New Thoughts (09/05/09-09/10/09)
As I read the statement Jesus makes regarding this man, I am conscious of the fact that the manuscripts from which we have obtained our Gospels would not have had any punctuation to indicate where sentences begin or end. As such, I find myself asking whether, perhaps, we have misplaced the punctuation in what Jesus says here. Consider the difference in meaning between these two ways of reading what He has said. Typically, the translations follow along the lines of what the NASB provides (removing those words inserted for readability: “Neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but in order that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day;”
However, what a difference if we retain the same wording, but adjust the punctuation along these lines: “Neither that this man sinned, nor his parents. But in order that the works of God might be displayed in him, we must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day;”
In its typical form, we are led to conclude that Jesus is not only clearing the man and his parents of complicity in his malady, but also assigning cause. In the alternate form, no reason is explicitly given to replace the false suppositions of the disciples. They are merely informed that they are not thinking rightly. With that, He turns their focus away from why things are as they are and onto what God is doing. This utterly changes the way we view the whole event that is played out here.
It’s going to effect how we might suppose that blind man reacted to what he heard. If he heard things said as the translations generally give it, then I would see a strong likelihood of resentment at the abuse. If he heard it said as I am proposing, then there is only the relief from guilt. It may be getting ahead of myself, but it would certainly make the man’s reactions more understandable if he heard things the way I am suggesting.
Continuing to look at what Jesus says here, we come to a discussion of light and dark, day and night. These are common themes in the Gospel of John. Looking back through the preceding chapters, the connection to the previous, “I AM the Light” proclamation is obvious. Of course, while the flow of the Gospel puts these two events so near each other, there has actually been a day or two in between. That is hardly long enough that the previous message would have been gone from the minds of His disciples, so it is quite likely that they would recognize the connection when Jesus speaks here, saying, “I am the light of the world while I am in it.”
It is also likely that they felt a touch of nervousness at that statement. “While I am in it?” Remember that these are devoted students listening to a teacher that they are quite certain is not only the expected Messiah, but the very Son of God. They hang on His words. They may not always understand what He means, but they aren’t likely to miss what He says, nor to let it pass lightly. So, hearing this phrase, surely they would at least wonder at what it might imply. Is He saying that there will be a time when He isn’t in the world?
If I limit this to consideration of His physical presence in the world during the period of His Incarnation, then, sure, I recognize that this was but for a time. Even those with Him would understand that life is fleeting as we measure it on this earth. Of course, like any other man, He will die at some point. But, then, He’s the Son of God. Doesn’t that change the rules a bit? Well, if they thought it did, perhaps this was a way of letting them know that it wouldn’t be changing this particular rule. As we shall see, that is a point Jesus starts to make more and more often as the time of His victory draws nearer. So, if that were all we were looking at, there would be little more to say about it.
However, when I combine that thought of His temporary presence with the dependent clause here, I find cause for concern myself. While I am here, I am the light. There’s something of an implied, “but only while I am here.” There’s that nagging implication that the time comes when He won’t be here, and as I have noted, what is only implied here is stated plainly elsewhere. Night is coming. Night being the absence of light, and He being the light, this could be understood as saying that the time of His not being in the world is coming. It almost has to be heard that way.
When I combine what He has said on this occasion with other things that are said about light and dark, day and night, what picture emerges? Here, we are told, “work while it is day, for night is coming when no man can work. While I am here, I am the light.” Then later, “The light is among you a bit longer, so walk while the light remains, lest the darkness overtake you. You can’t even tell where you’re going if you walk in darkness” (Jn 12:35). But, then Paul tells the Romans, “The night is almost gone, and day is near. Therefore, stop doing the sorts of deeds that one hides in the darkness and put on the armor of light” (Ro 13:12). Follow upon that with an earlier point Jesus made back near the start of His ministry. “You are the light of the world. You are like a city built on a hilltop. You cannot be hidden” (Mt 5:14).
Well, now this gives me an interesting perspective on things, doesn’t it? The day, representing that time when Jesus was Incarnate upon the earth, is drawing to a close, and will be followed by the night during which He is not present. Yet, like physical night, that is not the end. Day dawns again, and Paul tells the Romans that the dawning of that new day is near. If I were to hear that as addressing the persecutions that plagued the early church, it would be as though he called them to perseverance, the trial being almost over. But, his follow on makes plain that he looks at something greater. Indeed, I dare say that the night he thought would soon be over is the same night we find ourselves in, and the day for which he waited is that same day we long for: the day of the Lord’s return. For, how can we think to have day in its fullness apart from the Sun of Righteousness?
But, while this night continues, the message of our Christ remains: “You are the light of the world.” It’s dark now, yes, but that will only make your light more obvious. You will stand out in this darkness like a city built on a hilltop. And isn’t it interesting that He says, “You cannot be hidden!” It’s no longer a command not to hide yourselves from those who are still in darkness. It’s a statement of the impossibility of doing so. You cannot. That city on the hilltop could not hide itself from they eyes of its enemies if it wanted to. Neither can you hide your status as a child of God from those who count such children as a threat.
In the days of their persecution, the believers around Rome took to hiding away in the catacombs beneath the city, hoping to avoid those who sought the death of the Christian sect. But, it didn’t work out. “You cannot be hidden.” Around the world today, there are plenty of places where identification with Christ remains a death sentence, or at least a permit for others to heap such abuse upon you as to make death seem a pleasant alternative. The Church in such places may go underground, yet, it cannot be hidden. Its influence will be felt, however greatly it is opposed.
Such churches, I should note, have no particular dependence upon signs and wonders to spread the Truth of the Gospel. Honestly, it is the very nature of those who have been saved, those who have been called out of this world and yet left in it as a witness that gives the strongest, most irrefutable proof of the God of heaven. It has ever been thus. From the most ancient of times, the testimony of God’s people is that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church [Tertullian]. The evidence in every age has been that the character of God’s people under persecution has done far more to proclaim the reality of the Gospel’s Truth than any other aspect of the faith.
