Twice proven
Jesus heard that the man whose eyesight he had restored, had been expelled from the temple, and he went to look for him. Get the connection there? Jesus could restore sight, but when it came to personally taking care of the people who trusted him, he worked no miracles, he went looking.
Jesus found him: I always imagine the recovered man squatting somewhere on the fringe of the market, nervous about returning to his parents in case he caused them further embarrassment; newly gifted with sight, but unable to celebrate, because being expelled from the temple was like being expelled from society itself.
The Bible can be understood factually or it can be spiritualized. This story can be understood both ways. The recovered man was in difficulty, he needed a friend, and suddenly Jesus turned up beside him.
This once-blind man received proof of the truth of what Jesus said in two ways. First of all, he was healed. He had been born blind, and Jesus had applied clay to his eyes and told him to go and wash in the local pool, he returned seeing. This man had proof. Spiritualize this, when a person decides that Jesus speaks the truth and is sufficiently convinced to place their trust in him and learn his teachings, change happens. Usually the change is in spiritual sight, before we did not understand God, now through Jesus we ‘see’ God. With the seeing comes change. This is proof that Jesus is worthy of trust.
What happened to the once-blind man happens to a lot of people who decide to believe that Jesus spoke the truth and to become a follower of Jesus. After the first declaration of faith: followed by a public declaration and an honest attempt to follow Jesus in life style, comes difficulty! For the once-blind man the difficulty was the disgrace and ostracism of being expelled from the temple religion that he was born into. Like the blind man, new believers sometimes encounter difficulty because people who knew us before, resist the change that has happened to us.
Again it is legitimate to spiritualize this story; the glorious fact is that in the midst of every believer’s difficult times Jesus comes to him or her. Jesus communicates encouragement to the new believer, usually through the written word or through pastors. He told the once-blind man that he himself, takes care of the people who trust him in the same way as a shepherd takes care of sheep, protecting them guiding them and providing for them. He says that unlike normal shepherds, he is willing to die for the people who trust him. This strong experience in our lives, the experience of Jesus coming to us, being with us, and encouraging us becomes the second proof that Jesus is indeed speaking the truth
So Christian faith is not the product of a person’s own dreams or inventions but is a gift from God, evidenced by the change that happens to us, and nurtured by the continual presence of Christ with us and for us.
Some people are puzzled because after they declared their trust in Jesus the change in their lives was not dramatic. They wonder if they are really accepted by God because there was no sudden dramatic re-orientation of their lives. However when these same people review their lives they often discover that there has been a series of slow changes. Also, when reviewing their lives, they become amazed at the cumulative evidence of God’s presence with them. They suddenly understand that they have been guided, protected and provided for all the journey long. These are the faithful miracles of God, so gradual that a fearful person may dismiss them, until the evidence mounts up, and becomes proof staring in their faces. God has been with them all along, just waiting for them to gain confidence in him.
The gospel of John: Chapter 9 and the first 21 verses of chapter 10
Jesus found him: I always imagine the recovered man squatting somewhere on the fringe of the market, nervous about returning to his parents in case he caused them further embarrassment; newly gifted with sight, but unable to celebrate, because being expelled from the temple was like being expelled from society itself.
The Bible can be understood factually or it can be spiritualized. This story can be understood both ways. The recovered man was in difficulty, he needed a friend, and suddenly Jesus turned up beside him.
This once-blind man received proof of the truth of what Jesus said in two ways. First of all, he was healed. He had been born blind, and Jesus had applied clay to his eyes and told him to go and wash in the local pool, he returned seeing. This man had proof. Spiritualize this, when a person decides that Jesus speaks the truth and is sufficiently convinced to place their trust in him and learn his teachings, change happens. Usually the change is in spiritual sight, before we did not understand God, now through Jesus we ‘see’ God. With the seeing comes change. This is proof that Jesus is worthy of trust.
What happened to the once-blind man happens to a lot of people who decide to believe that Jesus spoke the truth and to become a follower of Jesus. After the first declaration of faith: followed by a public declaration and an honest attempt to follow Jesus in life style, comes difficulty! For the once-blind man the difficulty was the disgrace and ostracism of being expelled from the temple religion that he was born into. Like the blind man, new believers sometimes encounter difficulty because people who knew us before, resist the change that has happened to us.
Again it is legitimate to spiritualize this story; the glorious fact is that in the midst of every believer’s difficult times Jesus comes to him or her. Jesus communicates encouragement to the new believer, usually through the written word or through pastors. He told the once-blind man that he himself, takes care of the people who trust him in the same way as a shepherd takes care of sheep, protecting them guiding them and providing for them. He says that unlike normal shepherds, he is willing to die for the people who trust him. This strong experience in our lives, the experience of Jesus coming to us, being with us, and encouraging us becomes the second proof that Jesus is indeed speaking the truth
So Christian faith is not the product of a person’s own dreams or inventions but is a gift from God, evidenced by the change that happens to us, and nurtured by the continual presence of Christ with us and for us.
Some people are puzzled because after they declared their trust in Jesus the change in their lives was not dramatic. They wonder if they are really accepted by God because there was no sudden dramatic re-orientation of their lives. However when these same people review their lives they often discover that there has been a series of slow changes. Also, when reviewing their lives, they become amazed at the cumulative evidence of God’s presence with them. They suddenly understand that they have been guided, protected and provided for all the journey long. These are the faithful miracles of God, so gradual that a fearful person may dismiss them, until the evidence mounts up, and becomes proof staring in their faces. God has been with them all along, just waiting for them to gain confidence in him.
The gospel of John: Chapter 9 and the first 21 verses of chapter 10
posted by Jessie Coates at 12:25 AM
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