Year 5, Day 257: John 9

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Approval

• Approval: We all need to feel as though we are accepted.  When we seek the approval of God, our Up is in the right place.  But when we seek the approval of other people besides God, we open the door to pursuing false gods and risk putting someone or something other than God in our Up position.

Much like yesterday, today’s passage gives us multiple perspectives on a discipleship topic.  Today we get a glimpse of the power of approval in the life of a human.  We also get a glimpse into the hardships that can come when we choose to get our approval from the Father alone.

1. Let’s look at the case of the religious leaders.  They are not seeking the approval of Jesus.  In fact, they are not also seeking the approval of God the Father.  They are seeking the approval of Moses and the strict legal code that they have built around the Law.  This means that they are largely seeking their own approval.  They desire to live their life so that the people who are around them will look into their life and see how well they are living.  They seek the approval of the people around them who are just like them.  This leads them even more deeply into darkness.
2. Now let’s take the sad case of this blind man’s parents.  The Bible is clear that they spoke because they were afraid of being put out of the synagogue.  That’s a really nice way of saying that the religious leaders had threatened to excommunicate anyone who followed Jesus.  The parents of this blind man are seeking the approval of the community around them more than they are seeking the approval of God and those people of God around them.  They are afraid that if they stand up for truth that their livelihood might be affected.  They are seeking the approval of mankind and not putting their faith in God.
3. Then we get a chance to look at the blind man.  I love this man and his boldness.  He even mocks the religious leaders by asking them if they are looking to become Jesus’ disciples.  Of course, this comment gets him expelled from the synagogue.  He does find himself expelled from his religious community – and probably from the people who could support him in life.  But God does not abandon him.  Because he is seeking the approval of God, he finds himself welcomed quickly into a different community.  This blind man finds himself welcomes into Jesus’ community, where he receives the approval from God that he seeks.
4. Lastly, we look at Jesus.  Obviously He is looking to receive approval from the Father.  Certainly He has it.  The people around Him confirm as much.  They witness about Jesus that no sinner could perform the kind of works that Jesus was able to perform.  His great power is a demonstration of the approval that He has from the Father as Jesus goes about doing the will of the Father.

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