![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/230\/2014\/04\/blind.jpg\" "\\"blind\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n2014.03.24 \u2013 Lent 04<\/strong> There was a story in the news a few years back \u2013 a man in the UK had been fired from his job for religious reasons. I figured it was an evangelical or Jehovah\u2019s witness proselytizing at work. Turns out it was a English Premier League soccer coach. He had given an interview in which he said people born w\/birth defects, disabilities were being punished for the sins they committed in a former life. There was a huge outcry & he lost his job \u2026 even if you believe something like that, a public figure can\u2019t say people w\/disabilities are being punished for sins of a past life.<\/p>\n In Jesus\u2019s day this was the dominant view among Jewish people. If you had a birth defect, then either you or your parent had sinned somewhere along the way. One ancient writer refers to a baby born w\/deformity. He says the reason is the mother walked through pagan orchard & \u201cwas delighted\u201d by the trees\u2026 so her child was born w\/a physical defect.<\/p>\n It seems silly to us with our great big brains. But you\u2019d be surprised how often I talk w\/people in the midst of really HARD stuff of life & they have an irrational moment, thinking: Is God punishing me for something I did wrong? Ever have that thought? It\u2019s really a matter of needing to assign BLAME. Blame is just a way of discharging pain & discomfort. We see something wrong & it bothers us. But if we can figure out who to blame, then we don\u2019t have to feel responsible for it. If we can assign blame, then we don\u2019t feel as much of an obligation to suffer with<\/em> them & suffer for<\/em> them.<\/p>\n That\u2019s how it was in Jesus\u2019s culture. So the man who was blind since birth probably spent his whole life being judged, ignored, & blamed. He was disabled:<\/strong> people found that depressing. He was a beggar:<\/strong> people found that demanding. But it was a little less depressing & demanding if they could find somebody to blame. That way they could walk by him everyday w\/out having to feel bad for him\u2026 or especially w\/out having to feel responsible. He was either seen as a sinner, or else he just became an invisible man. He was not only blind, people were blind to him.<\/p>\n So the disciples aren\u2019t insensitive, they are just asking the obvious question, v. 2 \u2018Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?\u2019 To them, it was theoretical; like a case study. They could only see theological question, not the man himself. So Jesus says, \u201c3\u2018Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God\u2019s works might be revealed in him.\u201d Which, if you think about it, is why we have all been born\u2026 so that God\u2019s works might be revealed in us.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an interesting question: who sinned? Who can we blame? But their idea of sin is part of an OLD ORIENTATION Jesus is trying to dispel. Before we ask who sinned, should probably stop & think about what we mean when we use the word sin. Because I think we might need a new orientation on this too.<\/p>\n The Hebrew people had a word to describe what lived at the heart of God\u2019s vision for his creation & that word was SHALOM. Shalom literally means \u201cpeace\u201d but it\u2019s bigger than that. Shalom means everything rightly ordered. Existing in harmony; doing what it was created to do\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n When I was in college had to take one 6 hr course called human anatomy & physiology, including 3 hours of lab during which we dissected actual cadavers. The very first concept the lecturer introduced was homeostasis<\/em>: the condition in which the body lives at a stable equilibrium; the body\u2019s natural state \u2013 everything functioning in harmony. If something isn\u2019t firing right, the body will notice it\u2019s not at homeostasis & it\u2019ll try and correct the problem. If your temperature\u2019s too high you\u2019ll sweat. If you haven\u2019t had enough water \u2013 you\u2019ll thirst. The body will try to restore that homeostasis. SHALOM is a lot like homeostasis, only 4 the entire creation.<\/p>\n We often say this happens in 4 directions for the person. We experience peace or SHALOM when we are relating naturally\/peacefully to: God, ourselves, other people, & the created order. So, peace is not just lack of violence, or inner peace, although those are certainly part of it. Peace does not come when arrange the circumstances of our life into perfect order (cause when does that ever happen?) Peace comes when every part of our life exists in right relationship to everything else.<\/p>\n SIN, is what the Hebrew people called it when the SHALOM was disrupted. Sin is any kind of disruption of shalom<\/em>. This is very different from the concept of sin that most of us were taught. I was taught that sin meant, \u201cDon\u2019t drink or smoke or chew, or go with girls who do.\u201d But, sin is much bigger than wrong behaviors or attitudes. Sin is anything that disrupts Shalom.