Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
This verse comes from a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees — a powerful group of religious leaders in first-century Judaism known for their meticulous observance of religious law and tradition. They had challenged Jesus about why his disciples did not follow their ceremonial hand-washing rituals. Jesus responded by calling them hypocrites and quoting the prophet Isaiah against them. When his disciples warned him that he had offended the Pharisees, Jesus said: leave them alone. His reasoning is delivered as a simple, almost brutal image — a blind man following another blind man, both walking confidently toward a pit they cannot see. Jesus is not just criticizing these leaders; he is warning his followers about the very real danger of following someone who does not actually know the way.
Lord, make me discerning about who I follow — and honest enough to ask whether I can actually see the road ahead of me. Guard me from confident voices that don't truly know the way. And where others look to me for guidance, make me someone who points clearly, humbly, and always back to you. Amen.
Jesus doesn't soften this at all. He doesn't say 'give them the benefit of the doubt' or 'maybe their hearts are in the right place.' He says: leave them. They're blind. And then he paints a picture so plain it almost feels unkind — two people walking, one following the other, and a pit at the end of the road that neither of them can see coming. There's a reason Jesus reaches for such a blunt image. He knows that religious confidence is one of the most convincing things in the world. A person can sound like they know exactly where they're going and be completely lost. This verse asks you to take seriously the question of who is guiding you — and whether they can actually see. Not everyone with a title, a platform, a polished answer, or a long track record is someone worth following. That's true in church, but it's just as true in the broader voices you let shape your thinking: the teachers, the influencers, the advisors, the accounts you scroll through daily. Where are they actually leading you? And then there's the harder question on the other side of the mirror: in whose life are you a guide? Are you someone worth following?
Who were the Pharisees, and why do you think Jesus was so direct — even blunt — in his assessment of them rather than engaging them more gently or trying to correct them?
Who are the guides in your life that you most trust right now — and what specifically makes them trustworthy? What criteria do you use, consciously or not?
Is it possible to be spiritually blind and not know it? What might that actually look like in someone's life — or in a religious community — from the outside?
How does this warning about blind guides affect the way you think about your own responsibility to the people in your life who might be watching how you live and following your example?
Is there a voice or influence in your life that you've been following but should step back from? What would taking that step look like in practice?
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Hosea 4:6
For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
Isaiah 9:16
And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
Luke 6:39
He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
John 12:40
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Revelation 22:11
Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Matthew 23:24
Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:1
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Romans 1:24
Leave them alone; they are blind guides[leading blind followers]. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
AMP
Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
ESV
'Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.'
NASB
Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
NIV
Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
NKJV
so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”
NLT
Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch."
MSG