A Portrait Of God's Pity

I wonder if you've ever had somebody say something to you or do something, and what goes on in your head is, what were they thinking? I remember sitting downtown Webster at lunch once, for a lunch break I, in the summertime, would go out and sit on the bench right in front of Town Hall.

And I was getting up and going back to the office and a gentleman was there who'd come out of the Town Hall heading towards his car and I just struck up a conversation from the Town Hall to his car, and he was proud of his 1980 whatever station wagon that had just been painted.

And I looked at the paint job and I said, what was he thinking? He said, I paid $5 ,000 to have this car painted, it's just a gem, I've had this car for such a long time. And I looked at the job that was done, and I certainly thought, what was he thinking?

One time Deb was driving in a car with someone, and have you ever gotten on the Mass Pike and you have to make that Boston, New York choice, or Worcester and Springfield choice, and you almost make the wrong one, while she was driving with someone, and it said New York, Boston.

Well, they were going home, we don't live in New York. And this person almost took the New York exit, or entrance, onto the, and you know sometimes if you do that, it's like, it can be a 6 to 10 mile one way, and then double that turnaround.

And Deb says, out loud, because she knew this person, what were you thinking? Well, this morning, that title for this message this evening, What Were You Thinking, came to my mind, because one, we just have to have a title, so I need to give it one.

And I would like to take a look this evening at some of the examples of the disciples' lives in the Gospels, and consider how it is that the Lord dealt with them. I asked Bernard to read Psalm 103, and he graciously did that, and I was thinking of just so many different verses in there, but particularly verse 13, where it says, just as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear him.

And as Christians, if we would be honest with ourselves, we must really wonder at times why the Lord really bothers with us at all. I mean, when we think of the way that we think, in our actions, we are so weak, and we fail so often, and our sins beset us, and we are prone to wander, as Robinson wrote in his hymn, he was prone to wander.

And we wander in our hearts, in our minds, in our ways, and sometimes we trust in ourselves and in others, instead of trusting in the Lord. Sometimes we are unstable, running here and there, and it seems like there's no foundation in our lives.

We don't really know why we're doing what we're doing. And when we should be quietly resting in the Lord, we grow cold at times, we're hot at times, we're indifferent at times, maybe our hearts are not stirred toward the things of heaven and the things of God as they once were, or maybe we're just not in the place where we ought to be.

Our hearts can be dull, our ministry is ineffective, our prayers need to be prayed for, our preaching should be preached at, and we need to repent of our repentance. And what do we do? And I'd like to, this evening, commend you, as Paul did to the elders in Acts chapter 20, when he was parting from them, he commended them to God and to the word of God's grace, which was able to build them up.

And as we look at the word of God tonight, I trust that it will build us up, and it will encourage us, and it will help us as we, more than anything, look at the God who is our Savior, and how it is that He treats His children.

And always keep in mind that verse 13 of Psalm 103, as the Father pities or has compassion upon His children, so the Lord pities them that fear Him. And that word fear in there has the whole idea of that is, that's just an Old Testament term for someone who has saving faith, someone who is a believer, someone who would be called a Christian.

God has compassion upon believers. And I hope that we will be more than encouraged as we look at how the Lord dealt with the disciples. Again, Psalm 103 and verse 13, if there is one word that could sum up the manner in which God deals with His people, it is that word pity.

It is that word compassion for His children. And God treats His weak and feeble and sinful children with a tender compassion and with pity. And aren't you glad that the word of God tells us so? He doesn't treat us, as it says in there.

He doesn't, He's not always angry with us, as it says in verse 9. He doesn't always chide. He doesn't always strive. He doesn't always contend with us. Or He's not, in the end of verse 9, He's not always angry with us forever.

He has every right to be at times. Especially when He has called us to Himself. Especially when we own the name of Christ. Especially when we say we believe the word of God. We read the word of God and we trust in the word of God and we are resolved to obey God.

But sometimes it comes right down to it, what are we thinking? What are we thinking when we make that decision? What are we thinking when we grasp on to that secret sin? What is it that is going through our minds when the Lord would have us to act one way and we go in just the opposite?

