Tag Archives: see

Sight Doesn’t Necessarily Guarantee That You Can SEE

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As we consider testimonies about Jesus, consider the account of the time he restored the sight of a man born blind, recorded in John 9. Because he was healed on the Sabbath, the religious law-keepers were offended about his healing. The Pharisees cross-examined him aggressively, trying to find out who committed this egregious Sabbath violation. They even tried to get him to join them in condemning his healer for working on the Sabbath. The man didn’t really know much about his benefactor, but instead he rejoiced in his new ability to see!

The leaders of his church (the Pharisees) were outraged! They looked upon Jesus as an outsider who broke their law. Instead of rejoicing in a miracle, they were upset that someone like the blind man would give Jesus credit for what God had done. Why do you suppose they saw things so differently?

“A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:24-25 NIV) Here in John 9, Jesus heals a man who had been blind since birth. The common supposition around the temple would have been that he was born in sin, or that his parents committed some heinous sin that made them deserving of such a tragedy.

Assumptions of the Worst Kind…

In the Hebrew culture, these poor parents would have lived not only with the burden of their son’s blindness but with also with condescension and judgment from the religious community. That’s what prompted the disciples’ question in verse two: “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” This unfortunate couple had been hearing those behind-the-back questions for years, and they lived in debilitating shame.

Jesus says the man’s loss of sight didn’t happen because he or his parents sinned, which was actually a very refreshing intellectual possibility: the parents were not being punished. Bad things could happen to good people. He says much the same thing in Luke 13 when he is asked about some recent tragic events. God does not arbitrarily punish sinners with tragedy, and it is not only sinners who experience affliction.

A Non-Traditional Approach

In Luke’s story, Jesus does not attribute the man’s condition to sin or judgment. Instead he points out that our proper response to tragedy is not titillation or even relief but rather repentance, and here he says that God can be glorified even out of bad circumstances.
This is a fascinating story because so many people see a miracle take place right before their eyes, and no one expresses any JOY. The neighbors argue about whether it’s really the same man or not. Shouldn’t they have rejoiced with him?

The legalistic leaders in the Temple, the Pharisees, are more concerned with whether or not Jesus broke the Sabbath than the amazing fact that he healed a man who had been blind from birth. The man’s own parents were so intimidated by the Pharisees (and so used to being ashamed) that they were afraid to get involved, and sent the Pharisees back to question their son. Shouldn’t they have been excited for their son’s new vision and new opportunities? Instead, they stepped back and remained in the shadows, unwilling to proclaim God’s goodness.

Haters Gonna Hate

The man born blind was then interrogated by the Pharisees, who were hoping to use his testimony to prove that Jesus had broken the law. They are politicians spinning events to fit their narrative, but their interrogation backfires. In verse 29, the haughty Pharisees are spiteful: “We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” In verse 30, the blind man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.”

The Pharisees, who claimed a monopoly on knowing God, could not account for this miracle. The blind man, who used simple logic based on experience, could not account for the Pharisees’ inability to see the truth. In this case, we have a blind man who gains both sight and insight; and we have religious leaders who can see the man but not the truth. They were so concerned about being right that they ignored a miracle right before their eyes…

When they challenged the man, his simple statement of truth dismantled their agenda. He accepted Jesus as he was, at face value, and gained his sight. The Pharisees denied who Jesus was, and saw him through a distorted lens of religion and culture. They remained blind, and missed him altogether. Guess what? That still happens to people today, whether they are Pharisees or not…

I once Was Blind, But Now I See

For years I went to synagogue and listened to them preach.
They spoke of being righteous. From the Scripture they would teach
About eternal judgment, and the consequence of sin:
They made me feel unworthy from the state that I was in.
If being blind weren’t bad enough, I still could clearly see
The condescending looks they gave my parents, and to me.
I still attended synagogue, and worshipped with them there,
And still petitioned Yahweh with my one, persistent prayer!

Today my prayer was answered! Yes!! A man restored my sight!
The Pharisees seem more concerned with whether he was right
For healing on the Sabbath. Well, I’m not a Pharisee,
But I know this: The Lord is good, and somehow, I can SEE!
Maybe Jesus broke a Sabbath rule, or maybe five–
But I don’t care– I’ll follow him as long as I’m alive…

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

His Own People Didn’t See Who Jesus Was. Could They Have Been TOO CLose?

