Partway through the video, a woman in a gorilla suit walks right through the middle of the action.
After viewing the video, 58% of the observers failed to notice the gorilla. In a similar video shown to a different set of observers, the gorilla stops in between the basketball players, looks at the camera, pounds her chest, and walks off. Again, 50% the observers miss the gorilla. After being told about the gorilla and after seeing the video again, the observers typically responded with “I missed that?!”
Seems crazy, right? But how often have we turned the house upside down looking for keys clearly visible on the kitchen counter? Or searched for someone in a crowd and missed them, even after looking right at them as they waved at us? Just because our eyes are open, does not mean we are paying attention. Just as the observers in the Harvard experiment diligently counted passes yet overlooked a gorilla in their midst, we all neglect the seemingly obvious when we are preoccupied. If that preoccupation constantly focuses on our needs, our wants and our desires, we ignore important situations or people passing right through our midst.
In the final judgment described in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus divides the righteous from the cursed. The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned passed in front of both sets of people during their lifetimes, but apparently the cursed failed to notice. Their response of “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?” (v. 44) sounds a lot like “I missed that?!” To avoid the fate of the cursed, who is right in front of us that needs our help and attention? Look closely, since they are probably not wearing a gorilla suit to get noticed.