<\/p>\n In the NT, whenever JS sees a disruption in SHALOM he moves against it to try and restore the peace<\/em>. Now\u2026 this means that even the brokenness of the world serves a redemptive purpose. Which means (for us & certainly for the man born blind): the place of our deepest wounding \u2013 is meant to be the place where God does his work of healing & restoration. That\u2019s why JS says, \u201c3\u2018Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God\u2019s works might be revealed in him. This is why we have all been born\u2026 so that God\u2019s works might be revealed in us\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n Jesus is going to use the man\u2019s weakest point \u2013 his blindness, to give them all yet another glimpse of what his entire mission is about. In other words, what he does for the blind man, is what he\u2019s going to do for all of us. First for the church \u2013 those who are a part of the body of Christ. Then for the world \u2013 somehow, through us\u2026 One of my favorite theologians N.T. Wright was in town this past week & our staff & some others went to see him. He said in one of his lectures (paraphrasing but close): \u201cThe church is God\u2019s purposes for all creation being seen in advance through this community.\u201d God is restoring shalom in YOU & in the WORLD by bringing it all back into relationship w\/God through this new community. And to enact this mission he heals the blind man.<\/p>\n \u201c6 he spat on the ground & made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man\u2019s eyes, 7 saying to him, \u2018Go, wash in the pool of Siloam\u2019 (which means sent). Then he went & washed & came back able to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Now technically, this action makes Jesus a Sabbath breaker. Observing the Sabbath was a big boundary marker for the Jewish people. There were 39 specific works which were forbidden on Sabbath\u2026 couldn\u2019t cut your fingernails, couldn\u2019t pluck a hair from your head or beard, couldn\u2019t wear sandals which had a sole nailed to them. Woven sandals were fine, but if they had nails in them, then each time you lift your foot was counted as work.<\/p>\n Another forbidden act was kneading bread\/clay \u2013 which JS did with the dirt. Another was healing \u2013 which JS did as well. It was a very technical thing. You could receive medical attention only if your life was in danger; then only enough to keep you from dying\u2026which is ironic given that in Deuteronomy 5, part of the rationale for Sabbath keeping was so that those who typically get overlooked in society can be seen. Sabbath was meant to be the one day of the week during which the rest of the people are not too busy to see the children, slaves, aliens, the sick.<\/p>\n So Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath & makes clay, works on Sabbath. This bothers the Pharisees. So they appoint a special prosecutor & start the investigation. First w\/the people who knew him. Each morning someone from town would have to walk the blind, the sick, the lame to the synagogue where they\u2019d sit outside the synagogue and beg for alms\u2026 which actually brings up an interesting point. Think how much time the Pharisees spent at the synagogue. They would have walked by this guy a thousand times. But they had never SEEN him. They had to ask other people who he was.<\/p>\n So, they bring him in & he tells the whole story (course they don\u2019t believe him\u2026 think it\u2019s a ruse) so they call his parents in, & they say, \u201clook he\u2019s our son; he\u2019s blind since birth; if you want more info ask him (he\u2019s of age).\u201d It says,<\/p>\n 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews.\u201d In John when you see \u201cThe Jews\u201d it\u2019s talking about Pharisees. Everyone in this story is Jewish, Jesus, blind man, parents\u2026John\u2019s talking about the Jews w\/the power to ex-communicate. That\u2019s the Pharisees\u2026 and it says v.22: \u201c\u2026 the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23Therefore his parents said, \u2018He is of age; ask him.\u2019\u201d So the Pharisees call the man born blind in again. 24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, \u2018Give glory to God! [Aside: Jews didn\u2019t take oaths. This phrase was like saying \u201cdo you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.\u201d] We know that this man [JS] is a sinner.\u2019 25He answered, \u2018I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.\u2019 26They said to him, \u2018What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?\u2019 27He answered them, \u2018I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n He\u2019s making fun of them now; saying, \u2018you guys are obsessed w\/this guy, maybe you want to be his disciples?\u201d<\/p>\n 28Then they reviled him, saying, \u2018You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.\u2019 30The man answered, \u2018Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.