Can YOU See?

Good Wednesday to You,

"Are you blind?" "Ref, how did you miss that?" "It was right in front of your face. How did you not see it?" These are often the questions fans level at referees when they disagree with a call or a no-call. The benefit we have today of recording is unparalleled. Who would have thought that one day we would have the ability to pause, rewind, and fast forward live television? That thought never crossed my mind. Now my children ask me to fast forward through commercials.  

When we read Scripture, we have the same benefit of reading, pausing, rewinding, and even fast forwarding. Having 20/20 vision gives us a clarity that those who walked with Jesus, or questioned him, did not have. So, when we come to the narrative of the man born blind in the Gospel of John, we see things so clearly. How could people miss it? And, maybe we come down on some in the narrative harder than we should.  

One of the beautiful features of John's account of the man born blind is his desire for us (his readers) to place ourselves in the narrative. Before reading our passage, I challenged everyone to put themselves in the narrative. Is there a person you can relate to? Can you see yourself as the man born blind? Or, are there moments you see yourself as the religious leaders questioning Jesus—"Are we blind?"

As a follower of Jesus, I see parallels in my life with the man born blind—not physically, but spiritually. I was once in darkness and needing my eyes opened by God's grace! That is exactly what Jesus was doing—using the example of healing physical sight as a window into spiritual healing. For the record, Jesus has the power to heal physically, even today. Jesus is still the great physician. But, even more so, Jesus came into a dark world as the Light of the World. He came to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness. Without Jesus, we are blind spiritually.  

Jesus uses some strong language against the religious leaders—accusing them of seeing but rejecting the Truth—ultimately, calling them blind. And, as a Pastor, it is easy to see myself in the place of the religious leaders. Not that I do not see the Truth about Jesus, but maybe I am blind to sin in my life. Or, blind to how to live out God's mercy, grace, and love every day. So I find myself asking…what am I blind to? This is exactly what makes us different from the religious leaders: our willingness towards transformation. We are not the solution. Jesus is! The more I spend time with Jesus, the greater he becomes—I pray that is true for you, too. 

Thinking about Jesus as healer, thank you for all those who are praying for my mom—as I shared on Sunday, she was in the hospital. As of this writing (Tuesday), she is still in the hospital but doing much better. Through your prayers, I do believe Jesus can heal her physical body.  

Thank you for interceding on my behalf. I look forward to giving God glory and honor with you as our eyes are opened and the Light of Christ shines in and through us each day. 

Blessings,
Pastor John

If you missed this Sunday’s sermon, click here to listen now!