John 9
9 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.”
12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”
30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”
38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”
41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
When you were a small child, thinking of your life, you never would have written down, "Face lethal virus, find out it's Pandemic and shelter in place, quarantined with most of the planet." No one thought to leave their jobs, not have Church on Sunday. Not attend sporting events, not see a movie, sanitize hands before going to get gasoline or finding getting groceries was worrisome. No one wondered about the economy placing us at the mercy of events. Like the beggar in the Gospel of John 9. When no one can work. Just like John 9.
We would all want to encounter Jesus. In our dreams, in a certainty called understanding, a vision, a miracle.
Are miracles problematic? Maybe. The appearance of the unexplained. Sometimes is placed as a quirk of nature and forgotten. The blind man couldn't say this - truly all understood in his lifetime this was someone they knew to be blind.
Was he really blind? The Gospels are true. The blind man knew how to reach the Pool of Siloam with mud caked with Jesus' Saliva. He was just blind walking blind - an everyday usual thing. Being sent on a blind errand was something within the answered prayer's reach! When the Officials want to know where Jesus is and the formerly blind man answers correctly - he couldn't guess where a man would be that possibly a lifelong sighted man would be able to suggest several places. A blind man would probably be less traveled and have far fewer visual memories.
We were all hard pressed to understand the news. The news had the stay calm reports as this began and the utter Orson Welles ruin of the world reports. Everyone looked blindly about to try to understand the events around them.
Will God Himself, He has Planned the works of God - that might be displayed - give us a miracle?
China has ended almost all stay at home lockdowns.
Is this a miracle? Might be. Other viruses don't just burn out because the weather warms up. Other epidemics don't end from having to shelter in your home with your family and spend time together. World War II is called the Greatest Generation and they weren't called to sit on their sofa to save the planet.
Suppose we did have God the Almighty, Maker of Heaven and of earth, Creator of All Things, Who calls the Heavenly Host by name Send Forth His Word for a Miracle. Would we relax? Would work call us back immediately? Would everyone feel Brave? Would you feel like Caleb and Joshua and say, "Yes, Return to the Promised Land!" And find out if you are voted down to stay home a little later? Would we all jump on an airplane to get on a Cruise?
Wouldn't you agree if we saw a Miracle, we would have as many sessions of committees arguing the safety and reliability of God's Miracle?
Poor Father God, doubted as loving to have us face A Trial and A Time of Suffering. And then cast down to natural occurrence if the Gulf of Mexico suddenly finds itself to be clean during a MASSIVE Oil Spill.
If you were God and God says He puts His Holy Spirit in us, wouldn't you give gradual Healing? Just for the sake of less hysteria and calm with thanksgiving?
If you were called to Pray during a Pandemic - for instance, your phone rings and the major radio station asks you to make a prayer and tell this prayer to the Praying world - would you feel ridiculous to ask for a miracle?
I wouldn't. David always believed in the face of utter MIB Ruin - God would be merciful. David would probably look at the pandemic and say, "You don't live in a ditch and face thugs kidnapping your family." David would say, but to lose your family would be a reason to ask God for the Mercy He gives even after He puts His Plan in motion.
Jesus was most impressed by the Centurion who didn't ask for any supernatural visits or witness. Jesus was impressed the Centurion believed to see the process unfold, and in the process find God's Word is a Miracle.
Jesus told us Seek and you will Find. When we ask for a Miracle, in Belief, we will find a Miracle.
And no one mentions Polio, but this is an ONGOING MIRACLE. Thank GOD. THANK JESUS this is not what we have suffered. Thank GOD and All His Word for the Salk Vaccine. Thank God for the gratitude we can have about this not being so horrendous.
Are we the sinning generation? You bet. So were the Black Plagues. Starvation was one of the most frequent causes of death. Not a Love Thy Neighbor death. Children got a name at age five to avoid the heartbreak of child death. Half of the women in Europe were prostitutes. The Clergy was to be unmarried and celibate and 40% were married to one or more women; half had children. So is this generation sinful - we know this to be true. Name your sin, you know the sin. Repent. Renew your life and open and receive Jesus' Love, Mercy, Grace filled Forgiveness.
And in this grasping of Isaiah's Beloved Hem of His Robe, find Jesus comes to you offering you His Word and Holy Spirit Comfort. Believe Jesus and worship Him.
Abba, Father God,
We pray for Italy and for New York City. We pray the death toll to stop. We pray this virus to end. We pray our economy to recover.
We thank You this isn't the Civil War where bodies are in the streets. We thank You this isn't the gas trenches of World War I and II. We thank You this isn't the Cuban Missile Crisis when You've said the world ends in fire. We thank You this isn't invasion and horror. We thank You this isn't the starvation of the Civil War. We thank You for Grocery Stores like HEB planning in advance and the other stores too, to give us the supplies the truck drivers bring us. Still grateful for the Salk Vaccine.
We thank You for stimulus Packages. Praying a miracle they work well.
We pray for the Hospital workers, doctors, nurses, workers keeping valiant to heal. To comfort. To overcome their own fears. We pray for Police, EMS and firefighters to have Your Strength, Health and Protection. We pray for the Postal Workers and UPS and FedEx bring us sustaining life. The Truck Drivers. The Sanitation Workers. The Staff of Grocery Stores and Pharmacies. The Brave. The Diligent. Thank You.
We pray for the necessary jobs leaving their families at home to provide for us.
We ask Blessings on the employers helping their employees. We Say Jesus Bless you!
We cover our Prayer Needs knowing home much You Care for us. We put the Name of Jesus on ourselves, our loved ones, near and far, the people You've given us. And Know You Love us.
Help us to seek You first. Finding the Kingdom of Heaven. To Live in Love, Peace and Joy.
With the Prayers of Jesus, we will do magnificently. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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