Good Morning.
The story told in today’s Gospel reading has several unique features, but the one that I find most interesting is this: “Jesus heard that they had driven him [the blind man] out, and when he (Jesus] found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ “
Jesus restored sight to a man who was blind from birth. When the man tried to explain what had happened to the religious leaders of his community, they accused both Jesus and the young man of all sorts of slanderous things. In the end, the man was driven out of his church. His testimony presented such a threat to the authority and prestige of the leaders that they didn’t want him around any more.
As we know, that kind of reaction from the religious leaders of Jesus’ time wasn’t that unusual. The unique thing is that Jesus sought him out! Jesus came after this young man and assured the young man that he had done the right thing. The young man had given his testimony and had tried to be a witness to the power of God that was coming through to the world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
Have you ever been thrown out of a church, or maybe just given the very strong feeling that you weren’t wanted around there any more? The level of factual inaccuracies that are filling the current public political discourse shouldn’t really surprise anyone. I’ve seen the same levels of ignorant and vicious confabulation tear congregations apart and destroy mission and ministry. Confabulation is a tendency to make up details to fill in factual gaps in one’s narrative. It happens in politics and it happens in everyday life – sometimes in a congregation.
Jesus heard what had happened and sought out the young man. When the young man asked who was the “Son of Man” that Jesus spoke of, Jesus said: “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” Then Jesus went on to say: “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.”
I believe that what Christ meant was that he came to show those who had been pushed aside by the world and the church, perhaps those who were told that they did not “understand” how to worship God, what God’s love and nature truly meant. Jesus went after this young man who had been turned away by the religious elders. Jesus sought him out after he had been told that he didn’t belong within their congregation. I don’t know of any other story in the Gospels where that happened. Jesus didn’t often proclaim his own identity as the “Son of Man,” but in this instance Jesus felt that he must reassure the young man of whom Jesus was.
If you’ve ever felt rejected by people because you were a witness to God’s power in your life, know that you are not alone. Perhaps you have simply tried to preach the truth of Christ’s forgiving love in the face of blind ignorance and hatred. If you too are “driven out,” Jesus is right there by your side. He is ready to assure you of God’s love and forgiveness. He is ready to reveal to you that he is the “Son of Man.” He is ready to pick you up and lead you back into the light of his truth.
Prayer: Lord, have mercy on us. We are blinded by so many sparkling lights. We want to worship you with our lives, but we want the acceptance of others. We want to fit in. We overlook the pains and the rejections that you were dealt. We mistakenly believe that the world will treat us better than it treated you. Lord fill us with your Spirit so that we know how to talk with you. Let your Spirit fill our hearts so that we are not afraid to come to you with all our scars. Teach us that humility is the soil in which your love will grow in us. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Today’s readings are Job 19:1-7,14-27; Acts 13:13-25; John 9:18-41; Psalm 31 & 35.
In the words of the Psalmist: “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.” May the blessings found in the presence of the Son of Man fill your hearts and your lives.
Pastor Jim
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