\u2019 34They answered him, \u2018You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And they drove him out. That resolution here is very important. They drive him out of the synagogue\u2026 this action is significant. In the Gospel of Mark, the blind man is given a name: Bartimaeus<\/em>. (son of the unclean). This man had never gone into the synagogue \u2013 he was unclean. He had sat outside & begged his whole life. He was never was allowed to worship until Jesus puts mud on his eyes & says, \u201cwash at the pool of Siloam\u201d (another important detail). This washing is a ritual cleansing\u2026 it gave the man access to the synagogue. For the first time in his life he can go worship w\/his people..Because he is ritually clean. And what do the religious leaders do? They drove him out of the synagogue!<\/p>\n __________________________________________________________<\/p>\n This is the sad reality: This stuff goes on all the time. It\u2019s going on in our world right now. Somebody says or does something that the religious elite don\u2019t like & they call them sinners or heretics & do their best to drive them out. Somebody struggling w\/ sexuality, addictions, doubt, things they\u2019ve done, things that have been done to them\u2026 there are always religious people ready to judge them & drive them out \u2013 to reject them \u2026 on behalf of God.<\/strong><\/p>\n __________________________________________________________<\/p>\n So what will Jesus do about this? Pick it up in v.35 \u201cwhen Jesus heard they had driven him out, he went to find him.\u201d I stinking love this part\u2026 I\u2019m telling you, this is part of why I love and follow Jesus: The Pharisees drove him away\u2026 Jesus? He goes to find him. That\u2019s what God is really like. God is hunting down the blind & the broken ones\u2026 it says:<\/em><\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 when he found him, he said, \u2018Do you believe in the Son of Man? 36He answered, \u2018And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.\u2019 37Jesus said to him, \u2018You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.\u2019 38He said, \u2018Lord, I believe.\u2019 And he worshipped him.\u201d<\/p>\n If you remember back to last week & the story of the woman at the well. You can actually see some deep similarities: A woman of ill-repute, shunned by her community, at the well in the middle of the day, talking about access to the temple & where they should worship, calling Jesus a prophet, then Messiah. Here, we have man born blind, shunned by the community, sitting in front of the synagogue where he is not allowed to worship, calling Jesus a prophet, then Messiah.<\/p>\n Jesus speaks w\/ Samaritan woman. \u201cI know that the Messiah is coming\u201d (who is called Christ). \u201cWhen he comes he will proclaim all things to us.\u201d Jesus said to her, \u201cI am he, the one who is speaking to you.\u201d Jesus sees the man to which most are blind, asking if he believes in the \u201cSon of Man\u201d (which is a Messianic title in John), & the man born blind says, \u201cwho is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.\u2019 37Jesus said to him, \u2018You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.\u2019 38He said, \u2018Lord, I believe.\u2019 And he worshipped him.<\/p>\n In both cases Jesus is revealing himself as the Messiah, the Christ, the son of Man\u2026 as the one who has come to bring SHALOM. In the first story, it\u2019s the disciples who don\u2019t get it. The Samaritans do \u2013 the ones who are usually left out. And in the second story, it\u2019s the Pharisees who don\u2019t get it. The man born blind does \u2013 the one who is usually left out. The revelation of JS as Israel\u2019s Messiah produces belief on the part of some; and blindness on the part of others.<\/p>\n And John has Jesus and the Pharisees on a collision course here, which is sort of the climax of the whole story. 39Jesus said, \u2018I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.\u2019 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, \u2018Surely we are not blind, are we?\u2019 41Jesus said to them, \u2018If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, \u201cWe see\u201d, your sin remains.<\/p>\n All along in the gospel, John has been calling Jesus the light. John 1:5<\/strong> \u201cthe light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.\u201d John 8:12<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cI am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.\u201d Here in John 9:5<\/strong> \u201cAs long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.\u201d So Jesus has come as the light. And Jesus has come as the judge. And when he\u2019s done the blind see, and the seers are blind.<\/p>\n We talked about this reality a lot during Epipahy \u2013 JS is experienced very differently by the man born blind, than he is by the Pharisees. This light also has this element of judgment. It exposes those who are not living truly. It\u2019s like a flashlight that shines in a dark room. It exposes the things they are hiding\u2026 (usually, btw, on religious people).<\/p>\n So, when his light shines on a 5 time divorcee Samaritan \u2013 it makes her whole, and she sees JS is the Messiah. When it shines on a man blind from birth \u2013 it restores his sight, and he\u2019s able to see that JS is the Messiah. But when it shines on the Pharisees \u2013 it exposes them as the source of the fractured SHALOM\u2026 they\u2019re the cause for the lack of shalom\u2026 because they refuse to be humbled when God shows up.