The response of the Pharisees to this miracle of healing is a classic
example of the old adage, “There is none so blind as he or she who will
not see.” We do not fault these men for their investigation of the facts.
Faith should never be equated with naviete. The fault lies in their failure
to face the facts and deal with them openly and honestly. They refused
to see anything that contradicted their own little concept of the truth. We
should keep in mind that these men were not atheists. Every one of
them believed in God. Neither were they morally degenerate. In many
ways, they were people much like ourselves; yet, these were the men
who were spiritually blind. What exactly does that mean?
I. The first thing I see is their indifference to human
suffering. They obviously had little or no compassion for the
man who was born blind. Had they been genuinely
concerned for his problem, they would have rejoiced in his
healing, regardless of how it came about. But such was not
their response. I get the impression that they would have
preferred the man remain blind than have his receiving of
sight contradict their theological theories.
What that says to you and me is that we can be
religiously devout and spiritually blind at the same time. If I
understand at all the message of the New Testament, it is that
God is more concerned about people than his religious rules.
Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for
Sabbath.” Religious rules are relevant only as they serve to
protect and enrich the lives of people.
So, Jesus would not be intimidated by the orthodoxy of
the Pharisees. In his system of values, keeping the law was
not nearly important as helping the people for whom the law
was given. If you and I can learn that lesson and live by it,
we will have opened our eyes to a major truth about God and
life. The Pharisees never saw that. With them, people were
expendable; the protection and propagation of the system
were all-important. They lived in a world of spiritual
darkness and did not even know it.
II. A second element of their blindness was their inability to
see themselves. Notice their contempt for the man born
blind. They said to him, “You were steeped in sin from your
birth. Who are you to be teaching us?” They were, of
course, right about the man. He was a sinner. The interesting
thing is how they failed to see the same truth applied to them.
They were moralistic people, and they had a sharp eye for
sin, but there was something artificial about it. Whenever
they spoke of sinners, it was always in the second person or
third person, never the first person: “you sinner,” or “those
sinners,” never “we sinners.”
Exactly how they exempted themselves from the
fellowship of the fallen is not quite clear. But one thing is
Archive for the ‘Lent’ Category
The Blind Man 3-19-2023
Friday, March 17th, 2023Breaking Down Barriers 3-12-2023
Thursday, March 2nd, 2023INTRODUCTION
I. The Gospel story points us to one of the main works of Jesus
– something we are called to do-
Breaking down barriers that divided the human family.
Some of these barriers are very real today.
II. First Barrier – was a Racial Barrier.
This woman was a Samaritan – Samaritans were
regarded as an inferior race; scum of the earth. Jews had
no respect for them; only distrust.
Jesus walked right through the Barrier like it did not
exist. He saw a person made in the image of God.
Centuries of History said they were adversaries. But
Jesus paid no attention.
She was a Human being hurting and needing some
help.
That’s all He saw!
III. The Second Barrier – was a Social Barrier.
He was talking to a woman – they could not believe it.
This was an extremely male dominated society. Women
were definitely 2nd
class citizens and worse.
To Jesus – Each and every person was important. He
shared some of his deepest spiritual insights with women;
this woman was important to Him.
IV. The Third & Final Barrier – was the Barrier of Religion
People were fighting over where the proper place of
worship was supposed to be. My mountain versus your
mountain; my temple is better than yours.
A Religious Tug a War!
This battle was not bringing people closer together. Jesus
emphasized that no one has exclusive claim to God – God
cannot be contained in one place or controlled by a group
of people. We cannot box up God in any one set of
Doctrines.
With Jesus the important thing was not where or so much
how you worship. But does worship connect to our
hearts?
V. In Closing –
If we really want to follow Jesus – if we want to be the
church, we need to ask ourselves some hard questions
regarding these barriers that Jesus tried so hard to break
down.
1. Do we label people – this or that because of their
nationality or skin color. Because they speak a
different language. Because they are not like us –
labels that prevent us from getting to know them as
human beings.
