Pastor's Posting

Monday Morning Musings

Yesterday we ended the series, The Recovery Channel. All in all, I thought it was helpful to address some issues we all face. From several of the off-Sunday morning visits I had with people, I know we touched on some things we are deeply moved by.

I love the story from John 9. Here are some of the major concepts that rock my world every time I read it.

First, I'm afraid I'm more like the Pharisees in the synagogue than the blind man. I have been trained to teach people to conform rather than to set them free. I have always struggled with whether or not what I do on Sunday mornings actually frees people to "see" Jesus and how he sees the world, or, am I simply offering conventional thinking that people believe they must conform to in order to belong or be accepted.

I've been reading Mark Strom's book Reframing Paul for the class I teach on Monday nights for BHCTI. He blasts me every time I review his last section on "reframing grace-full conversation."

Here's the syllogism from my message that represented the Pharisee's thinking. How many times do I negate the work of God because it does not "logically" fit into what I already know?

God made the rule to keep the Sabbath.
The man who healed the blind man broke the rule.
Therefore, the healer is a sinner.
It follows, then, a sinner cannot do miracles because God would never work through someone who broke the divine rule.

Oh yeah, the fear of excommunication kept the parents from speaking what they believed to be true. That same fear keeps too many caught in religion from saying what is on their hearts for fear of not being accepted or condemned as an outsider.

I wish I were more like the disciples who watched the whole thing. This was one of seven pivital events (signs) John chose to record so "that you might trust Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God," so, it must have impressed him also. Watching Jesus answer their question, heal the man, seek out the man, and confront the religious leaders must have challenged all they knew about reality too. I pray Jesus would continually do that for me.

We forget that blind people who can see what to talk about seeing, not about how it happened. Sometimes in churches, like in the synagogue that day, we want to analyze and explain everything. We miss the mystery and story we find ourselves in when we do that, and we force the seeing person to focus on the how rather than on the new. We do that a lot with people who have just begun to follow Jesus, too. We want to shore them up theologically before we trust that Jesus has really changed them.

The seeing blind man's confession is the best answer we all can give: "Whether he is a sinner or not I don't know [meaning I'm not going to get in a theological debate with you], One thing I know. I was blind and now I see." (v. 25) Yes, we are to be prepared to give a defense (apology) for why we trust Jesus, but sometimes what he has done in our lives is better than our explanation of what he did.

I love best that Jesus not only healed the man of his physical infirmity, but he healed him of his hurt by religious people. Jesus sought the man out when he heard how he had been treated by the religious leaders, and he made sure the guy knew their opinions and religious system was not what made him right with God, it was "seeing" and trusting Jesus. I find that much of our ministry at Legacy is healing people hurt by religious people. Systems of religion do much to damage the faith of those who truly long to know God.

Alan and Allison Ford's story is the real deal. I loved their honesty and how they honored God in it all. Kudos to their LifeGroup for walking alongside them through it all.

So, what struck you about the story?

Posted by Gene Wilkes at March 13, 2006 10:58 AM