Let me state it plainly, as this is currently heavy on my mind: Signs and wonders are not the seed. They are not a thing strictly of the past, but they are an unworthy object for our obsession. The Charismatic church must, I suppose, emphasize the mystical, the gifts and the miracles, else it loses much of its distinctiveness. But, where these are raised up as the proof of true faith, where these are held up as somehow being necessary evidences of the real church, I’m afraid we in that branch of the church have a real problem.
Signs and wonders were necessary to establish the validity of the Christ. He Who laid claim to being God had darn well better be able to show some credentials! He who would claim to be spokesman for God when the traditions of the religion that proclaimed God were being so thoroughly shaken had also better have some proof to show. Thus, Moses had cause to be able to demonstrate with power that he was indeed speaking God’s word. Thus, Jesus was clearly validated by the incredible array of miraculous evidences that surrounded His brief ministry. Thus, as well, the Apostles, who spread word of this change in the ancient faith, had very real need for miraculous evidence as to their validity.
However, that was not in itself the foundation upon which the Church grew. It was not so then and it is not so now. If it were only by miracles that the church grew at the outset, then it would have remained a very small affair, for the number of miracles we read of by the hands of the Apostles are relatively few in number. The internet, and satellite communications and such did not exist in their day, that news could spread like wildfire from the least observed of locales.
Yes, there are places on the earth today where the Church is being demonstrated true by miracles. And, yes, there is growth in those places. Yet, the truth remains as Tertullian put it so long ago: It is the blood of the martyrs that makes the church grow. It is under persecution that the Church has ever found itself at its most fruitful. It is when everything is against us that God is shown strongest. It is that faith which has withstood the unthinkable, that character which has remained true even unto death, which gives proof of this God we serve.
Even in the oldest text of the Bible we see this truth play out. Job’s test was all about proving that faith was stronger than blessings. “If You stop pouring out Your blessings on him, he will surely curse You to Your face,” reasoned Lucifer. “When he is afflicted and suffering unending sorrows, he will surely abandon You.” But, it was not so. It was not the blessings of this life that held Job. It was faith in God.
Whether it is the prosperity message, or an overblown emphasis on healing, the Church does itself a disservice when it focuses itself on what God can do for us in this life. This does not preclude Him in any way from doing for us, anyway. This does not place poverty and sickness in some brighter light, pronounce them as somehow more holy than riches and sound health. But, neither is the opposite to be our view. The blessing is not in things, although things may come with the blessing. They may not, as well, yet the blessing remains. The blessing, the greatest miracle apart from which no other sign or wonder is of any worth, is that we have been reconciled with God even though we were His worst enemies at the time! The miracle, if you need a miracle, is that God bothered. What sort of ingrate receives such an inconceivable gift from One who had no cause to consider him at all, and then complains that it’s not good enough? “I saw God and all I got was this lousy eternal life.” What an insult we throw in His face, when we tell Him our redemption wasn’t good enough. If it doesn’t come with healing and riches, we feel cheated. Herein, I suppose, is a second great miracle: that He hasn’t simply wiped us out for our ingratitude.
But, even though we blow it so often, let me reiterate: We are the light that He has left in this world to carry it through the long night. We cannot be hidden. We can make ourselves objects of ridicule. Indeed, we will be objects of ridicule. However, there are two very different causes for that ridicule, and they make all the difference. If we are ridiculed because we hold to the Truth even when all around us hold that this Truth is but foolishness and mythology, then we but suffer with our Master. If, on the other hand, we are ridiculed because of our own hypocrisy, then we have made our members available as tools to the devil, and have been actively working against our Lord even as we profess our faith in Him. In that case, our ridicule is richly deserved. May it serve as rebuke. May we be granted the wisdom to take it as discipline that we may shed that hypocrisy and return to the True faith!
In sum, as it comes to this matter of light and dark: Yes, we are in the long night of His absence. But, like the darkest night, we are assured that the day will come once more. However long the night, the Sun will rise again. Our chronometers may be lost to us. We may not have a clear sense of how long the night has run or how near the dawn, but we know it will come. Paul’s admonition, then, is most timely. If day was near for him, it must surely be closer for us! Put aside whatever dark habits remain. Labor the more diligently to be rid of all the evils of that previous life that still tug at us. Put on the armor of light. Indeed, though you cannot be hidden, make an active effort to be seen! Shine! Polish your character, which is, in the end, the armor of light, the beacon that will make you known.
If He heals your disease, praise God! If He pours out riches upon you, rejoice! But, if He chooses to use you ‘as is’, praise Him as well, and just as loudly. Know how to get by on humble means and how to carry yourself in prosperity. The circumstances aren’t the point. What you do with them, how you respond to them: that’s what matters. Filled or suffering need, God remains the same God, and He remains Good and Faithful. Will you? That’s where character will show. The faith of the Roman church, Paul wrote, was known far and wide. Why? Because they led such a carefree existence as King’s kids? Hardly. Their faith was known far and wide because their faith remained steadfast against all odds. Faith under trial is the faith that moves men to seek this God we serve. It has ever been thus, and it ever shall be.
[08/07/09] Before I move on from this matter of light, there are a few other points to pursue. The first comes of a footnote the NET provides on verse 5. There, it is pointed out that when Jesus speaks of being Light, He is not offering some sort of “metaphysical definition” of Himself. He is not describing some physical aspect of His true nature. What He is describing is “his effect on the world.” In short, they take it as symbolizing that crisis to which the reality of Jesus brings those who encounter Him. As I have often noted, to encounter Jesus is to come to that point of, “choose you this day.” That moment of encounter must be the moment of choice. No delays will be accepted. The gift of salvation has been offered, the reality of Messiah made clear, and now a choice must be made.
