People are funny.  In fact, I’ve heard it say that “No one is funnier than people.”  I believe it.  The way people respond to situations that make them uncomfortable is what makes sociology so interesting.  We’re a weird mixture of ego, emotion, ambition, and ambivalence to name a few of our dominant ingredients.

Its been a long time coming, but I want to take a crack at wrapping up this situation found in John 9.  Here are some of the highlights leading up to what eventually leaves me shaking my head.  Maybe it’ll do the same to you:

v. 1-2: Disciples see a blind man and question Jesus why he’s blind.

v. 3-5: Jesus schools the disciples.

v. 6-7: Jesus heals the blind man.

v. 8-9: The neighborhood marvels and wonders if the now ex-blind man is even the blind man.

v. 10-12: The ex-blind man tells his neighbors that “The man they call Jesus” healed him.

v. 13-15: The Pharisees are ticked off because Jesus healed on the Sabbath. How dare he.

v. 16-17: The Pharisees decide that Jesus isn’t from God, but ask the blind man his opinion.

v.  18-23: The Pharisees don’t like the ex-blind man’s opinion, so they ask his parents for more information.

v. 24-26: The Pharisees don’t like the parents’ input either and go back to the ex-blind man for more information.

v. 27-33: The ex-blind man schools the Pharisees and sarcastically invites them to become Jesus’ disciples.

v. 34: The Pharisees are utterly insulted by this and throw the ex-blind man out.

So, to put it succinctly: Jesus heals a blind man and the Pharisees throw him out.   Wow.

Those who accept grace from God cheer on others to receive and revel in the same grace.  Those who don’t…well….don’t.

I just want to be one who is found nudging others toward “The man they call Jesus”, not being so into myself or the way I think things should be that I miss opportunities to celebrate the goodness of God’s grace in ANYONE’S life, no matter who they are, where they’ve been, how they feel, or what they’ve done.  The Pharisees couldn’t stand the fact that grace had come to a blind man who they probably thought was getting what he deserved.  I mean, how dare Jesus interrupt the cycle of cosmic justice that they thought caused his blindness in the first place?

What is about the threat of equal opportunity forgiveness and grace that rattles some people?  What is it that would cause someone to, like a child on Christmas morning, receive an extravagant gift and then do their dead-level best to keep it to themselves?

First, we like control.  Jesus’ miracle in that blind man’s life shook the Pharisees’ sense of control and lordship over the sabbath rules and over people in general.  We as humans like control and few things get us on edge quicker than when things feel out of our control.

Next, we like to decide who gets grace.  We take a look at someone and often in a matter of milliseconds make a decision on if they’re going to get any grace from us; usually based on what we know of them and the decisions we think they’ve made that we don’t approve of.

Discomfort is–I’ve found–often God’s favorite teaching environment.  Its when things are uncomfortable that we’re most likely to learn what God is teaching….if we’re willing.  Otherwise, when faced with the opportunity to see God at work, we’ll stick to our pride and throw the blind bum out.  Whenever you find yourself being stretched, think about the eventual result of that stretching.  Though painful in this moment, you’ll be stronger in the next.

I’m one of those weirdos that believe God created the universe.  If you want to know more about some of my crazy beliefs, check them out here.  The fact that I believe that is directly connected with the segment of John 9 that will make up what I’d like to kick around today.  The God of the universe is a hands-on God, but only when it comes to humans.  God has always been and is still today desirous of that kind of intimate connection with the humans He created and loves.  Look in Genesis 1 and 2; for all of creation except humans, God said, “Let there be ______….and there was               .”  But when He made humans: “And God formed man out of the dust of the ground…” (Gen. 2:7)   The implication here is that of a sculptor or a potter, shaping a masterpiece with his own two hands.  In fact, not only did God sculpt man with his hands, but He breathed His own breath of life into man.  Can you believe that the breath you’re breathing right now is the breath of God?  I’ll say it again: this is crazy stuff.

Take a look at John 9:6-7.  Something weird happens.

“After saying this, he [Jesus] spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.  “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.”

Why in the world did Jesus use the method of making mud with his own saliva and with his hands smearing it in the blind man’s eyes?   Isn’t that peculiar (and kind of gross)?  Why not do as He had done in other instances and just “say the word” and the healing happens?  And why did He instruct the blind man to go wash the mud out in a nearby pool?  Even for Jesus, this seems an odd approach to a miracle that just as easily could have been a “hands-free” situation.

Follow this quick progression: God created Adam and Eve and we walked and talked with them in the garden. (Gen. 3:8) After sin entered through their disobedience, that close fellowship was broken.  Because of sin, God could no longer have intimate fellowship with humans.  Our sin caused the divide.  But God wasn’t willing to let things stay that way.  We see in the first five books of the Bible a God who is desperately trying to get close to His people.  He goes so far as to instruct them (Exodus 25) to make an ornate box called “The Ark of the Covenant” in which He would dwell.  Is it just me, or does it seem astounding to anyone else that the God of the universe would essentially allow Himself to be “boxed in” just so that He can be close to His people?  We also know that God had a strong desire to come close to Moses, but knew that Moses couldn’t ever survive looking on the glory of God.  So God did something else equally peculiar.  He placed Moses in the crevice of a mountain where he would be shielded and then passed by Moses, covering Moses with His hand.  Once God has gone passed, He allowed Moses to see Him as he moved away from him. (Exodus 33:17-23)  Again, all because God has always desired closeness with His beloved creation, specifically humans.

Its no wonder then that at the moment of Jesus death, the veil separating the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies in the temple was torn in two (Mark 15:38).  No longer would God be separated from His creation as He has been for thousands of years.  The torn veil was the message that whoever would draw close to Me, I will welcome Him with grace and forgiveness.

So it’s actually fitting that Jesus healed the blind man with his own saliva and his own hands.  This Jesus, the only Son of God–God incarnate–is desperate to be in contact and in fellowship with you and I.  How close are you letting Jesus get to you today?

And don’t forget that Jesus involved the blind man in his own healing by giving him the instruction to wash in the pool of Siloam.  Not only has God always wanted closeness with us, but He also wants involvement with us.  He not only wants connection, but He wants communion.  How has God been drawing you close lately?  How are you responding to His invitation/instruction to be involved with Him?

Feel free to share your thoughts, and check back soon for Part 3.

 

What is it about grace that ticks some people off?  Take a look at John 9 for a great example of the devastating effects of grace on a variety of people.  Here’s the situation:

There’s a blind guy that Jesus’ disciples ask about.  They want to know why he’s blind; was it because of his own sin or the sin of his parents? Fair question I guess.  Or not.  Whatever.  Either way, Jesus answers them: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned…” (v. 3)

From the disciples point of view, the blindness was a result of sin.  From a broader perspective though, they were looking through the lens of justice (he’s getting what he deserves), but Jesus was–and is–looking through the lens of grace (people getting what they don’t deserve).  And that’s shown in what Jesus says next: “…but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (v. 3)

There’s a bunch more to say (note the “Part 1” in the title), so come back for the continuation.

For today, chat with God about which set of lenses you’re looking through as you interact with people today.  Are your responses and interactions based on grace or on justice?  Do you treat people based on how they treat you, or are you willing to go beyond the boundaries of someone else’s limits and live a grace that blesses others so that the works of God might be displayed?

This coming week is our annual “Open House” where our students do stuff like fill out their medical release form for the year, find out about ministry opportunities, sign up for small group and meet their small group leaders.

During the Open House, there’ll be an abbreviated small group time for leaders and their students.  I created the following tool for my small group leaders and figured “Hey, maybe somebody else in the world could use this somehow.”  If that’s you, great.

Jerry

Small Group Open House 2013 Script

Jesus said to anyone who would follow Him, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

(That should have been our first clue.)

Nearly all of Jesus’ disciples died a martyr’s death.

(That should have tipped us off.)

There is an incredible book entitled “Fox’s Book of Martyrs” that tells of countless people and their willingness to pay for their faith in Christ with their very lives.

(Martyrdom becoming so prevalent should have been a huge red flag.)

I was reading this morning about a Christian Pakistani woman who is currently in prison for blaspheming the prophet Mohammed.  She maintains that she did no such thing, but the angry Muslim mob in her village insists that she did.  The two options given to her by the crowd were to a) convert to Islam or b) die.  Beaten to unconsciousness at the hands of this mob, her life was spared only by the police who arrived to violently throw her in their vehicle, take her to the police station, and continue the attack, including spitting repeatedly on this woman.  With no evidence but the mob’s accusations, she was thrown into prison.  And I’d be willing to bet my bottom dollar that she’s either going to be put to death for her alleged crime or she’ll die in that prison cell.  Either way, she’s going out as a martyr for her faith in Christ.

Is this shocking?  Unfair?  Reeking of injustice?  Is it maddening to us, especially in Western culture? Could it be that dying for one’s faith in Jesus will eventually be normalized worldwide?  I suppose one might think so, if one believes the Bible.

It seems that everywhere I look (looking at you, New Mexico!) the walls are closing in on what I as a follower of Jesus can and cannot do or say.  It stands to reason that should I live long enough to see it, we as Christians in America very well may find ourselves on the receiving end of not merely threats, but acting out on those threats.  Why?  Because we’re “bigoted” enough to believe that there is a supremely loving God who has provided for anyone a Way to salvation, and His name is Jesus.  (Acts 4:12)

Have we as followers of Christ lost sight of our calling and therefore our passion?  Have we forgotten that to follow Jesus IS to follow Him into death (Matthew 16:24)?  That to receive His invitation is to embrace death (Galatians 2:20)?  Or have we instead translated His call into “be nice and play well with others”?  Is the Church in America doing a better job at developing mild-mannered, well-adjusted citizens than it is at multiplying disciples of Jesus who would–if faced with it–embrace martyrdom based on their love for their Savior?

We’re a “seeing is believing” kind of people.  We’re a “oh yeah, prove it” kind of people.  We’re a “unless you’ve got solid evidence, then I’m not buying it” kind of people.  If its any consolation, people have been like us since the beginning of recorded history.  What’s worse, even after evidence has been shown and facts proven, we can still slip into being unconvinced and needing re-convincing.  Anybody remember the struggles God had with Moses and the Israelites?  Anybody remember OJ?

I’ve been thinking about what I believe.  And you know what?  It’s crazy.  It really is.  I believe some crazy stuff, I admit it.

• I believe in a God I can’t see.
• I believe that this God spoke every bit of the natural universe into existence.  Yep, I said spoke.
• I believe God made humans with his own two hands (I’m guessing he has hands) like a potter with clay, and then breathed his own breath of life into them.
• I believe God called a man well into his AARP years to build a gigantic boat which would house 2 of every animal and save him and his family from a worldwide flood.
• I believe God gave the people he created rules to follow just to show them they can’t follow rules and thus can’t save themselves and thus needed him to save them.
• I believe God sent His only Son Jesus to earth by way of a teenage virgin named Mary.  Yep, I believe God caused Mary to be pregnant.  How?  I don’t have the slightest clue.
• I believe the Son of God was born quietly, lived perfectly, and died sacrificially on a Roman cross to pay for the sins of the world–yours and mine.  Why? Because God has always longed for a love relationship with the people he created.
• I believe that man died on that tree, was buried in a tomb, and brought Himself back to life 3 days later…just like he said he would on multiple occasions prior to his crucifixion.
• I believe Jesus did all that living, dying, and living again for no other reason then to offer me and you a way to come back to God despite my sins.
• I believe that one day I will physically die and in that moment I will literally be with Jesus for eternity.

(This is where it gets even crazier.) 

• I believe that one day (no one but God knows when) the sky will split open and the armies of heaven, led by Jesus Himself will return to earth.  Yep, I believe that this earth we are currently standing on will be ruled by Jesus in the peace that only Jesus can provide.  No more presidents, no more kings, no more dictators, no more ambassadors.  Just Lord Jesus.

 

Now, I think about those who know me, or knew me, or who I have yet to meet.  When they learn this stuff about me, they very well may think “that guy is crazy for believing that stuff”.  But I suppose that’s okay because I can’t bring myself to have the faith to believe otherwise….

• That there is no God and that we’re all results of some random cosmic collision billions of years ago or in any other way that we’re not an incredibly thought-out creation from an incredibly creative creator.
• That our species was once a single-celled something-or-other in some primordial ooze dripping from a crater somewhere on earth.
• That that cell became two, then 4, then a fish, then had legs, then grew hair, then walked upright, then became moral, then civilized, then built cars, planes, and the internet.
• That none of this life has meaning, or purpose, or impact.
• That there is no hope, peace, or reason in life because all those things can only come from design and a designer.  Since there’s no designer, there’s no such thing as hope, peace, or reason.
• That the highest goal in life on earth is to “do good” and “be nice”.
• That when my life is over I do nothing more than fertilize the ground I’m buried in.

