Theological Commentary: Click Here
John 9 gives
us more conflict to analyze. It appears
that Jesus initiates the conflict. After
all, He is the one who heals on the Sabbath.
Couldn’t He have healed the man a day earlier or a day later if He
wanted? Did He have to aggravate an
already acerbic situation?
On the other
hand, is Jesus really to blame? Is Jesus
trying to irritate the Jewish leaders or is He simply trying to let God’s love
for the world be seen?
This is a
great debate to have and a wonderful place to do a little self-analysis. How do I react when God’s love is shown? Do I celebrate? Do I embrace it? Or am I critical? Do I judge that it isn’t done in a way that I
think is appropriate? Is it right to
judge? Is it dangerous to never
judge? These are powerful questions.
In the end,
Jesus is consistent with His message in other Gospels. We will know those who are from God by their
works. When God’s love is shown, it
should be obvious. When we see God’s
love at work in the world we should be prepared to recognize it.
The issue is
that we aren’t skilled to see God’s love at first. This like jealousy and anger get in the
way. Being judgmental and fearing error stop
us from experiencing the grand power of His love. Wanting to be in control means that we miss
out on where He is working. This is why
Jesus tells the religious leaders at the end of the passage that He came so
those who do not see may see. God knows
that we don’t get it naturally and we need help.
In the end,
Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath gives us an awesome opportunity to look at our
own humbleness. Am I willing to
acknowledge my growth areas and embrace God’s attempts to get me to grow? Will I be interested in seeing God’s love
wherever it shows up or will I always expect it to happen in a manner that I
deem right? Am I like the man who was
blind and asks to meet the Son of Man so that I can believe or am I like the
Pharisees who are so convinced I know what the Son of Man looks like that I
never ask to see Him?
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