Or the Lord would have us follow in His footsteps and we seem so reluctant to do so. What are we thinking? Looking at our lives and how we misbehave and doubt the promises of God. And I'm not talking, the subject was brought up in Sunday school this morning, I'm not talking about sinless perfection because that's just not possible.

We're only perfect in Christ. We have the perfect righteousness of Christ. The righteousness which is of God by faith through the finished work of Christ. But there is something about a progressive sanctification.

We read that, we see that in the pages of the New Testament. That we ought to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. Someone was recently talking to me and I believe that many of the struggles that they're having in their Christian walk is because they are wired in such a way that they always need to get an A plus in everything.

And because they're not getting an A plus when it comes to any, all the areas of their Christian walk, they think they have to hit the mark every single time and now that's the goal. And that's what we ought to desire.

But many times it's just not possible based upon whether we're young children or we're young men and ladies in the Lord or we're the aged men and women in the Lord. But there's a maturity that comes. But it ought to be our goal and our desire to hit the mark, to walk in the ways of the Lord more perfectly.

But we don't always do that, do we? Sometimes when we go astray, sometimes, I mean, we're so thankful as we heard again this morning, as was taught that out of the book of 1 John, which Brother Telak brought to us, it's a great mercy of the Lord that we can confess our sins and he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

He doesn't deal with us, Psalm 103, and doesn't punish us according to our iniquities. He doesn't, the anger doesn't stay forever and we're so grateful for that. Thank God for his tender mercies and his tender pities.

The Compassion of God in Psalm 103 and the Need for Progressive Sanctification

Now again, this evening, I'd like to look at the wonderful pity of our Lord and if you would turn with me to Luke chapter 24, that's where we begin. In Luke chapter 24, and in each one of these instances, we are going to see the dialogue.

We're going to see between the Lord and his disciples or between believers and the Lord and we're going to see some actions, some behavior, and then we're going to come right down and we're going to see the pity of the Lord.

We're going to see the compassion of our God and we're hopefully going to be able to plug ourselves right into those circumstances, right into these texts and say, yes, I've thought that way. Yes, I've gone astray in my thinking, in my decision making.

Yes, I have known what God would have me to do and I would not do it. I did not do it or I failed in doing it as I ought to have and yet look at how the Lord dealt with these disciples, these believers, and the Lord does the same for me and for his people, his children today and for the church of the living God.

In Luke chapter 24, you remember this is after the death and the burial of our Lord Jesus. We have two that are beginning in verse 13, two of them went the same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about three score four longs.

They're walking towards Emmaus. These two had heard the scriptures. They were well aware of the life and the ministry and of course the death of Jesus because when Jesus draws near in verse 15 and he goes and he walks with them, their eyes were prevented.

They didn't understand it was him and Jesus asked the question in verse 17, what manner of words or communication are these that you have one to another as you walk and are sad? One of them whose name was Cleopas, verse 18, answering said to him, aren't thou only a stranger in Jerusalem and has not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

And he said unto them, what things? And they said unto him concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty indeed in word before God and all the people and all the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified him.

But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. Beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done and on with the account of what took place after the death and the burial of Jesus Christ.

Now they had known of Christ. They had heard of him. They were in Jerusalem, no doubt connected with the believers that were there. But after it seems like their ideas of who the Messiah would be and what he would come to do, and remember, many of them thought that he would come in and set up a kingdom and deliver them from the Romans and he'd be a great redeemer and a great deliverer.

But he was crucified to the cross and he was buried. And there they are walking to Emmaus, walking away from the center of it all, so to speak. When they hear Jesus asking this question and they don't understand what does Jesus say to them in verse 25, O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory. What I want to point out here in this is, is that Jesus didn't come alongside, ask this question and say, you don't understand?

You don't get it? You're no longer my disciples. No, he didn't do that. He uses these words here and in many of these instances tonight, you'll see that there is a, there is a rebuke, but you'll also see that behind it all, there is a compassion.

There is a, there is a pity. There is a, there is a mercy and look what the Lord does. He as he's talking to them, he doesn't walk away from them. He doesn't turn away in disgust. He doesn't say, forget these guys.

I don't want to be around these quitters who've left Jerusalem and now they're on their way to Emmaus. No, he begins with Moses in verse 27. He goes to the scriptures and to the prophets and he expounds unto them the scriptures, the things concerning himself.

He teaches them. He instructs them further. And isn't it just the mercy of the Lord when we don't understand, when we don't get it, when we, when we are so perplexed and we were just going in the opposite direction and maybe it, it looks like to, to other people on the outside that we're just quitting.

We're just throwing in the towel. That's it. I don't understand it. I'm getting away from this, that the Lord, we pick up the word of God and the Holy Spirit brings the word of God to us and our hearts as you, you know what happened in this instance as they, as they go on, there are, I mean, if I think about ourselves, I think about what, um, what we have done.

There are times true for us too, when we are so faithful, faithless, and when we are so unbelieving, we have lapses of doubt that hinder us. We sometimes don't believe the promises of the, the word of God, but aren't you thankful that just as a father pities his children.

So the Lord pities those that fear him. And doesn't he do that? We are so slow of heart to believe at times, the Holy Spirit then comes as we open up the word of God and assures us over and over again that the word of God is true and God is true and every man is a liar and what God has promised.

He says in his word, he will do. And when we are wandering and don't understand what's going on, God's word comes alive to us and our hearts have burned within us as he speaks to us. By the way, as the spirit of God brings the word of God, isn't that what happened to them as when Jesus was talking to them, they didn't know it was the Lord.

And they go back into the, they, it draws nighttime and they go to the village and they, and they press Jesus to stay with them and he, with them and he does. And he breaks bread with them. And then at that point, their eyes are open and they understand that it's the Lord.

And in verse 32, it's, they said one to another, did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us, by the way, it wasn't that he came out burning and blasting and saying, you, you quitters, you slow of heart, I'm, I'm through with you.

No, the Lord instructs them over and over and over again. And that's what happens in our lives also. Isn't it just the mercy of the Lord? Isn't it just the pity of the Lord? And the result here is that after the Lord speaks to them and corrects them and gets them to where they understand what it is that he was all about and what it meant for him to come and what his work really was all about.

According to the scriptures, it says, this is the result of it. Verse 33, they rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the 11 gathered together and them that were with them. They went back to Jerusalem, back where it all, where it had all started from, where they, where they had come from after the word of God had come alive to them.

And to me, I like this phrase, they got back on the saddle. And sometimes we're knocked out of the saddle, sometimes the the wind is knocked out of our sails, so to speak, as we're we're walking, we're striving along and we just don't understand and we just don't get it.

And yet the Lord so mercifully and with tenderness and with great compassion comes alongside us through the ministry of the spirit of God and opens up the word of God to us and everything is well with our soul once again.

So we see in this first account here that sometimes we are slow of heart as the disciples are. We just don't understand it. And yet the Lord doesn't leave us there. The Lord is gracious to teach us and to bring us back in the way.

But slow of understanding would would I mean, if that was it, if that was if that was all the issues were in the in the Gospels, that would be OK. But. There were other problems. They went a little bit further.

If you would turn with me in Luke chapter nine, I'm going to try to stay in the book of Luke as much as I can, but in Luke chapter nine. I think I have to go out of the book for just one of the text, if I have enough time, Luke chapter nine.

There is an instance in this chapter when a man. Brings his son, who's possessed by a demon in the in the disciples, can't deliver the son in the situation that he's in. And so Jesus comes. And after that instance, if you'll notice in verse forty three.

After the demon was the man was the son was released from the from the evil spirit, it says in verse forty three, and they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. While they wondered, everyone at all things, what Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, let these sayings sink down into your ears.

Now, he's instructing them, teaching them. Let these sayings sink down into your ears, for the son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. What does that mean? Let me tell me, what does that mean at the end of that verse?

The son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. What is this foretelling of his crucifixion, of his of the the unjust treatment that he's going to take and, of course, his death upon the cross, the Lord tells of his coming sufferings and they don't understand it in verse forty five, but they understood not this saying and it was hid from them that they perceived it not and they feared to ask him of the same.