Let me say clearly that both experience and contemplation of the Word of God lead me to accept that even this choice is His doing more than my own. And yet, so great is my God that this is still done without violating my own free will. In other words, I choose, and I choose in a very real sense. And yet, it could be said that I had no choice but to choose because of the preparatory work God had already done. I choose Him and His salvation just as I choose to breathe. Do I consciously ponder the wisdom of breathing with each breath? No. Given the involuntary nature of breathing could I really choose otherwise? Well, sure and I could hold my breath for a time. I suppose, were I desperate enough and foolish enough, I could contrive some means of preventing myself from a change of heart on the matter. So, in breathing, yes, there is free choice to continue doing so, and yet it is impossible for all intents and purposes that I should ever choose otherwise.
As with any analogy, this must be an imperfect fit, but it suits me for the moment. God has so chosen that I might choose Him. He having made the choice clear to me: first, that there is some choice and second, the stark difference in outcome to be had in that choice; what other choice could I make? Let’s see: on the one hand lies a certainty of cursing and eternal torment. On the other lies an equal certainty of blessing and eternal joy. No, that’s all right, sir. I’ll take the cursing and torment after all. It’s just not a believable thing!
Now, this might lead us to wonder how it can be that anybody rejects that choice. For, if the crisis only comes to those who accept, then it’s really not a crisis. If there is only one thing to choose, then there’s no choice, right? It seems to me that the crisis must also come to those who are just as certainly going to reject His offer and take upon themselves the curse. Indeed, that is what we see happening with the Pharisees and those they hold sway over as the Gospel story unfolds. They have been presented with the reality of Messiah in undeniable fashion. He has revealed Himself just as manifestly to them as to others. Yet, they choose the camp of death over the camp of life. How can that be?
Perhaps the answer lies in the specifics of revelation. Let me explain. If you speak to me clearly of a choice between torment and blessing, emphasizing that this way lies unending pain, that way unending joy, then the choice that I shall most likely make, barring information that conflicts with what you have just told me, is that of blessing and joy. If, on the other hand, that same choice is presented to me as: this way lies humiliation and loss of prestige but with safety, that way lies power and honor for yourself but at great risk, you have presented me with the same crisis on different terms, and the choice I make may well be different. If my position is of great concern to me, then I may well decide the risk is acceptable if it preserves that power. Indeed, for a certain mindset, that outcome would be just as inevitable. Pretty much any risk would be deemed acceptable to preserve power and prestige.
In fact, in its own way, that same mindset comes upon the sound Christian in slightly different terms. We do not – dare not – allow ourselves to become so caught up in our power and prestige that we would risk all else to preserve it. That way lies death, and well we know it! But, our steadfastness in matters of faith and character is just as strong if not stronger. Indeed, we are encouraged to let these things take on such significance to us that we would gladly face death rather than suffer our character to be false to God, than to suffer our faith to be stripped from us. We are right back to the blood of the martyrs!
This is the crisis. The crisis of the Cross, the crisis of the Christ is that where He is made manifest, the time for choosing has come. Is there a second chance for those who choose wrongly? I’d certainly like to think so. Again, I think my experience, and the experiences of many, would indicate that indeed, there are many chances given to those God is determined to save. But, for good or for ill, there comes the one time after which no further opportunity will be given. For those who have chosen salvation, who have been chosen for salvation, the offer once accepted stands firm, because it stands in the strength of Him who offered. For those who have rejected their final offer, who have not been chosen for salvation, the rejection stands equally firm, for the God whose generosity has been so often snubbed by such a one is equally firm in His justice. Choose your own way often enough, and He will choose to let you have it your way. No worse fate has ever befallen a man.
Returning once again to this matter of light, there is an obvious connection with the subjects of seeing and of blindness. It is there in what Jesus says about night and day. We work in the day because we can see what we’re doing. We can see what we’re doing because in the day there is light. We generally (apart from artificial means) do not work at night because it’s dark and we can’t see to do the job properly. Yes, this has become less true in recent decades, but not necessarily to our betterment. We have lost the natural boundaries of the day, and are more driven because of it. We no longer know when to stop, when to rest, because we have gained some power over the natural cycle, and having done so, we chose the unnatural.
My, but doesn’t that begin to reflect the conviction that Paul brings upon all man in Romans 1:23? Not directly, certainly, but it’s still a choosing of the created over the Creator. I’m not going to pursue that thought at present, but it’s certainly something to ponder.
So, Jesus has spoken of being the light, and how we must work while we can see. This, of course, in the setting of discussion about the reasons for this poor man’s blindness. The connection with restoring his sight, then, becomes obvious. We are talking about light, the Light of the World, and here is one born blind. What happens when this man’s blindness meets the Light? His eyes are opened. Sight is restored. He can see again!
Surely, this is a living metaphor for the common condition of mankind! In matters of faith, in matters that matter, we have all of us been born blind. That’s the common state of spiritual man: blind to everything godly and good. But, comes the rebirth, comes the Healer, and our eyes are opened to Truth once more. We are finally able to perceive the goodness of God, and perceiving Him, our every longing is for Him.
How is it possible that, given such a miraculous healing of the soul, we are still caught up in our concerns over physical healing? May your body prosper even as your soul prospers (3Jn 2). But, it is necessarily in that order. Physical health wrapped about a rotting soul is of no worth. Physical illness wrapped around a soul made whole is but a momentary, light affliction (2Co 4:17), for which the grace of God is more than sufficient (2Co 12:9).
