I was reading in the gospel of John the other night about a blind man who is healed by Jesus on the Sabbath. Instead of a worship session, a debate soon breaks out among the people. "Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.' But others said, 'How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?' So they were divided"(9:16). The Pharisees interview the man, then his parents, and then the man again who gets frustrated with the debate and says, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see."
The whole dialogue between the Pharisees and the blind man strikes a chord with me. I like him. He's honest. He speaks what he knows is true without fear, and I feel myself wanting to be more like him. There are always debates going on about what is good and what is wrong, what is politically acceptable and what isn't, what is true and what is a lie. And sometimes I just get frustrated with it all and want to shout with exasperation, "I don't know! And quite frankly I don't care about this argument. All I know is that something in my heart clings to Jesus Christ with the knowledge that he has given me life." The blind man understood his limited knowledge, but he had a personal testimony about a man who one day showed up and opened his eyes. I don't know much either. All I can honestly speak about are my own experiences.
I was in Jerusalem during Holy Week this year, and I thought I might add some excerpts from my journal from Good Friday and Easter Sunday. "As made evident to me by the Holocaust Museum and ironically by the mob on the Via Dolorosa today (that reminded me how easily a mob could've killed Jesus), human beings are capable of great evil. And yet, Jesus died for them. Jesus wept for them. He wept and carried a cross for his murderers, for the Jews, for the Gentiles, for me. And while I was squished inside the church today I thought to myself, 'Am I crazy? How does it make sense? Isn't it crazy to think I am going to heaven because a man 2000 years ago faced a violent, bloody crucifixion? It's absurd. And yet somehow I can't let it go. Surely Christ was no ordinary man. Somehow his death means my life. ...Jesus' death is historical. It can't really be denied. The belief that Jesus is no longer in a tomb, however, is what makes all the difference. The fact is, it's quite possible that I'm crazy. Faith means that I could be wrong. Jesus could've been a man with radical teachings and a delusional mind. He could've been crucified and then raised only in the stories of his disciples who couldn't face the possibility of him being gone. Or he could've been the Son of God who took on the sins of the world in his death and then defeated death once and for all in his resurrection."
"One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see."
"Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see."
ReplyDeleteThis post reminded me of a conversation I had with one of my coaches while in Uganda. We were discussing salvation and going through my whirlwind of thoughts concerning it. I was pointing out all the things we're uncertain of in relation to God and salvation...all the things we couldn't possibly know as human beings, and his response was like that of the blind man's response to the pharisees.
He agreed that there was a lot that he didn't know--that WE don't know-- but there were some things he was certain of. There are some things he does know, and those are the things that he focuses on and, as you said, clings to.