seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
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.
OK... last thing first this morning. How would the blind man know who cured him? He heard others call Him Jesus, and he felt the mud Jesus put on his eyes. He knows what he was told to do and that he did what he was told to do. It wasn't until bathing in Siloam that he could see. So how would he know "where" Jesus is now?
Now the question posed to Jesus was interesting.... if blindness is the result of sin, and the man was born blind, who sinned to cause the blindness?
I went to the commentary and found this to be pretty interesting.
Dods suggested five possible reasons behind their question.
- Some of the Jews of that time believed in the pre-existence of souls, and the possibility that those pre-existent souls could sin.
- Some of the Jews at that time believed in some kind of reincarnation, and perhaps the man sinned in a previous existence.
- Some of the Jews at that time believed that a baby might sin in the womb.
- They thought the punishment was for a sin the man would later commit.
- They were so bewildered that they threw out a wild possibility without thinking it through.
Now, the stinker in the room is Verses 3 & 4. Right in the middle of a really cool lesson about life and sin, Jesus started to talk about God's Will and the light and dark stuff. So, us normal ordinary readers, without the Seminary Studies to "enlighten" us, just skip over this or we stop reading altogether. It's really too deep for this ordinary old woman with her online Bible. But.... here's what I think it means.
Sometimes poop happens.
When poop happens, though, it opens the door for a miraculous clean up. In this case, curing this man, blind from birth, allowed Jesus to teach "poop happens" theory while curing the man. This man wouldn't be able to point Jesus out as the one who cured him, but those around saw it.
Can you imagine what would have happened if Jesus saw a blind man and decided not to heal that man? Jesus knew it was almost time for the arrest and indictment. He stopped to heal a man who had been blind since birth. If this was forgiveness of sins, then the forgiveness would have to be for something that happened while the man was still a baby or before he was even conceived. I'm sure your local preacher will be more than happy to tell you which. I don't know.
Sometimes poop happens. In this case, Jesus showed them how to clean up the poop without condemnation. He didn't "forgive" this man, and He didn't tell the man to pick up his beggar's mat. Jesus just healed the man. Jesus just picked up the poop.
Sometimes poop happens.
