John 9:1-41
This long story is notable for how Jesus disappears from sight—probably the longest passage in the Gospels where Jesus is not present! It opens with Jesus’ disciples asking a question we all would like to be answered: What is the meaning of human suffering? They assume that suffering goes with sin, they just want to know who is the guilty one. Jesus corrects this simple equation, but he doesn’t dwell on the cause of the blindness. His concern is to demonstrate God’s glory in this situation, not understand the cause.
Once Jesus heals the man, he disappears from the scene, leaving the man born blind to deal with the controversy of his healing. First he finds that his neighbors don’t recognize him now that he is healed. Apparently they never looked past his disability, so they don’t know who he is now that he is no longer blind. The man born blind responds to his neighbors with words that are very similar to Jesus’:words about himself: I am the man (see Jn 8 and 10). But that does not settle it. The leaders are so opposed to Jesus that they stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the irrefutable evidence of the man’s healing, while the man argues persuasively that the signs Jesus does should be proof that he comes from God. The man’s parents refuse to support him. The response of the man’s community may mirror the response of John’s community—apparently synagogues were throwing followers of Jesus out, and families were certainly divided by their response to Jesus. For John this lack of faith in Jesus is a deliberate and stubborn choice: The Pharisees choose to be blind to who Jesus is.
Jesus finally reappears on the scene. While he says the man born blind has seen him, the story indicates otherwise. Perhaps Jesus is referring to the sight of faith? Despite all the opposition, the man has insisted on the truth of his experience—Jesus healed him. Faced with Jesus, he responds by worshipping him—this may be the only time that Jesus is worshipped (prior to the resurrection).
Thoughts to consider:
The disciples (and his neighbors) seem to see the man’s blindness, but not the man. Jesus sees more—the potential for healing and glory. How does this seeing the diagnosis rather than the man compare to the way we might see the homeless or mentally ill, for example? How might our faith in Christ show us a different way?
In the story, a lack of faith in Jesus is a deliberate, even rebellious choice. How does that compare to your encounters with people who do not believe? What are they not seeing? How can we communicate the joys of faith to nonbelievers?
The man sees Jesus as worthy of worship—a big statement, considering that God alone should be worshipped (see the First Commandment). What does it mean to you to worship Jesus? What do you see in him?
Jesus says that his judgment will reverse blindness and sight. What makes it good news to be blind in some ways and sighted in others? Where might Jesus be giving you sight/blindness for the sake of the Gospel?
Seeing: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
As the first prophet in Israel, Samuel had the job of choosing Saul as Israel’s first king. Saul had the appearance of a perfect king and military leader, but his disobedience of God’s command caused him to lose God’s favor. As our story begins, God has told Samuel, and Samuel has (dramatically) told Saul, that the Lord has rejected him as king. But while Samuel was brave denouncing Saul face to face, in the aftermath, his feelings are more complex. He grieves over Saul—perhaps his own sense of failure as well as his disappointment in Saul. He is also afraid of what Saul will do if he knows that Samuel is annointing another king.
Nonetheless, God commands him to go and even gives him a cover story. Looking over the sons of Jesse, Samuel has to listen to discover what God sees. Ironically, the one Jesse thinks is too insignificant to bring before the prophet is already symbolically engaged in what a king should be doing—he’s shepherding his flock. Samuel sees the chosen one. He annoints David. Surprisingly, although chosen by God, David does not take the throne immediately. It will take years—a stint serving Saul and a time as a rebel against Saul, and that whole Goliath event– before Saul is gone and David becomes king.
Some thoughts:
David would never have become king, if not for Samuel’s identifying him. We don’t annoint people, but how can we help others’ recognize their potential and take the risk of serving God? Has anyone served as “Samuel” for you, helping you see your calling?
God chooses David not for David’s sake, but to provide a leader for His people, who don’t yet know that they need a new leader. David’s call is not an individual one, it is for the sake of God’s people. How much do we see our life’s work as part of a bigger plan?
Although David is chosen, he does not become king right away. In this delay, David demonstrates his military might, leadership and political skills, even wisdom, attributes that are not obvious yet in the boy Samuel annoints. What might this delay tell us about our own work as God’s people? How have our previous experiences prepared us to do the work we now do as believers?
Samuel doesn’t see what God sees in Jesse’s sons, but fortunately God tells him what to do. How can we know when we are being blind to our own or other’s potential? Have you ever been surprised to discover your own potential? How did that happen?
Despite his own personal feelings about the situation, Samuel does what God tells him to do. Ultimately this act of obedience will lead to great things, as David becomes the great king Saul cannot be. Have you ever had the experience of acting in obedience that becomes a blessing?