But, where this spiritual healing has transpired, we see! We see the God of glory. We see the grace of this God Who is more than sufficient to bring us through every fiery trial. Seeing His truth, we know His character. We know Him.
Here, I simply want to note a mild play on words that comes about when they ask the ex blind man where this Jesus who healed him is. “I do not know,” he says. As always, I am all but compelled to learn what sort of knowing is in play, and here, we are looking at oida, which is a form of eido, which is the verb “to see.” If we were there, I wonder if we wouldn’t have heard this man chuckling to himself. How would I know where He is? I don’t see Him! Do you?
What is far more critical, and what I suspect this man had already come to understand, is that He knew where this man was, because He did see him. He had seen him from before his birth, knew right where he would be this particular day. He had known all along, and had known that when He told this one to go wash, he would do so. He had known as He created this man that the temporary conditions of his birth would be washed away. He had known that this one would be pleased to be of use to the kingdom, even if it meant this bit of trial in his life. He had known that this man would find joy in having his part in revealing the kingdom of God.
How can I say this? What makes me think he had this much figured out already? Well, it is perhaps reading too much into the sketch of a story that John gives us here, but I do notice that nobody ever told this man Who he was talking to, Who had smeared that mud in his face. He had not cried out as others did, recognizing that this was Messiah walking by. The disciples had not spoken His name, only called Him ‘Rabbi.’ Well, there were any number of rabbis to be found around the temple. How was he to know the specific one they spoke to? And yet, when the asked him how he had regained his sight, he knew who to credit. “The one called Jesus has done this marvelous thing for me.”
Note well that his sight was not restored until after his obedience had been established. Only after he washed in that specific place he had been instructed to do so was his sight restored. Jesus wasn’t there. If He were, then the man could have simply pointed to Him when asked, and said, “He’s right over there, don’t you see Him?” Oh, he may not have known where Jesus was at the moment, but he sure knew Who Jesus is! It wasn’t just his physical eyes that had been opened this day. Indeed, even as John said later, his physical body was prospering even as his soul was prospering. The real miracle here was in the spirit not the body. The body was just along for the ride!
As I noted earlier, the blindness we see in this man can be seen as representative of the blindness of Israel to her God. That they had become blind to His ways and to His real character can be seen in the fact that the disciples even posed such a question. What they ask, after all, is merely reflective of the best understanding of their day. Where there’s a disease, there must be a sin to explain it. God, after all, really isn’t about anything more than the punishing of sin, right? And He’s such a vindictive old cuss. Man! One sin in your past, and you can just never shake free of it. There’s just no appeasing Him. Generations on end! Says so, right there in Exodus. Generations on end, He just keeps that punishment coming. Even though the children aren’t responsible, weren’t the ones that sinned, still He just pours out His wrath on them. Yup. That’s the God I serve.
I know. It sounds a bit foolish when you hear it that way. Yet, people are still holding to this view today! In spite of Job, in spite of Jesus, in spite of God’s own declarations to the contrary, they remain convinced that their troubles are due to some secret sin deep in their past. We have entire movements now hinged on the idea that we need to seek forgiveness for what our forebears did. Might as well pray for the dead, if you ask me. But, there it is. We must have some reason besides ourselves to blame for whatever is going against our preferences today. So, we blame our parents. But, in so doing, we cannot help but malign the character of God. How could He be just to punish us for what we have not done? No! But, He tells us that when He punishes us, it is absolutely for our own sins, and if we are found righteous, by no means shall we suffer for the sins of our parents.
Oh, I can grant that we may have more difficulty finding the path of righteousness given the influence of ungodly parents, but then finding that path really isn’t our doing anyway, is it? The lost sheep is not out looking for the shepherd. The shepherd goes in search of the lost sheep! The father who sees his child going astray, hanging with a bad crowd, is far more inclined to bring change in that child than the child is to change on his own.
But, it is the blindness I want to address right now. This whole preoccupation with generational curses is but one symptom. Attached to it is the continuing perception that disease must have some connection with sin. It could not be for some other cause. Why, He took those stripes to heal us, so it is practically sinful that we are sick in the first place! It’s like rejecting what He has done for us. Yet, here is Jesus wiping away that connection, at least as a foregone conclusion. It’s not about sin. It’s about God. It’s about His kingdom.
See, part of the problem for us is that we are unwilling that this God we serve should in any way be connected with anything that we consider bad. Are there atrocities? Yes, but not by His doing. Those are the work of the devil. Is there sickness? To be sure, but He does not do it, the devil does. Poverty? Same cause. Of course it has nothing to do with our own lifestyles and choices. Nah. Oh, wait. Maybe it does. So, we could accept that God would ordain such stuff as punishment for sin. After all, isn’t that how we deal with our children? They break a rule, we visit the flu on them? They break a lamp, we break an arm? Isn’t that what parenting’s all about? No? Oh, well, maybe that’s not the right way to understand our Father in heaven, then. Yet, how often do we hear folks saying that they must be about to do something really big for the kingdom because all this terrible stuff is befalling them?
What sort of God do they think they serve? Who do they suppose is the greater power here? Is God, then, so weak that He can’t keep this devil from troubling you like that? If He is, then I dare say you’ve picked the wrong being to worship. You’ve joined the losing side, which is pretty foolish of you. But, God isn’t so weak! Again, I need look no further than Job, or the Gospels, or the rest of the history of the Church. Listen, by His own confession, He remains responsible. “Who made man’s mouth? Who makes him dumb or deaf? Who decides whether he shall see or be blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (Ex 4:11) OK, this isn’t really the verse I was looking for, but it’s sufficiently blunt: “Behold, I bring evil on this place,” says the Lord (2Ki 22:16).
