Dec. 1, 2015

Sight from a Fountain

There's this guy spoken of in the Bible who was born blind (John 9). I haven't given his plight much thought until recently. I tried to put myself in his place to imagine what it would be like to constantly be in the dark. I've been told that when one of our senses does not function that our other senses seem to pick up the slack. Perhaps that meant that he could hear better. I don't know. Back when he was living people looked down their noses at those that had some kind of malady and tried to distance themselves from them. They were the outcasts of society. So glad people don't behave that way today or do they. Even the disciples of Jesus wanted to know who sinned that he was born blind. When Jesus rubbed mud on his eye sockets and told him to go wash in a fountain I tried to imagine how he knew what direction to go in to get to the fountain. Perhaps he could hear the noise the water made or one of his friends led him. At any rate he comes back seeing! Can you just imagine hearing familiar sounds and finally being able to see where those sounds were coming from.

Here's this guy. He's been an outcast all of his life and his outcast position was defined by religious people. That doesn't happen today does it? The kicker to this story for me comes when Jesus makes the statement that he came for judgement so that those who are blind may see and those who think they see may remain blind. Ouch! If ever there was a paradox here it is! What this story has communicated to me is unless I court the idea and come to some decision that I too have been born blind I may not have the opportunity to step into the light of real understanding.