for his own betterment and lost everything. When his wife was given a choice, she chose a path to her own destruction. When the daughters had a choice to make, they were blinded by their fear and lost respect for their father.

When we are blinded by our limited vision of life, we make mistakes too. When we are afraid, we follow the wrong path. We are caught in the middle of destruction and the future. We are blinded by our prejudices, our fears, and our self-grandeur. We can become like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, not because of sexual orientation, but pure self-righteousness and total spiritual blindness. We may become the same people who were destroyed by fire because we fail to respect the dignity of people we may or may not even know. Even though we are presented with daily invitations to respect the dignity of every human being, we are often blinded by our fear. 

Solution #19: When one group of people attacks another, that nation falls into a place of spiritual blindness. When a person destroys another for any reason, a seed of self-destruction is planted in him or her. Spiritual blindness leads the people of this chapter to vile acts. It is not sexual acts that destroy another but the lack of respect for human dignity that leads to vile acts of any kind, sexual or asexual. It will do well for us to remember that where there is love, there is kindness, compassion, self-control, forgiveness, and mercy.

Further episodes of The Divine Obsession

Further podcasts by Fr. Jos Tharakan

Website of Fr. Jos Tharakan