<\/p>\n The problem isn\u2019t that the Pharisees are wrong, it\u2019s that they\u2019re unwilling to admit their wrongness. Jesus was never scandalized by broken people. What he could never stomach was the fakers\u2026 actors\u2026 hypocrites who had convinced themselves they were perfect. They don\u2019t find healing because they can\u2019t admit they are sick! They don\u2019t find wholeness because they think they\u2019ve been made whole by their own righteousness.<\/p>\n When Jesus shows up in John, he\u2019s is called \u201cthe light of the world.\u201d Those who are in darkness \u2013 i.e. man born blind in this story. Jesus is the light for them. They can now see. But those who think they are in the light \u2013 i.e. Pharisees. He\u2019s the light for them too but for them it\u2019s the light of judgment. But it\u2019s the same light! Jesus \u2026 the light of the world<\/p>\n Does that make sense? Jesus is the light of the world. To some this means healing. To some this means judgment that exposes their true condition. But it\u2019s the same light. You know what makes the difference? The difference is their answer to the question of his identity. The woman confesses Jesus as Messiah to all of her friends in her community and she\u2019s restored. The blind man falls on his face and worships Jesus as Messiah, and he is restored.<\/p>\n Jesus says (v.39) \u2018I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.\u2019 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, \u2018Surely we are not blind, are we?\u2019 41Jesus said to them, \u2018If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, \u201cWe see\u201d, your sin remains.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a pretty stunning thing to say\u2026 \u201cIf you were blind \u2013 if you had the obvious problem & everyone could see it \u2013 then you wouldn\u2019t be a sinner.\u201d He\u2019s saying the man born blind is not a sinner.<\/em> He\u2019s just suffering under the effects of sin in the world. It\u2019s sin for sure, but not his sin. It\u2019s the sin that\u2019s part of the whole messed up situation \u2013 disrupted shalom, lack of homeostasis. He\u2019s guilty of nothing except being weak & broken. Who\u2019s not guilty of that? His blindness is a lack of SHALOM to be sure\u2026but it\u2019s not the source of that lack, so Jesus draws near.<\/p>\n And this is a radical thing he says. This explodes the Judaism of his day. Jesus says, \u201cIf you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, \u2018We see,\u2019 your sin remains.\u201d You struggling w\/some sort of brokenness? You have a blindness? (physically, emotionally, spiritually)? Jesus doesn\u2019t hold it against you. But if you self-justify\u2026 you hold yourself up as the holy ones? \u2026Jesus says \u201cyou are the ones who are really blind.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n __________________________________________________________<\/p>\n Man you think of all the time Christians spend condemning all of the people they call sinners\u2026 JS just blows that up here in John 09. He\u2019s like, \u201cNuh-uh\u2026 no way\u2026 if you were really blind (like, dealing w\/ a problem that you just can\u2019t handle), I got grace for that. But because you are so convinced that you see perfectly, that you have no sin, so you can set yourself up as the judge & jury\u2026 the lack of shalom is on you.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n __________________________________________________________<\/p>\n If sin is the disruption of Shalom, then JS is saying that the reason for that disruption is not that the man is blind, but that the Pharisees are. Because the Pharisees refuse to welcome this poor broken man into the life of their community. It turns out \u2013 they are the ones who are really blind! Stunning.<\/p>\n Jean Vanier<\/strong> \u2013 is one of my heroes, he was a Canadian \u2013 grew up in France because his father was part of the diplomatic corps for Canada. Vanier was brilliant \u2013 Naval College & officer in WWII. He got his PhD. in philosophy \u2013 wrote on Aristotle. He was a committed Christian and was never completely sold on the Navy or Academy. He had this mentor named Fr. Thomas \u2013 a chaplain at a home for people w\/severe mental disabilities. As Vanier spent time w\/his mentor at the facility, he became bothered by these institutions. He thought they were casting aside human beings too easily; quarantining them as misfits of nature & not as human beings.<\/p>\n So one day Vanier decided to rescue 2 men from a terrible institution, and he brought them home to live with him. They were both severely disabled & had no family. So he took them in, christened his house L\u2019Arche (the ark), and began just to share his life w\/them. All they did was live together in a home; worked around the house; built a friendship & makeshift family: the results were stunning.<\/p>\n For 1 thing: Philippe & Raphael, the 2 men, became happy. They still had their severe disability, but they began to flourish. Then, people started showing up from out of nowhere to help. Within 6 months Vanier was asked to take over the institution where his mentor was the chaplain & convert it to L\u2019Arche. Five years later they started a L\u2019Arche in India, then Canada. Today there are 134 such communities in 35 countries @ world (including one here in Kansas City).