Again, in Job, we find that while the devil may be the one through whom these things are brought about, yet, he is only allowed to do what the God of heaven permits him to do. Even though he seeks to kill and destroy, he is only allowed to move as far as God ordains. He may choose freely to do evil, but God chooses righteously how those evil choices are channeled in order that, as Scripture says, all things will be found to work for good as pertains to those who are working in His purpose (Ro 8:28). That includes all the misery that Job went through. That includes the death of his children, the loss of his wealth. Yes, he got those back manifold times later, but do you really suppose that eased the pain of having lost his sons in the first place? Does that somehow make their murder acceptable? No.
Likewise this man who has been dealing with the effects of being born blind, who has had the indignity and the insecurity of having to beg his way through life. For how many years has he lived this existence, listening to people discussing what must lie in his past that he is this way, treated as all but nonexistent. To the people of the city, he is not even a human being. He is just a tool upon which they can exercise their required alms-giving. He has no further impact on them unless it is to excite the sort of speculations the disciples are pursuing.
So, do we really suppose that when he learns that these last twenty years, give or take, had no connection with anything he had done wrong, and no connection with anything his parents had done wrong, that he feels better about it? Really! This is what makes us so edgy that we wander off in error, looking for ways to justify what God has done. We see the thing as an evil, so we are certain in ourselves that it must be a punishment of some sort. Convinced that it is punishment, we are off and looking for the crime. There must be something back there that I did. There must be something I can undo, so that this curse can be taken from me. But, Jesus comes at this point and says, no! There is no cause laying in your past. There is nothing you can do to change it. There never was. These things are beyond the power of man. But, they are surely not beyond the power of God! Indeed, your suffering, and yes, it has truly been suffering, was not punishment, but a setting up of the opportunity for you to be used to glorify God.
Look! God is in the details. He is not just in the generalities of life. He’s not just the idea man, promoting the big picture and leaving it to His minions to flesh out the details. No! He’s detail oriented. He sets forth the orderly sweep of the stars and the planets. He also sets forth the orderly sweep of your day. You know, this amazes me: The very same folks who cringe at the idea that salvation is really and truly by God’s power alone, that they did not have to do something, something, to seal the deal, are willing to accept the concept of divine appointments after the deal is sealed. What is the difference, really?
The amazing thing about my God is that He is able to so order the details of our lives that we are in the right place at the right time to encounter the right people in order that His will shall be done. And yet, as any one of us who have experienced such times can attest, we are not moving like pawns on a chess board. We have no sensation of irresistible force pushing us into place. We are going about our own lives, pursuing our own ends, making our own choices, will as free as ever it was, and boom! Here we are in this divine appointment! Why should we suppose that somehow, we are less free if our salvation was arranged by similar conditions? Why do we find it acceptable that He manipulated us into being here for this appointment, though we didn’t notice it, and yet, find it utterly reprehensible that He might have done the same thing to bring us into the kingdom in the first place? They are just two aspects of the same process!
I bring this up, because here we have a fine case in point. The blind man has chosen of his own free will to be sitting in this particular spot to collect his alms. He was not compelled, so far as he felt things, to come. He could have been anywhere at this particular time of day, but he chose to be here. It was a good business decision. Folks en route to temple are mindful of their alms-giving, so the takings are better. Likewise, the disciples had not been handed a script earlier. There was not some sort of back-room meeting held before they left the courtyards of the temple, in which Jesus said, “Hey! When we pass a blind man, ask Me about the reasons for his blindness.” No. They happened to see him there, and it happened to trigger a question. It’s not like this was the first time they ever saw a blind beggar. It’s probably not even the first time they saw this one. The question just happened to pop up.
Well, come now! When once we have learned that there is no such thing as coincidence, can we not recognize that this whole scene is a setup? And yet, every player in that scene is playing his own script. There is no sense in any of these men that they are no better than automatons. There is no upset, when things have played out, that they have been used in some way. There is only awe at the marvelous planning of God. There is, if anything, a greater security that this God who was able to so arrange events that everything was in place for Jesus to make this demonstration of the kingdom, is always this involved in the details of the lives of His children. That business about the sparrow not falling to earth without His knowledge? We can take it a step further. That sparrow’s not falling unless God arranged it, and has a reason for it.
If we would stop supposing that somehow the Sovereign Providence of God and the free will of man are mutually exclusive, we might just find ourselves with even more cause to marvel at this God of Wonders. That He is so fully in control that He can arrange His plans to account for our free will choices; that He is able to use us to further His purposes even if we’re not really paying attention to His purposes – even if we wholly oppose His purposes! That’s power! That’s power to preserve me! That’s a victorious King under Whom I can serve without any doubt as to the outcome of battle. That’s reason enough to stop making more of the enemy than I ought.
So, I have looked briefly at one reason we get off track when it comes to matters of healing, that being that our understanding of God and our perceptions of good and bad are a trifle off. Another reason we get lost in this is that we fail to keep in mind that God is a God of purpose. He doesn’t do things without reason. He is not a capricious force as the ancients tended to think their gods were. He’s not inclined to fly off the handle for no apparent reason. Carrying that thought to the matter of healing, if God heals, it is for a purpose. Likewise, if He withholds healing, it is for a purpose. Let me take it even one step further: if He has allowed one of His children to suffer illness in this life, there is a reason. And, knowing God as He is, we can go another step – indeed we must go another step: His reason is good! We may not see it that way in our limited perspective, but in His infinite perspective, it is.
What brings that to mind is the approach Jesus takes to healing this particular man. He chooses to make mud and apply it to the man’s eyes. Why? He didn’t need to. He is not laying out some best medical practice here, nor some best miracle practice. He is not looking at His disciples and telling them that when they find cause to heal a blind man, this is how they should do it. No! It’s a one time deal. It’s for this guy only. So, why the mud? Why further embarrass the poor guy at all? You could just poof, and his eyes open. What is it about this that makes it important?
In asking that question, I also have to take note that this is not some great public demonstration. He’s not before an adoring crowd now. In fact, He’s just made good His escape from a crowd, and one that was not all that adoring. Yet, He stops to heal this man who hasn’t even made the first request in that regard. And, He stops to do it in a fashion that takes more time than was necessary. He’s trying to evade those who would stone Him, but He stops to bend down, make mud, smear it on this guy’s eyes and give him instructions on what to do next. This does not make sense at all unless there is a greater purpose behind the act.
[08/09/09] The answer I find to this question of purpose is connected with what Jesus has said in regard to being the Light and the source of living water. Here, He has demonstrated the Truth of His claim to being the Light by restoring sight to this blind man. Now, He further proves His claims. He claimed to be the I AM, the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them. Concerning the creation of man, we know the Scriptures well enough. He formed Adam from the dust. In this act, then, He has declared by action what He has already claimed by word. See? I once more take from the dust and create! I AM the one who formed Adam from the dust, and I AM still perfectly capable of taking of that dust and creating life.
This whole event is for one purpose: To give proof to the claims Jesus has made. It has all been orchestrated to that end. The fact that this man was born blind? It was done in order that he should be here to play his part in proving Christ true. The dust on the street? Put there in readiness for the touch of the Master’s hand. The pool? Why was it named as it was? I’m sure those who named it had their own sense of a reason behind their choice. The greater truth is that they named it in accord with the purposes of heaven, that it’s very name would today proclaim the Truth of His Son. He is Sent! He is come to save! Every aspect of this has come about to give visible proof to the Truth of God in His Christ.
Listen to the prophetic purpose declared and fulfilled. On that day, the deaf shall hear, and the blind shall see (Isa 29:18). The eyes of the blind will be opened; the ears of the deaf unstopped (Isa 35:5). The blind receive sight. The lame walk and lepers are cleansed. The deaf hear and dead men are raised to life. The poor have the gospel preached to them (Mt 11:5). This is what’s happening! The act of healing has come as proof of the spiritual claim.
Here I am come to a critical point (if I’ve not already hit upon it already). If Jesus chose to heal with mud, He did it to a purpose. The same surely holds true of healing more generally. If He chose to heal, it is to a purpose. If He chooses not to, it is equally to a purpose. OK, I’m certain I have indeed written this point already. But, it bears the repeating. Now, then, let me take it down another avenue. In matters of healing and miracle, we have been focusing on the wrong thing. We hear about miraculous happenings in other places, and we are upset that we do not see the same things happening here. We may dress things up in careful religiosity, but the fact is that we are quite simply jealous. In fact, we are prideful, and that’s the real problem. We feel somehow slighted by the lack of miracles in our locale. What’s wrong with us, God? You’re no respecter of person, so why shouldn’t we see the same exciting display that Africa and South America see?
Ah! But we’re quick to discount God as the culprit, so we turn to ourselves. What’s wrong with us? What are we doing wrong? So, we arrive at theories like God cannot heal here because our faith is weak, and we quickly trot out that verse “He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith” (Mt 13:58). Immediately, we jump to the conclusion that herein lies the root of the problem. See? God couldn’t move because they didn’t believe Him. Might as well return to the supposition that Santa Claus can’t get down the chimney because we no longer believe in him. I’m sorry, but this is paganism invading our beliefs. God is greater! Our problem is that we’re focused on the wrong thing, asking the wrong question.
The disciples ask Jesus the standard form question of their day: “Was it this man who sinned or his parents, that he is diseased like this?” No other possibility occurs to them. We have the same question and the same lack of scope in our thinking. We’ve just rephrased it to fit our greater understanding. So, we ask, “Was it because of this man’s lack of faith, or the lack of faith in his church, that he hasn’t been healed?” In answer, I think the reply of Jesus as it is given in The Message fits our own question as perfectly as theirs. “You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.”
That is exactly the point! We’re asking the wrong question. We’re busy looking to assign blame somewhere. We set ourselves as the arbiters of what is good and what is bad. We declare this bad, and somebody has to be at fault for it. We don’t dare blame God, so we look elsewhere. Anywhere else. It must be us. We lack faith. Well, that’s as may be, but where does your faith come from, anyway? Is it something you’ve ginned up on your own, or is Scripture accurate in proclaiming that faith is from God, a precious gift given freely by Him?
We need to change our focus. The question is not, “What are they doing right over there in Kenya?” The question is not, “What are we doing wrong here in America?” The question isn’t even, “Why was that one healed,” or, “Why not this one?” The question, in every case, is simply this: “How is God going to manifest Himself in this?”
We have allowed ourselves to become so worked up over ‘what the devil is doing’ that we don’t even think about God’s hand on our lives! Oh, I’m not saying we don’t talk the talk. What I’m saying is that the minute things get uncomfortable for us, we’re looking for the devil. If we are under the least financial stress, we’re looking to root out sins that may not even be connected. Nothing wrong with rooting out sin, but there’s something hugely wrong in becoming neurotic about it when we serve a God who has already said He’s got us covered! No, of course we don’t simply smile and continue to wallow in our mire, but this has gone far beyond complacency. We have got to stop playing this game that says everything, every last little bit of aggravation that comes into our lives, is clear indication of the devil abusing us. Frankly, what if it is? As I’ve already sought to remind us, his actions are bounded forcefully by the same God who saved us. So, if he’s allowed to harass, we are assured it is not beyond our power to resist. We are assured it is for good cause. Not simply just cause. It’s for good cause. It’s to do us good.
