Jeff Klein, Pastor of Outreach
Jeff Klein 0:07
Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's daily dose in the word of God. It's Friday, March 17. This is Jeff Klein, the Pastor of Outreach here at the church. This week, we're stumbling toward the cross with the blind man and all of the religious leaders and people that surround his life. I'll be reading from John chapter 9, verses 24 to 41.
Jeff Klein 0:26
So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue. When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man? ”The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” "You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
Jeff Klein 2:00
This part of the story is a sad picture of how theological learning and pride of being the Torah experts and the need to somehow defend our position and place can make someone unable to see what God is doing right around them. A blind man has been healed, but the religious leaders cannot celebrate this. They can only investigate and accuse and toss people out of the synagogue for giving testimony to this miracle that has been performed. I love how the man who was formerly blind responds. I don’t know if this Jesus is a sinner, I only know that once I was blind, but now I see. Aligning yourself with what God is doing in the world around you requires that you see what God is up to. If you don’t see it, you will miss the opportunity to be part of what God is doing right around you. In this story, everyone saw the same man healed by Jesus of his blindness, but most of them had difficulty calling it the work of God. What should have been a celebration deteriorated into controversy, debate, fear, and division. Even Jesus lets these guys know that they are guilty of saying they can see, when they are really blind to what God is up to right around them.
Jeff Klein 3:14
How about you? Are your eyes open to what God is up to around you? Do you see? Or are you caught in the trap of missing what God is up to and what he is inviting you in to? What is preventing you from the celebration of all that God is doing? Hopefully you can say with the blind man, I once was blind, but now I see.”