Now, you're in a situation, even if it's hid from you, even if you don't if you don't get it, the Lord has has spoken. You're the disciples. And he's telling this thing about being delivered into the hands of men, and I don't get it and they're afraid to ask him.

Do you think? It's appropriate what happens in verse forty six, notice in verse forty six, then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be the greatest. And again, the question comes, doesn't it?

What were they thinking? What were they thinking? They begin to exalt themselves. You get the picture. Jesus has just told them that he's going to suffer at the hands of men. If you go back to the account of Mark in Mark, chapter nine, verse thirty two, it says he's at the same point, the same place he's going to suffer at the hands of men and be killed.

Those are the words that that Mark used. And you'd think that these men would have listened and cared about the master's needs and been really serious, but no, they're selfish and ambitious and looking out for number one, they begin to argue about who's going to be the big shot among them.

And of course, that will devastate any life. It'll devastate any marriage. It'll devastate any family or or any church or family relationship. They should have been thinking about what Jesus said. And what does the Lord do in response?

Does he tear them apart? Is he angry? No, in verse forty seven and in verse forty eight, Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child and set him by him and he said unto them, whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me.

And whosoever shall receive me, receiveth him that sent me for he that is least among you all the same shall be great. Jesus gives them an object lesson. He's, of course, dealing with this problem, this sin of pride that has surfaced.

He was foretelling of his suffering of his cross, and they're only interested in who is going to be the best, who is going to be the king of the hill, who knows the most, who's the strongest, who's got the most theological degrees, who's going to be first in line, who's going to have the biggest church, who's going to be able to preach the best.

And we shake our heads when we read that and ask, what could they have been thinking? But wait a minute. How many times do we compare ourselves with others, maybe at an inappropriate time? How many times do we think, well, am I better off than so and so, or maybe you go this way, maybe I'm not as bad off as somebody else, or I'm stronger in the Lord than, oh, if I could if I could teach that lesson, I know I could do a whole lot better than than that person or my ministry is more important than somebody else.

And it's always dangerous, isn't it, brethren? For any Christian to compare ourselves with another Christian. When we should be examining our lives and our experiences and our ministry in our church, according to God's holy word and following Christ's examples, example, we should take heed to the Apostle Paul's word in first Corinthians 10, verse 12, where he said, wherefore, let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

What is the Lord's response? Again, he tells of his suffering. They don't understand it, they're afraid to ask. And afraid to ask about what that meant, but they're not afraid to reveal the foolish pride that is in their heart by saying who's disputing about who's going to be the greatest.

And he could have blasted them out of the water, but with tender mercy, he teaches them what is really important. He teaches them what he is all about, what the father has sent him for Philippians chapter two, he humbled himself and he took on human flesh.

And ultimately we know that that was done out of love and out of mercy so that we could be redeemed. And he, and he does that all throughout his ministry. He teaches, this is not the only time. And we're going to look at one other one that the disciples had this problem that it rose in their hearts and minds.

He gives them an object lesson in humility and he teaches them that who is going to be the, the greatest, it's the one who is the least of all. That one will be the greatest. And our Lord tells them that true greatness is for those who show true humility.

And it's so important, isn't it? To think before we speak. I looked at a verse this morning that I had, uh, this evening that I remembered out of Proverbs 29 and it basically, there's, there's many Proverbs.

There's about four or five of them that I can remember, but basically it talks about if you have an unstrained mouth, if you open your mouth and words just flow, uh, it's a disaster or it's a formula for sin.

Proverbs chapter 10 speaks of that. He, that, um, you know, if you open your mouth, uh, you will not lack when it comes to the, in the area of sin, but Proverbs 29 verse 11 says a fool utters all his mind.

And that just kind of fit tonight with what are you thinking? A fool utters all their mind, but it says a wise man holds it in. A wise person, even it even says in the Proverbs that even a fool is considered okay if they, if they close their mouth.

And here we have with the disciples. And I think really many times with ourselves, we're not thinking about what we're saying, we're not looking at the context that we're in and we open mouth and insert foot, don't we?