Here’s an idea: Next time you’re dealing with something you don’t like (and, please understand that I am absolutely a part of that you), try pursuing this question, instead of the usual, “why me, Lord?” Try this: “If God is glorified in this, if His majesty is demonstrated in this, even this thing that I would prefer should never happen, surely I should be praising Him for letting me have a part to play! Surely I should bless His name the more that I have been granted this opportunity to demonstrate His glory!” Think about those who have gone before. Think about those who faced the persecutions of Rome, and rejoiced to be counted worthy to share in the suffering of the Christ. And we’re going to moan about our situation?
Think about Jesus, whom you serve. Scripture tells us that He “for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Heb 12:2). That joy was not about the throne that awaited Him as His rightful reward. That joy was not even, at base, about the myriad children of God who would be saved by His action. The joy was simply that, in spite of the personal agony that He would endure, God’s majesty, His power, His perfection, were to be displayed in His person. To Him was granted the most incredible manifestation of God’s glory. Inasmuch as He underwent such suffering as no man ever endured, inasmuch as He quietly endured humiliations beyond counting even though He could as easily have swept away His every persecutor in the blink of an eye, inasmuch as He remained clearly and evidently in control of His own life, even as He died on the cross, He showed God’s power. He, not Rome, determined the hour of His death. He, not Israel, determined the form of His death. He, not the devil, determined the outcome of His death. And, though He surely agonized over the path He would have to follow to achieve all this, He endured it for the joy set before Him, the joy of demonstrating God, the joy of standing out as the Light in the midst of darkness.
The slave, He reminds us, is not greater than his master. The disciple is not greater than his Teacher. If He was required to endure such indignities and hardships, on what basis do we suppose that we should have it so easy? On what basis do we suppose we should be able to demand perfect health and constant wealth from Him? Our focus is off. We are playing the game of materialism and trying to dress it up as Christianity. And in doing so, we are weakening the faith of many, for we have directed their faith not towards God in heaven, but towards signs and wonders.
For my brothers who would put so much weight on signs and wonders as the be all, end all proof of the legitimate church, let me simply remind you of some points Paul made to the church. There will come the revealing of that lawless one whom the Lord will slay. He is that one whose coming is by the accord and the activity of Satan, and he comes with “all power and signs and false wonders.” He comes with “all the deception of wickedness for those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2Th 2:8-10). That should make us just a bit nervous, shouldn’t it? If we’re counting on signs and wonders as the proof of legitimacy, we’re in trouble. It’s the Truth that provides the stamp of legitimacy, not the display. From the beginning of the church, it has been plagued by “false apostles, deceitful workers, those who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ” (2Co 11:13). Well, now, if signs and wonders are the proof of the apostolic office, then the counterfeit apostle will need counterfeit signs won’t he? Indeed, as Paul continues to say, it is no wonder that they should work such deceits, for “Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light” (2Co 11:14). We cannot afford to take signs and wonders as the proof of Truth. We dare not! The whole point back there in Thessalonians was that Truth is the proof of the wonders.
Wonders, if they come are wonderful. But, as we all learned from Bugs Bunny, a sign, however neatly displayed, can still point us in the wrong direction. It is a love of the Truth that will stand proof against every deception. It is a devotion to the God Who Is, the God Who has declared to us Who He Is, and what He is like. We cannot afford to airbrush away the parts of His revelation we don’t like. If He says He is both Love and Wrath, we must have Him both. If He says He is both Just and Merciful, then we must rejoice in both aspects of His being. If He says He is the one who ordains calamity, who circumscribes the bounds of the devil’s actions, who determines who shall see and who shall remain blind, we have no cause to say otherwise, to believe otherwise. If He says it’s up to Him who he shall have mercy on and who not, whom He shall show compassion and who not, again: we have no basis and no right to say it’s otherwise, and still claim to believe Him.
And, if we believe Him, we have no right or place to complain of our lot. If we believe Him, we believe all things work for good to those who are in His service (Ro 8:28). Indeed, we don’t just believe it. We know it! Well, my friend, if it’s for my good, where is the complaint? If He cares more for me than for the sparrow, what’s my worry? If He’s got my back and He’s guaranteed my future, what do I have to whine about under these temporary afflictions?
Listen, I am not going to belittle the suffering of the chronically ill. Believe me, I know all about it. I know it’s a trial, and I know how it crushes the spirit. I know the agonized cries of, “why, Lord?” But, that experience does not change the Truth. The Truth is God is Who He says He is, and His actions, whether we understand them, recognize them or like them, are as He says they are. It is not God who is off. It is us. Our perspective is off, our understanding is far more limited than we give ourselves credit for. We have such high opinion of ourselves that we develop a very low opinion of God, though we are careful to express it as though that weren’t the case. Let us be resolved to return to a true faith in the True God. Nothing less will do.
As to what God may reveal to us as we consider how He is demonstrating His majesty and magnifying His glory in our circumstance, let us consider how we ought to respond. Considering that, we would do well to consider this man who has just regained his sight. His response will become more evident as we get further along in the narrative, but even now, it can be seen.
It can be seen in many ways. First, as I believe I have mentioned already, there is his reaction to the discussion that happens in front of him. He is treated like a part of the scenery, as if he isn’t really there in person. They fall to discussing his condition and the reasons for it, but give no real thought to the man himself. He doesn’t matter. Yet, he takes no offense at this. I suppose it could be argued that this was just good business sense on his part. Folks are not likely to give alms to a combative supplicant. Besides, he’s been getting this treatment all his life.
So, consider instead how he responds when Jesus more or less explains why he is as he is. It’s fine to hear that connection to sin broken off, but the answer that comes in its place (assuming the standard punctuation) is hardly something to sing about. As a very weak parallel, you might consider your reaction if you were let go from your job, and, having sought explanation, you were told it wasn’t because you were a lousy worker, nor was it because the company was faring poorly. It’s just that the boss didn’t like the style of your shoes. That’s not much consolation is it? Likewise, for this fellow to hear that while his blindness wasn’t some proof of sin, the only reason behind it turns out to be in order that this guy can show off before his students.