<\/p>\n Most of them are small homes and communities where the boundaries between patients and professionals have been erased. Residents live together & work together in group homes.\u00a0Over the years, people of all walks of life have become involved (Henri Nouwen is one of them) \u2013 it\u2019s become an innovative model (not treating\/giving a life).<\/p>\n It\u2019s been 50 yrs now he\u2019s lived with the mentally disabled. Over that time Vanier has become convinced of the power of broken people \u2013 in the life of a community. He\u2019s convinced they are a conduit of God\u2019s healing & grace. He says that the reality that Jesus seemed to know is that the weak & the broken have hidden power most fail to recognize. That power is that they don\u2019t have the ability to mask their own weakness. So they just share it \u2013 embrace it. And when they do it unleashes the power of Christ\u2026 inviting the presence of the God who inhabits weakness.<\/em> When they expose the ways in which they are all broken, it\u2019s as though God draws very near to them all\u2026<\/p>\n Vanier notes that when you work w\/the mentally disabled, most people think the success story is for them to learn to live on their own. What they found is that in the cases in which they were \u201csuccessful\u201d and people moved into their own place, it nearly always led to alcoholism. They\u2019d get lonely & start drinking. Isn\u2019t that interesting? What Vanier has come to believe & what he teaches is that: Independence does not lead to health it leads to loneliness, Interdependence (community) leads to health.<\/p>\n Human beings are wired for connection not autonomy. We\u2019re wired for mutuality and love. What endangers our SHALOM is not our brokenness & our issues. What endangers our SHALOM is when we allow our brokenness to cut us off from the body of Christ \u2013 church.<\/p>\n Sometimes we do this to ourselves\u2026 can\u2019t be real w\/each other, or put on an act for the church\u2026 man, don\u2019t do that here of all places\u2026 It\u2019ll cut you off from God\u2019s peace. Sometimes we do this to one another. The reason the Pharisees miss out isn\u2019t cause Jesus is mad at them. They miss out because they don\u2019t want everybody included. The Pharisees thought SHALOM would come when you drive out all the UNCLEAN & have a pure Israel. They don\u2019t WANT to be in communion w\/the blind man. Even after he\u2019s been healed\u2026 they still drove him out!!<\/p>\n So Jesus, in this story, completely redefines sin for his people. In the gospel of John: \u201cSin is defined in one way only \u2013 what is your relationship to JS!\u201d And specifically by whether or not you really believe that God is present in Jesus restoring SHALOM\u2026 He is the light of the world. If he shines on you and you say, \u201cheal me I\u2019m broken!\u201d His light will restore you. If he shines on you and you say, \u201cI don\u2019t need healing.\u201d Then his light exposes that as a lie \u2013 a disruption of Shalom.<\/p>\n __________________________________________________________<\/p>\n In our own lives, when God sees us, especially the parts of our lives that are not as they should be, our own sins, our brokenness, the wounds we carry around, our failures, our fears and all that stuff. Your place of deepest wounding is where he does his best work. He does not count that against us\u2026 He does not turn his face. So we have no right to count those things against each other. This is the great change JS brought in the way we view God. God does not run from our brokenness. God enters into our brokenness fully. God comes right into the middle of our blindness, to restore shalom \u2013 to give us sight.<\/strong><\/p>\n __________________________________________________________<\/p>\n And the only way to blow it is to 1) insist that you don\u2019t need it, & 2) to ostracize others because of their struggles & problems.<\/em> In the end the man born blind could see & the Pharisees were blind. Don\u2019t make those mistakes. What would it take for you to bring your brokenness out into the open? I promise you\u2019ll find that the light of the world will heal you\u2026 that the place of your deepest wounding will be the place he touches you & performs his greatest work in your life.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 2014.03.24 \u2013 Lent 04 John 9:1-41 \u2013 The Man Born Blind There was a story in the news a few years back \u2013 a man in the UK had been fired from his job for religious reasons. I figured it was an evangelical or Jehovah\u2019s witness proselytizing at work. Turns out it was a English […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[943,941,940,942,945,944],"class_list":["post-2886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-jean-vanier","tag-john-91-14","tag-lent-4a","tag-man-born-blind","tag-richard-stearns","tag-world-vision"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n John 9:1-41 \u2013 The Man Born Blind<\/strong><\/p>\n