2. A good question for us to ask as Church – Do we still
treat women as second-class citizens?
3. Do we use our religious beliefs as a club to beat up
other religions?
4. What barriers do we need to break down right now in
our families, in this parish that are dividing us?
May our prayer this week – be this:
Lord, give us the courage to look at what divides us and the
strength to do something about these Barriers with your help.
AMEN.
Second Sunday of Lent (Transfiguration of the Lord) 3-5-2023
Thursday, March 2nd, 2023There once was a king whose greatest desire was to gain absolute
power over every square inch of his kingdom. He had succeeded in
removing all obstacles to his complete control except one; the people
still put their ancient God above the king. The king summoned his three
wisest advisors to find a way to put an end to such worship. “Where,”
asked the king, “where might the people’s God be hidden and so be
made to vanish from their lives and cease to challenge my rule?”
The first advisor suggested hiding the God at the summit of the
highest mountain. “No,” said the king, “The people would abandon
their homes and climb the highest mountain to search for their God.”
The second advisor proposed hiding the people’s God at the
bottom of the sea. But the king rejected the idea as well; “The people
would probe the ocean’s depth to find their God,” he said.
Finally, the third wisest advisor, a wrinkled and bent old man,
spoke his advice in a hoarse whisper. “O mighty king,” he said, “hide
the people’s God somewhere in their everyday lives. They will never
find it!”
This third trusty advisor understood who we are! God is hidden,
but not in some remote, faraway spot. God is right here in our everyday
lives. Yet we rarely see God and rarely recognize God’s presence. All
too often we fear that we are walking alone and we dread that our
journey may have no destination, may be just a long walk to nowhere.
All too often we are deaf and blind to God. So, it is for us – doubting
and weary travelers – that Jesus was transfigured and, just for a moment,
shone alone like the sun on top of that mountain. And it is to us, the
blind and the deaf, that God is speaking through that stunning event.
And what is God saying? “I am with you always, walking at your
side. And your name is written on the palm of my hand. If you listen
carefully, you’ll see that I am here. So, watch and listen!”
It takes time to learn how to listen attentively and respectfully to
everyday life. It takes time to learn how to hear what’s really going on
around us and to see what’s always been right under our nose. It does
take time, but if we persist in paying respectful attention to everyday
life, very slowly we’ll begin to catch a glimpse of God when we look at
a rose; we’ll begin to feel the nearness of God in the cool evening
breeze; we’ll begin to hear God’s voice echoing inside the voice of a
friend. And we’ll begin to know the warmth of God’s presence as we
hold a newborn child.
The road we walk is a long one, often rough, and sometimes
dangerous. But God desires that none of us walk that road alone. God
desires that at every moment of every day we have the comfort, the
strength, and the delight of divine company. A friendship that is ours for
the taking.
I came across a poem by an 11 year old girl who does a very good
job of recognizing God in her everyday life:
“I saw Jesus last week. He was wearing blue
jeans and an old shirt. He was up at the church
building; He was alone and working hard.
For just a minute he looked a little like one of our
members. But it was Jesus…I could tell by his smile.
I saw Jesus last Sunday. He was teaching a Bible class.
he didn’t talk real loud or use long words. But you
could tell he believed what he said. For just a minute,
he looked like my Bible teacher.
But it was Jesus…I could tell by his loving voice.
I saw Jesus yesterday. He was at the hospital visiting a friend
who was sick. They prayed together quietly. For
just a minute he looked like Mr. Jones.
But it was Jesus…I could tell by the tears in his eyes.
I saw Jesus this morning. She was in my kitchen making
my breakfast and fixing me a special lunch. For just a
minute she looked like my Mom.
But it was Jesus…I could feel the love from her heart.
I see Jesus everywhere. Taking food to the sick…
Welcoming others home. Being friendly to a newcomer…
and for just a minute, I think he’s someone I know.
But it’s always Jesus…I can tell by the way Jesus serves.”