Frankly, I wonder how many of us would be so overwhelmed with resentment over that explanation that we wouldn’t even appreciate the healing. What? You made me suffer these last twenty years just so You could come along and heal me today? Just so You could prove something by my malady? That’s it? That’s Your reason? You know, I consider my wife and what she’s dealing with. I’m not sure you could give her a reason that would make what she’s dealt with acceptable to her, even if you made it stop in that moment. Maybe it could be done, but if it were so with her, I would have to chalk it up to the Holy Spirit working overtime. And that’s exactly what I would attribute this man’s reaction to: the Holy Spirit working overtime.
It’s going to require that sort of God-driven intervention to open our ears and our hearts to the incredible honor of being counted useful to His kingdom purposes. It’s going to take that for us to turn our eyes outward. What else will take our attention off of our pain, our suffering and place it on the kingdom once again? It’s the Spirit moving on us and nothing else. Apart from Him, we would be far more content to wallow in our misery.
But, just look at this guy! Not the least hint of offense in him. He hears that this suffering had no particular cause in him. He hears that he has been like this just so that “the works of God might be displayed in him.” He doesn’t go off the handle about being the subject of such a capricious God. He says not a word. Add to this the indignities to which he is subjected by Jesus. He is spat at. He has mud smeared in his face. Then, he is told to make his own way to the pool. No guide. No help. Just, “Go do it.” Is there any complaint in him? Is there any request for assistance? Not at all. He just does as he has been instructed. Listen! Nobody even promised any good outcome from this. Nobody has said anything about how, exactly, God’s works were about to be displayed. It’s just, “go wash yourself.”
Now, consider the scene when once he has his sight back. In verse 9, we see the reaction of those who have known of him. Hey! Isn’t he the guy that begs down at the temple? Hasn’t he been living off our alms all these years? What? Is he some sort of faker, that we see him today, walking about as if nothing were wrong with him?
This is a dangerous scene for the ex blind man. People won’t take kindly to one they think has been bilking them for years on end. And, what sort of proof would satisfy them that he had been blind up until just a few minutes ago?
Of course, a lot of those who saw him, having no great cause to believe what their eyes seem to be reporting, suppose it must just be somebody that looks an awful lot like him. Can’t be him. He’s blind. This guy clearly sees, so he must be somebody else.
Hey! Our man has his out. He can simply ride on that denial. Who? A blind man, you say? Looks like me? No, no. I get that all the time, but really, we’re not even related.
The majority of people, not believing their eyes as it is, would happily accept that explanation and move on. At least until they noticed that there was no blind man at the temple any more.
But, this one rejects any such reaction. Instead, he corrects those who suggest the excuse. “No, really. It is me. I am the one who has been there for years, and I was blind, but now I can see. That one they call Jesus. He has done this for me!” Can we even begin to measure the potential cost of that confession? It could have meant his death on the spot, as an angry crowd took ‘justice’ into their own hands. But, to him, it doesn’t matter. Indeed, his reaction is something of a proof of Jesus’ assessment of him. He didn’t sin so as to cause this blindness, and he’s not going to sin in response to the end of that blindness.
In all his ways, then, he shows himself almost the polar opposite of the Pharisees in the temple court. He has set aside his own pride in favor of receiving the blessings of heaven. The Pharisees have rejected God in favor of their pride. He finds no cause to complain of what God is doing now or of what He has done in the past. The Pharisees are wholly offended by God’s current course of action. He is satisfied to have found himself used to glorify God. The Pharisees are doing everything in their power to prevent God from glorifying Himself.
So, I ask this: How do we respond? How do we respond when God’s Providence is dealing us things that are not as we would prefer it? How do we respond when God’s course for our lives requires suffering of us? Do we rail against the heavens? Do we bitterly complain about the injustice of it all? Or, can we look even at the hard spots and rejoice, knowing that God has His reasons for it, that His reasons are good, and that He shall indeed bring us good even out of these trials? Can we be counted amongst those who will say, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in him, for surely, this will turn out for my deliverance” (Job 13:15-16) and mean it? Look, I know we say it often enough. But, if we don’t live it when push comes to shove, then we can number ourselves with the Pharisees.
It’s how we respond to the hard places that will, in the end, be the measure of our faith. It’s how we respond when it seems like God takes no notice of us any more, when the skies are like brass, and we feel our prayers are going nowhere. It is a miserable faith indeed that is only as strong as the latest blessing.
Here, I think I shall stop for this current study. There is much to the example we have been given that I need to take to heart. There is a challenge in this that I have not yet fully met. I need only look at how I have responded to events of recent days to know that I am not yet up to the measure of this blind man. I can talk a good game, but when the chips fall against me, I am hard pressed to seek the kingdom in it. I am still a man in need of God’s intervention and instruction. I am still learning to seek the kingdom first. Oh, how I have become accustomed to my comforts! How I like my routine, and how I like that false security of knowing that I can cover the bills that come in. How I like being able to pretend that I’ve got it all under control. So, when things reel out of control, when my wife is hurting, and my daughter’s a teenager, and I can’t just get on with enjoying my life, phew! This is not something I want on display in church come Sunday! Best I get it out of my system now.
And, yes, it seems as I have been sorting out my thoughts, and pursuing what God is showing me in this passage, that the pressure on me to walk as I believe has been mounting. No, I cannot say I have done well under pressure. But, perhaps the recognition of what is happening is a reasonable start. Perhaps, the fact that I am being forced into a greater awareness of the very trials and sorrows that I would counsel others to buck up under, I am being trained to do so myself. And, if that is the case, it is a very good thing, and may God’s works become evident in me as I walk with head high even under the pressure of it all.
