Last updated on October 24, 2024
Today’s reflection centers on a story that I love. It’s from John 9. It’s a very long and drawn out story. It seems that this story takes place while Jesus is in Jerusalem for Sukkot (the Festival of Tabernacles). As he was walking on the road, he looked over and saw a man who had been blind since birth.
His disciples ask if this man is blind because of his sin or his parents’. Let me pause here. In a recent sermon my pastor said that one of our biggest problems in life is our lack of imagination. When we lack imagination we’re left with one or two options, which normally does not cut it. We see this in the previous chapter as well. The Pharisees don’t understand what Jesus is saying, so they say that he must be either a Samaritan or demon possessed. C’mon, let’s get a little more creative than that!
To Jesus this man’s plight was not an opportunity for debate. It was an opportunity to see God at work. So he went to the man, spit on the ground, made some mud with the spit, and put it on the man’s eyes. Then he told the man to go wash in the Pool of Siloam.
Pause again. What would have happened if the man had thought that was crazy and said no thanks?
Thankfully he didn’t do that. Instead, he did as Jesus instructed, and as soon as he did it, he could see!
This could be the end of the story, but John lets us in on what happened next to this man.
He went home, now able to see. His neighbors, who saw him everyday, were at odds on whether this was the same guy. Some said he was. Others said he only looked like their neighbor. Again, they lacked imagination.
He said to his neighbors, “It’s really me, your neighbor.” The obvious follow-up question from the neighbors was, “Then how are you no longer blind?”
His response: “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He then told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” I love how very “matter of fact” his response to them is.
The neighbors weren’t sure about all of this, so they told the man that he needed to come with them to see the Pharisees. Because there was another problem. It was once again the Sabbath when Jesus performed this healing.
Here was the problem for the Pharisees: a person who breaks the law (in this case, by not observing the Sabbath) can’t be of God and therefore can’t do the works of God.
So they ask the man. Then they summon the man’s parent’s and ask them. Then they ask the man yet again. At this point, being that they still lack imagination, their only logical conclusion was that this man must have only appeared to be blind. He must be lying!
They say to him, “Give glory to God by telling the truth. We know this man (Jesus) is a sinner.”
I love his response: “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.”
The conversation goes on a bit longer, and by this point the Pharisees are angry with the man. Before kicking him out they say, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!”
Later that day Jesus heard what all had happened to the man, so he went to find him. He said to the man, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man replied, “Who is he? Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus’ response (my paraphrase): “You’re looking at him.”
The man said to Jesus, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
What a day. A day that started just like every other day in this man’s life: sitting alone, begging. And then Jesus entered the picture. He gave him something that he never thought he would have. He gave him his sight. The world was open and alive in ways it had never been before. And then to have such a sucky encounter with the religious leaders had to be confusing, since he no doubt believed that Jesus was on the same team as the religious leaders. Yet Jesus was different, and he got to experience that himself!
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