John 9:8-25
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
Long passage tonight, but I couldn't really see a way to break it up... it's too important. Lots of material here - lots and lots and lots - but there's one thing that has always gotten me about this passage. It's the cowardice of the parents, and it's heartbreaking.
Of all the people on earth, this man's parents were the two who knew full well what Jesus had done. When other children were discovering the world around them, mimicking the actions of their brothers and sisters or copying a goodbye wave, their son was locked in a world of darkness. They tried unsuccessfully to describe a sunset, and the way moonlight reflects beams across the waters. They watched him struggle to find work, and maybe to find a wife. They wept for him.
And then he met Jesus.
Suddenly, he could see. Their son could see! What an incredible, indescribable gift! And yet, go back and read verses 2-23. They deny the power of Christ, and even sell out their son, for fear of being ostracized by their collective community. When the rubber met the road, they sold out. Devastating.
And yet, the truth is that I see this all the time. Maybe not to this extent, and certainly not this exact situation, but sell out parents are commonplace in our society. You'll know them when you see them. They let their daughters wear tiny little bikinis to the class swim party because it's not worth the fight. Their kids don't come to Bible class or devotionals or youth activities, and when asked they'll say, "I don't make them come because I don't want them to resent the church." They're the first to rebuke you when things aren't going their way, but the last to jump in and help.
On the other hand, I also know some 100% sold out parents. They're the ones who pick their kids up early from practice so that they won't be late for the service project. Their kids never ask, "Are we going to Bible class tonight?" because they already know the answer. One sold-out parent I know just threw away a pair of her (college-age) daughter's brand new shorts because they were too short. You know how well that went over, and she knew too, but she did it anyway, because it was the right thing. She reminded me that the tough decisions, where the rubber meets the road, are the ones that define us. They're the ones that separate our kids from the world. And we just can't afford to be like these parents, who were sellouts when that defining moment came.
Rock on, sold out parents. Rock on.
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