Dim Eyes That Can’t See

I learnt the song ‘The Quartermaster’s Store’ as a boy at camp where ‘quartermaster’ was responsible for supplies…. We sung about ‘rats as big as alley cats’ and ‘cake that gives you belly-ache’. We made up our own verses – sometimes about each other… ‘Pete, with ‘normous smelly feet…’

It’s an old song – sung in Victorian music halls, by soldiers in the First World War. I learnt rude verses when I played rugby; I’ve sung fun versions with children. The chorus is always: ‘My eyes are dim, I cannot see, I have not brought my specs with me…’

With our French family last week we discussed ‘Grandad Jokes’. Either so obscure that they can’t be understood, or so bad that they’re an embarrassment they must never be laughed at!. Having dim eyes that can’t see Grandad Jokes is good!

We also discussed dim eyes when understanding cricket. I enjoy this explanation:

‘Two older men in white coats walk together to the centre of a large green field, each carrying three long sticks and two little ones.

Each man plants his three sticks in the ground twenty-two yards apart and puts the little sticks on the top. They turn around and look towards twenty-two younger men waiting at the edge of the field – and then it starts to rain.’

Last week at church we remembered Mary Magdalene meeting the Jesus in the garden; yesterday it was the two disciples walking with Jesus to Emmaus… dim eyes that couldn’t see… that then recognised Jesus.

Minister-Lou mentioned Caravaggio’s picture ‘The Supper at Emmaus’ that’s in the National Gallery. It shows the disciples whose ‘eyes were opened’. I checked it out.

At first glance it’s as I expected. Jesus, bread, wine, disciples… I look more closely… The disciple on the right has his arms stretched out, like Jesus on the cross… The wicker fruit basket is frayed – the wicker forms a fish – the ancient symbol, acronym for ‘Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Saviour’.

Caravaggio’s eyes weren’t dim…