Then
they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the
mud and healed him. The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes,
and when I washed it away, I could see!”
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is
working on the Sabbath.” Others said,
“But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among
them. John 9:13-16 (NLT)
A man, who in his entire life had never seen so much
as his own thumbs, was given 20/20 sight by Jesus, and the first words out of
the mouth of a religious bystander was criticism for Jesus. There was no celebration that a blind man had
been healed; there was only indignation that a miracle was performed on a holy
day.
It’s hard to miss the irony there.
Some of the Pharisees wanted to defend Jesus’
motives. At least they recognized
a miracle as being from God. And so the
skeptics and seers were off to the debate; divided again; a deep division
between sides….again!
Divided
Again
Among the things that never change are
misunderstanding and division; these are as constant in human relationships as
breathing in and out.
Calvinists and Arminians, Republicans and Democrats,
Progressives and Conservatives, Georgia Bulldog and Crimson Tide fans – shall
there ever be consensus?
Well, of course not!
We’re human beings; we divide ourselves into camps, dig our heels in the
sand and debate how many angels can sit on the head of a pin, defending our
“side” with the last drop of self-righteous blood in our bodies.
I’ve recently had to confess to the congregations I
serve that I join the fight at times.
It’s rather obscene, really.
I’m talking about Facebook™. There are these Pharisee – er…Clergy
Facebook pages.
Someone always posts
something politically left or right, or religiously progressive or
conservative; the next thing you know there are snarky comments slinging-in
from both sides.
It can get pretty foul.
Nothing is ever settled; no one is ever happy; Christ
is rarely glorified; and seldom is the blind man ever welcomed. But we feel better for having vented our
spleen in full view of the electronic world.
We even do it on the Sabbath!
For You, Today…
If you’re a “Facebook-er” before you boot up that app, take a
moment to ask God for the mind of Christ today.
Whatever conversation you join, make sure you’re holding the blind
man’s hand. Jesus is holding the
Pharisee’s hand and wants to bring everybody back to the Father.
P.S.
It’s ok to heal on the Sabbath…Jesus said so!
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