By Pastor Greg
I’ve noticed that people will
sometimes ask mighty strange questions from time to time. Take, for instance, some of the questions asked
by attorneys in court. According to
transcripts by court recorders, lawyers have asked, “Was that the same nose you
broke as a child?” or, “Was it you or your brother that was killed in the war?” Interrogating a woman, a lawyer asked, “Mrs.
Jones, do you believe you are emotionally stable? Answer: I used to be. Q: How many times have you committed suicide?” This one, however, is my favorite. “Q: Do you recall approximately the time that
you examined the body of Mr. Edington at the Rose Chapel? A: It was in the evening. The autopsy started
about 8:30 p.m. Q: And Mr. Edington was
dead at the time, is that correct? A: yes.
Q: How do you know? A: Because his brain
was in a jar on my desk. Q: But is it
possible that Mr. Edington was still alive?
A: Yes, I suppose it is possible that he was alive and practicing law
somewhere.
Of course, lawyers are not the
only ones to ask rather strange questions.
Even politicians say things that don’t always make sense. Christians do as well. For example, if you read John nine, you will
see a number of characters in this story
- Jesus, the blind man, and the disciples - however, let’s look at this event
through the eyes of the disciples. See
if you can find the “odd question” they ask.
(John 9:1-7) As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who
had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him,
“why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’
sins?” 3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,”
Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We
must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night
is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in
the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva,
and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him,
“Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam”
(Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!
[1]
Did you see the illogical question? They wondered whose sin caused this man’s
tragedy. They wondered if God was
punishing the parents or, as crazy as it sounds, whether the boy had sinned in
the womb. After all, he was born blind,
meaning it was necessary for him to have sinned while still an unborn
child. To sin before being born sounds
crazy to you and me, but the Jewish culture actually felt this was
plausible. Since blindness was viewed as
a form of God’s punishment, then someone must have sinned. Sure, a person who sins is often forced to
deal with the consequences. However, in
this case, logic tells us that the boy’s blindness must have come from his
parent’s sin – God punishing the child, not the parent. I mean, how is it possible for an unborn
child to sin against God or sin against another human. That’s why the only logical conclusion is to
blame the parents. Yet even this
conclusion is incorrect because of what God had spoken through Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 18:4 the Lord says, “The person who sins
is the one who will die.” If
mom or dad sinned, they would be held
accountable, not the boy. Anyway, the
disciples saw an opportunity to learn something, and just wanted to know who
was to blame.
That’s an odd question if you ask me. These believers
look at someone who is suffering and ask “why” rather than asking “what can be
done about his suffering.” That would have been a better question. I mean, even
though the theology of the disciples is messed up, at least they could have
asked, “Since this man is blind, and since blindness is God’s punishment for
sin (that’s the messed up theology), and since there is no cure for his
blindness, how will this man ever be restored back to God”. That would have been a better question. Then Jesus could have answered, “This is why
I came – to remove the effects of sin”.
I think it’s odd that everyone
wanted to know why instead of asking Jesus what could be done. I mean, this man was reminded of sin every
day. With no cure for his blindness, he
had to believe there was no cure for the sin that separated him from God. I think this is why Jesus tells the crowd
that the power of God might be seen in him (the blind man). “Watch what God can do,” says Jesus. While He
still has the opportunity, God can remove the effects of sin and draw people to
Himself. Not only did Jesus heal this
man physically, but He would also later
address the sin that separated this man from God.
That’s the real point in this
miracle. Instead of fussing about “who”,
Jesus quickly carried out the task assigned by God. This man’s blindness represents the sin that
has separated humanity from God. So
Jesus does what He was sent to do – to remove the effects of sin. To set the captives free. This man’s dilemma runs in the background of
everyone’s life. What cure do we have
for the sin that separates us from God?
Since we cannot cure ourselves, God sends Jesus to overcome the results
of Adam’s disobedience (which is sin and death – Romans 5:12). Jesus demonstrated through this man the “Works God would accomplish through the
Son”. The Son would remove the effects
of sin. The Son would eliminate the penalty of sin. God sent Jesus to remove the sin that “blinds
us” so nothing might separate us from God.
I think the Church needs to learn
a lesson from this story. You see, we
Christians today are the disciples of yesterday. We are the ones walking with Jesus through
the streets and the backroads. We are
the people who see the blind and the lame
in this world. We see their suffering. We see the effects of sin in their life. We recognize their separation from God. However, just like the disciples, we should
spend less time trying to figure out “why” and more time looking for ways to alleviate
the suffering and sadness in those living around us. Instead of blaming a person’s pain on the anger of God, and trying to figure
out who to blame, maybe we should be looking for ways to work in their lives
while there is still time. We need to be
more concerned about who we can help rather than why they need our help in the
first place.
As Christians, you and I have a
tremendous opportunity to represent Jesus to those still living in
darkness. We have a chance to show this world just how much God loves them. We can address their physical needs and their
spiritual needs. However, to accomplish these things, we need to
concentrate more on how we can help and less on who is to blame.
That’s the real lesson Jesus
teaches here.
[1] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2007). Holy Bible: New Living
Translation (3rd ed.) (Jn 9:1–7). Carol Stream, IL.
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