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It is a remarkable point of fact that the Hebrew leaders in first Century Jerusalem and even many of his contemporaries did not see clearly who Jesus was. He performed miracles, but not in front of everybody; he was foretold by the Hebrew Scriptures, but he wasn’t raised as a Pharisee or a Levite. So why didn’t the religious rock stars in Jerusalem see Jesus as the Son of God? Could they have been TOO close?

Was John Wrong?

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:9-11 NIV)
In these verses, John refers to Jesus as the light of the world, and points out that not only was he unrecognized by the world at large, but he was not even received by his own people. How did that happen? The old adage “familiarity breeds contempt” may explain part of it, since Mark 6:3 records his rejection in his own village; but there’s more to it than that.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that there is an obvious reason why men fail to see: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” It is hard to see without light. I think I still have a scar on my shin from the time I hit the corner of a coffee table trying to traverse an unfamiliar hotel room in the dark. When you can’t see, it can be painful. And you can go the wrong way.

Characteristics of Light

So here’s a simple intellectual principle from John 1: LIGHT HELPS YOU SEE. What is in your life that provides light for you? And what is it that shrouds you in darkness? What lifts you up, inspires you, and points your thinking towards discovery and truth? And what does the opposite of that? What points you to the light, and what happens in darkness?

It’s no accident that most violent crimes or despicable deeds are committed between midnight and four AM (although statistically many property crimes happen during the day, so be careful out there). Darkness provides cover for secret things. John 3:19 reminds us that “Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Here in his introduction, John says the Word was the light of men, but that it wasn’t recognized by world. That’s not too surprising, considering the Word did not share the world’s values or agenda. The world is a pretty self-absorbed, self-centered place. (Been shopping or driving lately? This picture shows a “Black Friday” crowd trying to get to the bargains…)

Lack of Recognition

The Bible says that Satan holds sway over the earth, so really we should not be too surprised when we find selfishness or deceit all around us, whether in our politics or in our culture. Heck, we even find those things WITHIN us from time to time. Consider this: being involved in sinful selfishness has never really been a great way to find God… When you are focusing all your attention on worldly things, it’s pretty hard to see the things of the Spirit, so it’s hard to argue with John’s statement about the world not recognizing the light.

Maybe it’s a little more surprising that Jesus’ own people (chosen by God) did not receive him. They were a people who sacrificed for sin, read the prophets and prayed the Shema daily. They were taught to love God with all their heart and to keep the law so passionately that it became more important that God Himself. So, when Jesus arrived, they didn’t receive him any more than the world did. Maybe they were caught up in their own agenda, or were closer to their own insulated world than they were to their stated prophecy.

As Messiah, Jesus did not match their expectations or their interpretation of Scripture. Perhaps they were TOO religious. Their religious zeal caused them to see God as a legal system instead of a person. It’s very easy to worship religion instead of God, and it’s one of Satan’s oldest traps. And I’d be remiss in failing to point out that Jesus’ closest followers and believers were, like himself, devout Jews. Not everyone who was waiting for the Messiah missed him when he came… Certainly his disciples saw him for who he was.

Two quick things: there is lots of stuff in this world that will keep you from seeing Jesus. Don’t miss what he did; don’t miss what he said. Second, we all sometimes assume that proximity or connection to something is enough. “I live in a Christian nation.” “I read about Jesus in vacation Bible school.” “I go to church.” “I know the Golden Rule”. Don’t let familiarity keep you from seeing Jesus. His own people missed him. Just because you know SOME thing about him, don’t assume you know HIM.

Missing the Tree Because You’re In the Forest

There are so many ways that you can miss the Gospel truth:
Assume, ignore, avoid– or chase the foolishness of youth.
Sometimes what you think you know can lead you far astray,
While sometimes you don’t see because there’s something in the way.
Looking at the forest, it’s the tree that no one sees,
Unless, of course you cannot see the forest for the trees…
You may have heard the saying, “familiarity breeds contempt”;
Be careful, then, what you assume, for you are not exempt.
Lies can shackle judgment, but it is the truth that frees us;
So why not take a deeper look at the guy who said that? Jesus.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread