Filling in the Blind Spot (Sermon on the Man Born Blind John 9)

    I want to begin this morning by doing something a little different.  In your bulletin this morning on the insert, you will see something quite strange.  On one side, you have all the announcements and stuff, but on the other, you simply have the letter “X” toward one of the ends.  I’d like for you to take that piece of paper and look at the side with the “X” on it.  Hold it out in front of your face at arm’s length with the “X” either on the right or on the left hand side.  Close the eye opposite the “X” so that the X remains on the side with your opened eye.  Now, stare at the center of the page and slowly move the paper toward your face.  Keep staring at the center and move the paper toward you until you see the X disappear.  If you didn’t quite get it, keep practicing.  Eventually, it will happen to you.  The X will be gone, and all you will see is the blank piece of paper.

    What I have just done for you is illustrate something we all have in common.  We all have a blind spot.  Yes, you heard it correctly.  Everyone has a blind spot on each eye.  Furthermore, did you notice that when you were looking at the paper, only the X disappeared?  Did you notice that there wasn’t a hole in your vision?  Do you know why?  Your brain fills in the blanks.  Yes, that’s right.  That wonderful organ laying between your ears literally fills in the blanks and puts into place what it is expecting to see.  Now, you can believe me or not, but if you don’t I suggest you do a bit of research.  Google the blind spot.  Look it up on Youtube.  Talk to your optometrist.  It’s there.  I promise you.  And it is quite startling for those of us who have believed all along that our vision is totally reliable.  But that’s not necessarily true.  You aren’t necessarily seeing what you thought you were seeing.  Your brain is constantly filling in the blanks.

    I think we need to process this reality for just a moment.  I mean, the implications of this can be a bit disconcerting.  What is reality?  What is the nature of reality if our brains are constantly filling in the blanks?  What is the nature of truth?  Can we ever believe that we have the full picture of things if we all have a blind spot?  These are tough questions.  Tough questions indeed.

    And there are many who believe the answer is no.  Many people say, “Well, everyone has a piece of the truth, but no one grasps the whole truth.”  That’s a fashionable thing to say in this day and age.  Usually, they refer to a well-known parable to illustrate this thought.  It’s the parable of the blind men and the elephant.  Perhaps you have heard it before.

    A group of blind men encounter an elephant.  Each wants to figure out what the elephant “looks” like, and so each begins to feel a particular part of the beast.  After each touches a part of the elephant, the blind men hold a conference and argue about what the elephant “looks” like.

    The first argues the beast is like a hose.  He felt the trunk.

    The second argues the elephant is like a spear.  He felt the tip of the tusk.

    The next argues the animal is like a brick wall.  He felt the torso.

    The next argues the beast is like a tree stump.  He felt the leg.

    The last guy argues the elephant is like a rope.  He grabbed the tail.

    The men argue and argue and argue, each convinced he has the truth of what the animal looks like, but none have the total picture.  Each is right.  And each is wrong.  Oftentimes at this point, someone will say this is the way religious people are.  Each religion has a part of the truth–each religion gets some things right about the nature of God, but none grasps the whole truth.

    The argument sounds good on paper.  It seems to grasp the nature of reality.  It seems to level the playing field when it comes to religious pluralism and doesn’t allow anyone to have any sort of superiority when it comes to beliefs.  Right?

    Well, wrong, actually.  I mean, this parable only works if someone else can see the whole elephant.  No one knows the blind guys are both right and wrong unless he can see the whole beast himself.  In other words, how can you say that these folks are all blind unless you yourself can see?  How can you say that everyone has a part of the truth but no one has the whole truth unless you yourself know the whole truth?  Either you have the whole truth or your are just as blind as everyone else.  Which is it?

    I’ve just shown you through a simple illustration, we all have a blind spot.  So guess what the reality is?  We are all blind.  We are all grasping at reality.  Who really knows what the truth is?  Who really knows who God is?

    This would pose a massive problem for us IF, and I want to emphasize that IF for a second, IF we as humans had to try and discover God all on our own.  IF we had to work our way up to God and try to discover the nature of God using our own devises, we would never, ever arrive at any sort of understanding of the Truth.  We would never, ever come to understand who God is and how God cares for us.  We would never be able to grasp the total reality as our brains would keep filling in the blanks putting stuff in that we want to be there instead of what is actually there.  If it were all up to us, this would be the case.

    Fortunately, it is not completely and totally up to us.  Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem.  Since we could not discover the nature of God on our own.  Since we could not grasp the reality of God because we are blind, God came to us to reveal Himself to us.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but so that the world may be saved through Him.”  Jesus Christ entered the world to help us see.

    Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the 9th chapter of the book of John.  The story begins with a man who was born blind.  The disciples look at this guy and say, “Jesus, who sinned that this man was born blind?  Did he sin or did his parents sin?”

    Remember, at this time, the prominent belief was that if you had some sort of malady, God was punishing you for your sin.  This belief is still strong in some folks today because it is all about works-righteousness.  If you aren’t doing the right things, God will punish you.  If you are doing the right things, God will reward you.  Jesus wasn’t about the works-righteousness narrative.  Jesus operated and still operates by grace.  The disciples haven’t gotten there yet, so Jesus uses this as a teachable moment.

    Jesus responds, “Neither this guy nor his parents sinned, but his blindness is there as an opportunity to show God’s might.”   This is a radical statement.  Illness?  Disability?  Pain?  Suffering?  As opportunity to show God’s might?  Yep.  As Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.”  That’s what grace is.  God’s light breaking into the darkness.

    Jesus places mud on the man’s eyes and then tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam.  The man does, and low and behold, he can see.

    You would think that this would be an occasion for great celebration and joy.  You would think that people would take note and go crazy that someone had experienced such a miraculous healing.  But they do not.  They become skeptical.  You know, there are those who say that ancient people were ignorant and believed in miracles because they didn’t know anything about the laws of nature and physics.  I submit to you exhibit A that they actually did.  People didn’t fall on their knees praising God and celebrating when they saw this guy now able to see.  They were terribly skeptical and started asking all kinds of questions.  Is this really the guy who couldn’t see or is it someone else?  If this is really you, who made your eyes open?  Question after question after question.

    And the guy is dumbfounded.  I mean, really, he’s dumbfounded.  He couldn’t see and now he can, and everyone is asking him 20 questions.  He knows the guy who healed him was Jesus, but he’s never seen Jesus.  He hasn’t seen anyone until this point.  There is no way he would recognize Jesus at all.  All he knows is that Jesus healed him.

    This fact actually gets him into more trouble.  The religious leaders catch wind of what has happened.  Jesus is a threat to these religious leaders.  Jesus is breaking through their facade of works-righteousness.  Jesus is telling folks they don’t have to earn favor from God but that God loves them–even sinners.  When your power is threatened, you react.  The scribes and Pharisees do just this and question the man who was healed, and then the man’s parents, and then the man once more.  You can go through and read this for yourself again if you like later.  What is interesting to me is how they blatantly refuse to see what is right in front of their faces.  Do you remember when I said that everyone had blind spots?

    The Pharisees rant and rave and even say they don’t know where Jesus comes from.  They are blinded by their own position, and in an interesting twist, the guy who was once blind strives to help them see.  “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.”

    And what was the Pharisees’ response?  They cast him out.  They threw him out of the synagogue and forbid him to worship with them any longer.  So, let’s look at this for just a second again.  When the blind guy has an encounter with Jesus, Jesus heals him.  And what happens?  Everyone is skeptical of him.  He is questioned thoroughly by the religious authorities, and he is excommunicated.  So much for your life becoming perfect when you have an encounter with Jesus.

    And the guy may have thought just that until his eyes were opened a second time.  The man who was once blind has one more encounter with Jesus.   35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ 36He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ 37Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ 38He said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshiped him. 39Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.”

    Grace does that.  God in human flesh does that.  When the Word became flesh, the nature of God became known.  God revealed Himself to us.  The truth either opens your eyes, or it makes you want to purposely close them.  You will either embrace the truth and enter into the peace that it gives, or you will go to war with it choosing to remain in your blindness.  But thankfully, because it is all about grace, the truth will not fight against you.  It will wait patiently for you embracing you though you may not embrace it. 

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found
Twas blind, but now I see.  Amen.

No, Dammit, That's Not How God Works!

It's four hours I will not soon forget.

The County Sheriff is a member of my congregation, and he asked me to visit a local family who suffered a tragic loss.  In a small community like the one I am a part of, when tragedy strikes, everyone is affected.  When that tragedy involves horrific death and suspected murder, folks get sent reeling--especially in a place where "that kind of stuff doesn't happen."

As the pastor of the only congregation within a radius of 11 miles, essentially, I am the community pastor--not just the pastor of St. John Lutheran Church.  Sure, not everyone in the community is a member of my congregation, but I serve this community, and we are charged with reaching out into this community to deal with its needs.

The Sheriff sensed a need, and he asked me to go.

I went.

Making cold calls to a stranger's home is not the most comfortable thing in the world.  You never really know how you will be welcomed--or not welcomed for that matter.  Fortunately, the folks in this case were very receptive.  They had many within our community reach out to them during their time of trial.  At first, I was just one more in a long line.

But I am a pastor.  In times like these, whether or not I like it, I represent God.  I'm a messenger.  That can make a big difference.

Working through grief is an exhaustive process.  Working through anger and frustration and pain is an exhausting process, but you have to stick with it.  You can't just spend 15 minutes, tell folks we're thinking of you, offer further assistance if they need it, say a quick prayer and walk out the door thinking you've really dealt with things.  To really make any kind of impact, you've got to stay.

And I did.  The process was overwhelming at times, but there was a lot to work through.

The family was not only dealing with the grief of losing their loved one, but there was more.  Much, much more.  This death was not the only tragedy experienced.  A son/grandson had died while drinking and driving.  Years before rape had happened.  All of these wounds were touched by the tragic events of a few nights before.  Accumulated guilt, anger, sadness, and frustration bubbled--no, erupted--while I was there.

It didn't bother me to be a part of such an event.  Sometimes, the doctor has to lance the boil to get the infection out.  Only then, can healing salve be administered.

"I've spent the last two years angry with God.  I've cussed Him.  I was told He made my son die so that I would get my life straight.  Is that right?"

I hate it when folks say such things.

Don't get me wrong.  I know where it comes from.  I know in the Older Testament, there are numerous occasions of God punishing people for their sins.  There are numerous instances of death and despair and illness falling upon folks who disobeyed God's commands.  David had his son die.  The Israelites had serpents sent among them to bite them.  The ground opened up and swallowed those who sought to lead a rebellion against Moses.  And so on and so forth.  In the Newer Book, there is even a scene of God's vengeance poured out against Ananias and Sapphira.  One can create this image of God who punishes us for our sins and indeed sends us messages of death so that we get our lives straight.  I understand folks who make sense out of tragedy by saying such things, but this is not the narrative revealed through Jesus Christ.

"No," I replied.  "God didn't kill your son to get your attention so that you would become a better person.  God doesn't operate that way anymore."

Oh, the conversation wound around more and more.

"We are no longer under the discipline of the Law.  Mind you, the Law is still in effect, but we are no longer under its discipline."

"God was not responsible for your son's death.  The reason your son is dead is he drank, drove into oncoming traffic and hit an 18 wheeler."

"So, he's responsible for his own death?"

"It may sound harsh to say it, but yes.  I have to tell the truth.  Just like God is not responsible for your sister's death.  The person who killed her is."

"God does not make us suffer so that we 'get our lives together.'  God does not say, 'Get your stuff together or else you will go to hell.'  God says, 'I love you.  I died for you.  Now, become obedient to me.'  God's love always comes first.  He loves you now.  He always has."

"Thank you.  For the last two years, I've hated God."

"I bet you have.  But He's never hated you."

Enough said.

Be an Example of Jesus!....???

Perhaps it was youthful exuberance.

Perhaps it was a core thought and belief.

I'm not sure.

While attending a recent worship service, we were summarily dismissed with the following words or something similar:

Go into the world!  Be an example of Jesus!

The one dismissing us changed the wording in the bulletin which read this or something similar:

Go into the world following the example of Jesus!

Roughly a year or so ago, I'd not have given such a thing a second thought.  Roughly a year or so ago, I would have heartily done the exact same thing without reservation.  But now, I'm not so sure.

BE an example of Jesus.

How does one do that?

Now, if we are supposed to be great moral teachers expounding on what it means to love our neighbor as we love ourselves or teaching time and again what it means to treat others as we wish to be treated, then I suppose BEING an example of Jesus wouldn't be to difficult a thing to accomplish.  It's pretty easy to go around telling others what they should be doing.

But is that the sum and substance of what Jesus was about?  Was Jesus just an example of what it means to live with God and with one another?

As I read through the Gospels, I see Jesus wearing multiple hats.  First, He was a healer--and not just in the physical sense.  Yes, He cured diseases.  It was an integral part of His ministry.  But those healings had a greater significance.  They also were about wholeness--the healing of one's entire being.

In Jesus' day, if you were sick, then folks thought it was because something you had done to deserve it.  God was punishing you.  Illness not only carried a social stigma--no one wanted to be around a sick person; it also carried a religious stigma--you were on the outs with God.  When Jesus healed someone, He literally was showing God loved that person and had forgiven them.  It was a complete restoration of body, mind, soul, and community.  This is the healing Jesus offered then.  Am I capable of providing such healing?

Hardly.  I am far too limited in my abilities to do such a thing.  God has not granted me those kinds of healing capabilities.  As far as I know, I haven't really seen anyone who has the kind of healing capacity Jesus showed in the Gospel Narratives.  The only one who can bring that kind of healing, in my estimation, is Jesus.

Secondly, Jesus led with grace every time He encountered someone who was not of the religious establishment.  That's important in my estimation.  Every time He encountered someone the world had labeled "sinner", Jesus offered healing, salvation, hope, and even literal life saving.  Now, when He encountered the religious establishment, He kicked tail and took names.  He knew the difference between the two groups.

I'm not too sure I have that capability.  I like to tell folks how it "should" be.  I like to tell folks what they should be doing--regardless of where they are in life.  I don't like offering them love and compassion and grace right off the bat.  That costs me something.  They might not reciprocate.  They might thumb their nose at me in the long run.  They might abuse my niceness.  I'm guarded.  Plain and simple.

Jesus wasn't guarded.  He bestowed grace and healing.  He gave people wholeness and then asked them to respond.  He didn't expect them to do anything first.  He acted first and then asked for obedience.  It's just too darn easy to do things the opposite way.

Thirdly, Jesus' main purpose was the reconciliation of the world with God.  There really is no need to delve deeply into this one in this post.  Such a thing can only be accomplished by God and I can't eve come close to that example.

BE an example of Jesus!  How?  Is it even possible?

No.

I don't think it is.

This is why I believe Christianity isn't about what we do.  We can't do what Jesus did unless we are simply trying to tell everyone else what to do.  And if we take this approach, well, then, we will get nailed by the "do as I say and not as I do" crowd.  For if we preach the life Jesus called us to live and we cannot live it....

Grace leads me to follow Jesus with the knowledge I do it imperfectly.  Grace leads me to strive to walk in His footsteps as best as I can knowing I'll never even come close.  Grace leads me to strive to imitate Jesus knowing I will stumble and fall long before I accomplish such a task.

Before I encourage anyone to be an example of Jesus, I'm going to make darn sure that person knows the grace of Jesus.  Only He can orient a heart to follow Him.

It All Started with a Little Girl

    Greg Anderson, in Living Life on Purpose, tells a story about a man whose wife had left him. He was completely depressed. He had lost faith in himself, in other people, in God--he found no joy in living. One rainy morning this man went to a small neighborhood restaurant for breakfast. Although several people were at the diner, no one was speaking to anyone else. Our miserable friend hunched over the counter, stirring his coffee with a spoon.

    In one of the small booths along the window was a young mother with a little girl. They had just been served their food when the little girl broke the sad silence by almost shouting, "Momma, why don't we say our prayers here?" The waitress who had just served their breakfast turned around and said, "Sure, honey, we pray here. Will you say the prayer for us?" And she turned and looked at the rest of the people in the restaurant and said, "Bow your heads." Surprisingly, one by one, the heads went down. The little girl then bowed her head, folded her hands, and said, "God is great, God is good, and we thank him for our food. Amen."

    That prayer changed the entire atmosphere. People began to talk with one another. The waitress said, "We should do that every morning."

    "All of a sudden," said our friend, "my whole frame of mind started to improve. From that little girl's example, I started to thank God for all that I did have and stop majoring in all that I didn't have. I started to be grateful."

    And it all started with a little girl–a little girl who wasn’t afraid to share and live her faith.

    Isn’t it amazing how one such little thing from a little person can change things dramatically.  In our Old Testament lesson from 2 Kings this morning, a little girl had an even bigger impact on a much larger scale.

    The king of Aram had a very good friend and leader in his army, a man named Namaan.  Now, Namaan had the great misfortune of contracting leprosy.  In that day and age, this was a horrible ordeal because not only did you have a disease, but you were literally kicked out of society until you were healed or you died.  Namaan didn’t like facing this reality, and he wanted to be cured.  However, nothing seemed to be working.

    One day, a little girl, who had been captured from the Israelites overheard what was going on with her master.  She made what seemed like an innocent comment, but it was a comment grounded and rooted in the faith she had been raised in.  “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 

    This little girl knew about the Lord.  She knew about the Lord sending prophets.  She knew about the prophet Elisha who was in Samaria, and she knew that the prophets were able to work deeds of power and mercy in the name of the Lord.  And what were the consequences of this little girl’s words?  What was the fallout of her sharing her faith?

    The wheels began to turn.  Namaan told the king about what the Israelite slave girl had said.  The king put together a huge bounty, and sent it along with a letter to the king of Israel.  “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 

    I find this next part terribly interesting.  Remember, a little slave girl, living in captivity says, “If my lord were with the prophet who lives in Samaria, he could be cured of his leprosy.”  And when Namaan is brought before the king of Israel, what does the king say?  How does the king react?  Dare I ask, “Where is the king’s faith?”  For the king of Israel has a very strong reaction.

     7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”  Do you find this as interesting a contrast as I do?  Do you find it intriguing that the little slave girl knows the Lord, knows of the Lord’s prophet, and believes the prophet can heal her master WHILE the leader of Israel doesn’t even think of Elisha, believes he is supposed to cure Namaan, and believes the king of Aram is trying to pick a fight with him?  One of these folks is living by faith and the other is living relying only upon himself.  The powerless one relies on God and believes in the power of God while the other believes only in the power he has and doesn’t even think to turn to God.  I find this most interesting.

    The king of Israel has a freak out session, but word eventually gets to Elisha, and Elisha sends word to the king.  “Send the Aramean to me.  I’ll take care of everything.”

    And he does.  Wielding God’s power, Elisha commands Namaan to go wash in the Jordan river.  After some hemming and hawing, Namaan does what he is told and is cured.   Upon returning to Elisha, Namann says, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant.”  The commander of the army of the Arameans is brought to belief in the Lord, and it all started with a little girl.

    Now, at this point, you might expect me to invite you to be brave about your faith and be willing to share it, just like those two little girls did in the two stories above.  You are partially correct.  There is no doubt that the mainline church in the U.S. is in decline with some exceptions in some congregations.  There is no doubt that there are more and more people marking the word “none” when it comes to religious affiliation.  And it is the church’s job to reach out to these folks and share the good news of Jesus Christ with them.  There is no doubt we who are members of congregations and churches need to find some courage and willingness to share our faith publicly.  In fact, I think many Christians do indeed share their faith publicly.  Many Christians aren’t afraid to say that they believe in God.  But it is not simple belief that made the difference in these two stories–it was belief combined with engagement with those who did not believe.

    Hear that again please, it was belief combined with engagement with those who did not believe.

    You see, it’s easy to share our faith with others who believe in Christ.  It’s easy to bond with a circle of like-minded people who think like us and act like us.  It’s easy to talk about church and share the blessings and woes that frequent every congregation.  It’s easy to engage with others who have a common worldview.  However, it’s not so easy to do such a thing with those who are different.  It’s not so easy to hang with and talk with folks who come from a vastly different perspective.  That’s when things get a little more difficult.

    And there-in lies the risk.  It was a risky thing for that little girl to ask if she could pray in the middle of the restaurant.  It was a risky thing for the waitress to ask everyone to bow their heads.  But a difference was made.  It was a risky thing for that slave girl to engage her master and tell him about the Lord’s prophet.  It was a risky thing for the king of Aram to send money and goods and a letter asking the king of Israel to heal Namaan.  Wading out into unknown waters can do this.  Engaging people who are different can do this.

    Yet, with God’s hand guiding the process, great things can happen.  Lives can be changed.  Love can be felt.  Gratitude can flow.  Others can see “There is no other God except the God of Israel.”  When we seek to live God’s Word daily, it can start with a little girl, a prayer, the knowledge of a prophet; and it can also start with you.  Amen.