John 9:1-17
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
This portion of the Gospel of John points out some of the futility of trying to judge the sin of others. Jesus told us not to cast our pearls before swine. He told us to be discerning and He said to be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
People sometimes wonder if Jesus was a Rabbi, He was - a Teacher. Jesus was not a Priest in the conventional sense, He was not a descendant of Levi, but of the tribe of Judah. Priests were not allowed, even if they were Levi descendants if they had handicaps such as blindness. Handicapped people were not allowed access to the inner portion of the Temple. Which is a somewhat unusual because Jacob wanted the spotted goats and not the pure ones.
The people Jesus chose as disciples asked Him if sin makes the man blind, and Jesus says - no, it's for the miracle you are about to see. Jesus was asked when a portion of the Tower of Siloam fell, is misfortune always sin :
Luke 13:1-5
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
John 9 is the swirl of good and determination of evil and it repeats. The events around Jesus were so charged with God, it confused people. It is the way the Scriptures begin, in the second chapter of Genesis. People want to determine right and wrong for themselves. The first person Jesus openly declared Himself as the Messiah, was a sinner and He said we need to worship God from our hearts. It is our hearts that make us saints, to believe and to act upon that belief.
God spoke to Elijah in quietness, we all have times to be quiet each day. We learn about ourselves in events in our lives. Invest in prayer, invest in the hope of God. His spoken Word - JESUS CHRIST THE LORD. Invest in learning the Scripture, His Word to us. Telling us of His teaching about judgement and repentance.
Jeremiah 29:13
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
<><
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment