“Seeing with the Eyes of our Understanding”

Main point: Jesus grants spiritual sight to those who enter in through humility and faith.

Introduction

We all understand the powerful role stories play in our lives. Who doesn’t love a good book or a good movie? Who doesn’t appreciate the specialness of reading stories to kids - as their eyes light up and they get carried along by 

Dr. Richard Latham Lechowick, a research associate with the University of Cambridge said this about stories…

Stories are not just entertainment: they are vessels of memory, identity, and meaning. More than words strung together, stories are carriers of culture and architects of reality. … Storytelling is not a byproduct of human development—it is a primary engine driving it.

Today, we read a substantial story about a blind man, Jesus, and a diverse cast of characters who don’t know what to make of the situation in front of them. As we contemplate the story today, I invite you to invite that story into your own well of memory, identity, and meaning. Today, It is our story. And today we let the story do the heavy lifting as we trace our way though it and see what meaning we can draw from it.

Overview of the story

A man blind from birth begs in the street for money to buy his daily bread.

Jesus’ disciples see the man and pose to Jesus a common question of the day: Who is to blame for the conditions we see? Do we blame the parents? Or did this man sin himself?

Jesus answers emphatically: Neither. This is not a case of punishment. But in this case, as in every case of brokenness, God can be glorified in it.

The disciples’ question gives us an opportunity for reflection. Point 1: The Folly of the Blame Game. There are many in our day who try to create a link between troublesome circumstances in their lives and sins they have committed. Do you know what I mean? There are many who operate on a “if I’m good, God will bless me and if I’m bad, then bad stuff will happen to me”. 

I admit to you… there are times when I wish it were that simple. There are times when I wish I could control my environment by working really, really hard to do good stuff so I have a pleasant life. 

And on the other side of the ledger.. There are times when I wish I could have someone to blame for the troublesome circumstances of my life. At least then I have a clear reason for why bad stuff happens… then, it’s my fault! And if I can blame myself, then I can change it, get back on track, and make good things happen again. If only it were that simple.

Of course we know from experience, it’s not that simple. Life is way more complicated than that. I’ve tried to straighten up my life. I’ve tried to do better. I’ve tried to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative - but stuff still happens. Life is far too complex to be reduced down to a simple version of cause and effect. Jesus knows it doesn’t work that way. He knows we can’t turn God’s action into a detailed response to my action. God isn’t that small and I’m not that important.

I don’t control my environment. I never did. I play a part, sure. But I’m not that powerful. Jesus’ answer is the reminder we all need to bring us back to God. “Neither this person nor his parents sinned to bring this condition on him. This is not a case of punishment. But in this case, as in every case of brokenness, God can be glorified in it.