We, we, we are just not thinking about the seriousness of the situation. I mean, it's inappropriate. Wouldn't it be if we're, if we're at the Lord's table, I believe if, if, you know, we may be at times, maybe we ought to, you know, dim the lights a little bit.

It's a, it's a sober time. It's a time to reflect upon what the Lord has done on our behalf. I don't think at the Lord's table, it wouldn't be appropriate for us at that time, knowing what I know now, because, because of our church and then the relationship that we have for us to open up to two 39 and start singing, you know, Jesus is coming again, right?

It's inappropriate. It just doesn't fit. And this didn't fit the disciples action here, their behavior. It just doesn't fit because the Lord is talking about something serious and they just, just, just don't get it.

And I believe it's important for us to think before we speak, to think before we speak. And we, we understand through all of this, that God's ways in this, in this situation here, that God's ways are not our ways and that the way up truly is the way down.

Peter wrote it this way, Peter, who had, who had no doubt been here and, and been in the ministry of the Lord and, and heard over again and seen over again, we're going to, we're going to see even later a particular instance, even in Peter, in Peter's life, Peter got this.

And later on, he writes in first Peter chapter five, I believe it's in verse six. He says, humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may lift you up. You see, our hand is not supposed to be on the pulley rope for us to be exalt, exalted and pull and pulled up.

If we're to be exalted, if we're to be lifted up, if, if God is to, if we're to find favor in the eyes of the Lord, it'll be God doing it and not ourselves. And the disciples seem to have all this contention.

And I can't say that I fully, completely understand it. I do think that it has something to do with the old Testament scriptures. It has something to do with thrones and, and authority and dominion and, and, and what they heard, what he was teaching.

And Jesus did teach them about sitting upon thrones, but it's a little bit premature here and it's out of place. And what were they thinking? And sometimes in our own lives, it's a bit premature to think, uh, the way that we do.

And it's so out of place to think the way that we are. Maybe it's, maybe it's too light when the situation is grave. And maybe it is that, that someone is telling you, someone is telling you something very serious about what the Lord is doing in their life.

And you're not smiling about it. You got to enter into it and weep when people weep. And of course, rejoice when people rejoice, there is to, there is to be a balance, but this was the second situation.

Pride, Ambition, and the Call to Humility

Now, another that the Lord had to deal with in their lives. And it's also in, it's in Luke chapter nine, uh, after right after this, Jesus is heading towards Jerusalem, his ministry is coming to a close and we see in verse 51, it came to pass, uh, Luke nine verse 51, it came to pass when the time was come that he should be received up.

He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem and he sent messengers before his face and they went and entered into the village of the Samaritans. We know about the Samaritans. We just heard about them last, last weekend.

And we have before they entered into this village to make ready for the Lord. And they did not receive him because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem and notice what happens in verse 54. And when his disciples, James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them even as Elijah did, he's heading towards Jerusalem.

His ministry is coming to a close and they don't understand what Jesus is really all about even yet at this point, because notice how the Lord answers them. He turns and rebukes them. And he says in verse 55, you know, not what manner of spirit, or you do not know what type of spirit you are off.

They just, they just didn't get, I mean, this is mean, this is a harsh spirit against their neighbor. And you say, what were they thinking? And sometimes what are we thinking when it comes to our neighbor?

And I'll touch on that a little bit as I, as I go on with this point, what were they thinking? Um, I'll give you the Dave Jeffrey's take on this. This is how they were thinking. Lord, they've rejected you.

They're a bunch of no good sinners. Lord, do you want us to call down fire out of heaven? Lord, let's burn them up just like Elijah did Lord. They don't believe in you. So let's just wipe them off the face of the earth.

My, my, this is, this is pretty mean, isn't it? This came from a proud heart. This comes from an unloving heart because we know that we are to love our neighbor as ourself. And even these Samaritans in this village were these disciples neighbors and they just didn't get it.

Samaritans, half breeds, dogs, who cares anyways is probably their thought. And you know, really, isn't it? Sometimes our prejudices can blind our hearts to where we don't exercise proper judgment. We just don't treat people the way that we should.