 

So what crazy stuff do YOU believe?

This morning–just a little while ago in fact–God said something to me:

“Let’s go for a run.”

My gentle, submissive response was simply:

“What are you, crazy?!?  It’s like 9 a.m. and its already 90 degrees out there.  The humidity is topping 8 billion percent!  And don’t even get me started on the winter weight I vowed to shed before summer and here we are mid-July and I’ve just resolved that I need to keep it on in order to stay warm this coming winter.  A run?  Think again, God.”

But God persisted.  “Let’s go for a run.”

Since my first soliloquy didn’t do the trick, I figured I’d humor God.  I’d go for a run.  *Please keep in mind that I’m no runner. I don’t like running. I don’t get it. I find the notion of a “runner’s high” one of the most mind-boggling concepts in all of humanity.

But I went for a run because God said “Let’s go for a run.”

I took nothing with me but an ice cold water bottle from the fridge figuring that if God wanted me to run this was going to be some all-day affair and I’d need hydration while I lay in some faraway ditch somewhere waiting for medical assistance.  I left a note on our whiteboard that would surely catch the attention of anyone who knows me…

I stepped out of my front door into the morning sun ravaging any trace of coolness left on my face from my comfy air conditioned home.  I gave a deep sigh and breathed out a quick “Okay. Let’s go for a run.”

I hadn’t reached the end of the street before cardiac distress set in.  I thought for sure that “this is the big one, ‘Lizabeth!”  But in a moment it died down and I found a cadence I could live with.  Or at least avoid dying with.  No sooner did I decide that come what may I wasn’t going to turn back, did I hear God speak to me again.  But I think God knew my heart, knew what I was thinking, and wanted to teach me some truths about some stuff.  Hang with me, especially if you’re in ministry (but even if you’re not).  Here are a few things God said:

“Ignore the houses.”…You see when I started running my imagination had someone in each house I passed looking out from their air conditioned splendor at me and speaking one of two things: Either it was “Look at that moron running in zillion degree heat and humidity.” OR “Wow, look at that guy running despite the heat and humidity. What an inspiration!”  God reminded me that it doesn’t matter what onlookers think or say when it comes to me and my obedience to God.  Because you know what? There’ll always be both kinds of onlookers–those who are critical of you and those who are inspired by you.  For the sake of your obedience and sanity, give neither of them much attention.

“Run in the shade.”…As leaders we can sometimes get this martyrdom complex like we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders and somehow we find some kind of validation in taking the position of the pack mule.  Like Eeyore in the hundred acre wood, we give off this, “Oooh, I’ll be fine. Go on without me” vibe.  As if the disciple who needlessly carries the most weight wins.  NO!  God said to me, “You see that shade? Its cooler over there, Einstein. Run in the shade while shade is there.”  We all need constant refreshment in our spirit.  Not one of us can run and run and run and give and give and give without getting replenished.  Where is your shade?  Where is it you can go each day to find refreshment for your spirit?  On a spiritual level? On a personal level? On a professional level? On a marital level? On a parental level? On an emotional level?  By all means keep running, but run in the shade whenever you see it!  I foolishly thought my run would be more hardcore, more honorable, and somehow better if I did all I could to shrug off any comfort along the way.  What an idiotic thought.

“Ask me where to go.”…Okay, now don’t get weirded out by this one but when I left my house I didn’t have an idea of my route. When I reached the first stop sign I had to go left or right.  I quickly asked God “Which way?”  God said “Left.” I ran left.  I don’t think we can overstate how important it is to be in step with God and where he’s leading you.  It doesn’t matter if you’ve been where you are for 20 years or 20 minutes.  If you’re following Jesus you’re more than likely in danger of assuming you know the way He’s going.  Paul taught us to “walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16).  Its always a good idea to be in contact with God, making sure you’re going where He’s leading.

“Keep home in mind.”…Long before I ever saw my house, I saw my house.  What I mean is I kept my home in mind as I ran.  If you’re following Jesus here on earth, you are NOT home yet. Keep going all while keeping home in mind.  It’ll serve as fuel to run, to run well, to ignore the things that would drag you down, to lean on His direction and power, and to run home without stopping.