The world is full of “either/or” scenarios. We’re told that we need to choose between a limited number of options.
- Do you like Chocolate or Vanilla?
- Android or Apple?
- Taking a bath or a shower?
- Being a passenger or driver?
- Are you a Democrat or Republican?
- Do you prefer a pen or a pencil?
I could go on. In today’s passage, Jesus has been given an either/or question. He’s asked if a blind man’s condition was caused by his own sins or by the sins of his parents. This was because there was a common belief that ailments were a kind of divine judgment on people rooted in some violation of God’s commandments or will.
Jesus doesn’t answer by pointing his finger at either the man or his parents. Instead, he points to God. He tells us that it is not the man who is actually blind, but that everyone present has a kind of blindness. They have blindness towards seeing God. It is, in fact, the blind man who will open the eyes of those who can see, for it is through the light that comes through Jesus’ healing of him that God will be recognized and seen. Jesus wasn’t concerned with assigning blame but healing the man who was hurting.
In a world that wants us to pick sides, this passage reminds me to look for those who are caught in the crossfire and care for them.
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Question of the day:
-What’s an either/or question that I can answer in a way that Jesus would?
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