We, and our hearts can be hardened to where we just don't show the love that we should. And sometimes I think you might know what I'm talking about. I mean, even coming to a church service, it's, it's easy to come in and to sit down beside certain people, right?

And then there's some people that it might be a little bit more difficult to sit down beside. And then there might be some people that you might say, I'm not just not going to sit there. I'm just not going to talk.

I'm not going to enter into it. And that's the thing that I'm talking about. I mean, we look at the disciples and we say, how could they do this? Or maybe we think about in the Taliban, Al Qaeda, the Iranians, Muslims, our neighbor, that, that guy on the street that just, we have a funny story.

We've got to know our neighbors. And we bought one of those big steel leaf blowers, you know, the power blower, backpack, huge tube on it, big old hole. I mean, if you stand in front of that thing, it'll blow your hair back.

And we give it to Caleb and he goes out and he blows the leaves. We don't have to rake the leaves. And we've got a lot, tons of leaves. And the his M .O. was go out the front and blow it up on the street and across into the cow field across the way.

But sometimes it wouldn't go up and over the stone wall. So it would blow down and blow it in the neighbor's yard. And before we knew them and we just we heard the repeat of this last night because we had them over, the husband in the house would get up and he'd look out the window and is that kid again blowing their leaves in our yard?

Because he knew that those leaves were to come into into our yard. And I don't know why I use that illustration other than the fact that it has to do with our neighbor. Maybe you've got a neighbor that has really just sandpaper, has really just a thorn and maybe there's somebody at work, you know, they're out to get you.

I had a guy I remember in San Antonio, Texas, there was a manager in the I .T. department. He ate nails for breakfast. I am sure of it. He never had a good thing to say. He was so pessimistic. I mean, nothing, nothing.

I mean, oh, woe is me. I mean, that was the whole story of his life. And I remember reading a story once about I can't remember the author of it, but the title of it was to kill people with kindness. People who are like that kill them with kindness.

So just be nice. And I just I worked there for three years, I believe it was. And I did everything I could to kill him with kindness. I don't I don't think it happened. But, you know, near the end of it, I did see him smile.

At least he smiled. Is there somebody at work that is just, you know, they're out there gunning for you. And you're you, it's just let that fire come down, just, you know, they deserve it. I mean, they are they have rejected Christ, they're out of the way, they don't care.

It's not my fault. Let them go on to judgment. They deserve it anyways. Is there somebody that you've written off of this, somebody that you've given up hope on? We ought not to get cynical because there is hope for that person.

There was hope for us, wasn't there? That's the whole thing. There go Ivor, by the grace of God. You look back and you probably could think there are some people that you wish you could talk to and just get something right, because then maybe that person isn't around anymore.

Maybe that person isn't alive because you were a thorn in their side and God redeemed you. God loved you and sent his son to snatch you out of the grave, out of the pit. From spiritual darkness to light, and now you are one of the Lord's children, and as he's been merciful to you, I mean, they're just acting according to their nature, right?

We have to understand that lost people are acting according to their nature and they can't do anything else but that. I mean, you've heard me tell the story, but we have a we have a four legged creature at our home who was a corgi and that dog is is bred to run and to breed, you know, into herd.

That's I mean, she's wired for that. And she doesn't do anything else but that. I went over to the to Pastor Mike's house and he told us the story of Jetty, the little dog who is just a wonder when it comes to jumping.

And this dog was just a he got something rigged up to to get this dog. He doesn't you don't need one of those squirrel cages. He just put something up in the tree and that dog was trying to get it out of the tree and just kept going around and around for two and three hours wearing the bark off the tree.

The dog is bred that way. And that's the way I mean, that's so true. And lost people abound by their nature, their sinful nature, and that's how they're going to act. And we can't expect them to act the way that we are going.

We act based upon the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And so we need to have compassion and pity, not this burn them up. Lord, I mean, God can do the impossible, can't he? He can save the cry of our heart ought to be the cry of the prophet Jeremiah.

All that my head were waters in mine eyes, a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people. And as the Apostle Paul said in Romans 10, one brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for these people who have these Israelites who have have persecuted me, these who are chasing me down, these these who just don't understand and they're blind.