Good Morning. We are truly blessed … but don’t take it personally!
In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus and the disciples come upon a blind man. The disciples believed that his blindness must be the result of someone’s sin. “As he walked 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?’”
Admit it. From time to time we are all tempted to view someone else’s problem as proof of God’s judgment. It’s not usually someone that we like. It’s usually someone that we dislike. The German language has an interesting word for it: schadenfreude (Norwegians call it skadefryd). The exact translation is a bit bulky in English, but the intent of it is to describe the enjoyment that we get from other people’s problems.
Perhaps the disciples weren’t “enjoying” the man’s blindness, but the reality is that when we look at someone else’s troubles and declare that it’s the result of their sinfulness or simply God’s judgment, we are actually saying that in some way we are better than them. You see, it’s a two sided coin: you’re a sinner; I’m not. I’ve been blessed; you haven’t!
Jesus’ response to the disciples was pretty straightforward: “Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.’” I don’t think that Jesus meant “God made him blind to make a point!” I think that he meant that God’s works can be revealed in and through any and all of us, and that we can all live our lives to the glory of God.
Humanity and creation itself are imperfect at this point. We have to deal with physical and emotional illness and infirmity, disasters caused by the powers of nature, violence and destruction brought about by sinful ambitions and lust, social forms of idolatry, and so forth. We have to deal with it. They aren’t God’s fault. In some form or another all of these things hit each and every one of us. How we respond to them is an opportunity to reveal God’s working through us. How we respond to them is another opportunity to give God glory.
And in those moments when our lives are free of the hundreds of ways that life can test us and bring us down, in those very moments we tend to take it personally as proof that we are blessed. We want to believe that we have done something right that has earned God’s blessing for us.
Well, we are blessed. We are blessed with the love of a God who has called us into a relationship that starts now and runs on through eternity. We are blessed with a God who has given us grace and forgiveness so that we might share God’s love and support with one another. We are blessed so that whatever befalls us God assures us that he remains with us.
Prayer: Lord God, You created this universe in perfection, and we made choices that disappointed You. You created us in Your image, and we gave obedience and praise to other forces. You sent Your only Son that we might have a way to return to You and live our lives to Your glory. Give us the strength to embrace Your will for us. Give us the strength to seek You. Give us the strength to share Your love with the entire world so that everything in our lives will be done to Your glory. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Today’s readings are Job 16:16-22,17:1,13-16; Acts 13:1-12; John 9:1-17; and Psalm 37.
Embrace the blessings of the Lord and bring His blessings to everyone that you meet.
Pastor Jim
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