Download the UBF brochure here
Weekly Message | June 15th, 2008
Passage: John 9:1-12
Key Verse(s): 3,4
For the past three weeks three senior leaders (John Wilson, Mark Gamber and Peter Park) served the messages from John 8. I thank God for their faithful labor in the Lord. Jesus is full of grace and mercy in saving a woman caught in adultery. Jesus is also full of truth and he invites us to the path of real freedom by his truth. “If you take hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”(Jn 8:31).
This passage is about a man born blind. His life was sorrowful, helpless and hopeless. Jesus, however, did not see him in that way. He saw God’s possibility in him. Jesus blessed him to display the work of God in his life. In the same way, each of us must see God’s possibility in our situation and display the work of God.
First, ". . . this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life"(1-3). Look at verse 1: "As Jesus went along with His disciples, He saw a man blind from birth.” Jesus could have ignored the man and kept walking. Instead, when Jesus stopped for a moment, this blind man was forever changed. What kind of man was he? He was born blind. The man never had a chance to see a beautiful sunset on Lake Galilee. He never saw his mother's smiling face. He could never have joy of learning to read a book that stretched his imagination. He grew up as a despised and rejected man. He ended up as a beggar on the street. His soul was in absolute darkness without the light of God.
When the disciples saw the man, many questions arose in their minds. Their explicit question, "Who sinned, this man or his parents?" had a certain biblical background. In general, sufferings are results of God’s punishment of our sins. The disciples believed in God who punishes sinners for their sins (Ex. 34:7; Ps. 79:8; Is. 65:6-7). We suffer because of our failures and shortcomings. Almighty God never fails. Therefore, the failures must be either from his parents or himself.
At the same time, they saw themselves in the blind beggar on the roadside. When they first followed Jesus, they were full of hope to become great in the world. But instead they saw people's rejection time after time. They felt just like beggars on the road. They too felt pitiful. They saw all the miseries of mankind through this miserable creature. They asked Jesus, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" This question echoes one of the most timeless questions of all ages—“Why do people suffer”?
How did Jesus answer their question? "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life"(3). Here, in the presence of appalling human suffering, Jesus did not utter the words of unbelief or despair, either. Rather, Jesus honored God. Jesus turned their attention to the work of God. He spoke of God’s possibility in this man.
Recently, more than 100,000 people died because of cyclone in Burma and earthquake in China. Separation, divorce, and ailment are so common aspects of our existence. Some of us feel worn out after struggles with the constant needs of children. What would Jesus do in our situation? Jesus said, “This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” This is Jesus’ mindset.
Here Jesus affirms God’s possibility in our sufferings—it is display the work of God. Our sufferings help us to see life’s events from the standpoint of weak and powerless. For the past week I was dry-coughing. Each little suffering like this reminds me of my helpless condition and leads me to think about God. Success in this life makes us arrogant and easily leads us away from God. On the other hand, sufferings remind us of our need for God. The other day I talked with a father whose child is developmentally challenged. He said, “The rate of autism and mental illness definitely increased as people are better physically. In this world, when one system gets fixed, another system breaks down. In this way God reminds us that we live in this fallen world. We all need God’s salvation. God wants us to depend on him and have compassion for one another”. This man can say like this because he knows Jesus. Because of Jesus, he seeks God’s possibility in his situation. When we think about God’s possibility, then we can consider meaning in any situation. Death camp psychiatrist Victor Frankl noticed and announced that some concentration camp victims, even on the day they knew they would be executed, remained in control of the one dignity that no one could take from them: the ability to choose how they would respond to their circumstances. In this world things happen beyond our control. Jesus teaches us to seek God’s possibility and meaning even in a seemingly hopeless circumstance.
Second, "As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me."(4-6) Look at verse 4: "As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." In this allegorical expression, "Day" refers to "lifetime" and "Night" refers to "after death". Jesus is telling us that God gives man his lifetime to work hard to display God's glory, not to grieve over his miserable human condition or destiny. The night of darkness is coming when no one can work. How tragic it is for a man to discover too late that he wasted his time with miserable feelings.
There is a time for everything. We must work when it is day. We must make decisions when the time is right. In his message the late Dr. Samuel Lee gave this illustration. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, was a very logical, thorough and careful man. Because of such philosophical tendencies, he could not make any real decisions. He befriended one beautiful woman but he never made a proposal. Finally, the woman boldly asked him, "Please marry me." Kant's answer was very simple, "Well, let me think about it." So from that point, Kant started doing a careful and thorough research about marriage. He went to the library and collected a lot of books on marriage. He read so much in order to learn all about the pros and cons in regard to married life. Finally, he made a decision to marry that woman. So he visited her home and knocked on the door. Then the woman's father said, "Well, it is too late. My daughter is a mother of three children now."
Our Lord Jesus knew the right moment. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." When any person accepts Jesus in his heart, Jesus drives out all the dark and dead elements in him and fills him with the Holy Spirit. So the author said in his prologue, "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world (1:9). The blind man was in utter darkness. But the light of Jesus appeared to him. Now let's see how the light of Jesus changed this man. There is a time for everything. When there is a chance, then a person must do the work. Otherwise, we cannot do the work.
There is a time for everything. King Solomon, almost at the end of his life, said, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years of approach when you will say, `I find no pleasure in them—before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; when the doors to the stood are closed” (Ecc 12:1-4). The night is coming to everyone of us. This is about the weak and helpless situation of people in their old days. The time comes when people no longer be able to move or work. It is during college years that young people work hard. It is during in 30s that people work hard. While we are able, we must work hard.
Look at verse 6: "Having said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes." Jesus is the Son of God. This Almighty Son of God could have opened this blind man's eyes with one word. But He spit on the ground, made some mud and put it on the man's eyes. Jesus also demonstrated to His disciples that the work of God is possible in any situation.
What is our saliva and mud? Whatever is within our reach, which is our saliva and mud. Jesus, the Son of God, has miraculous healing power. But we do not. So we cannot heal any blind by merely using our saliva and mud. It is not a formula that Jesus wants to give us. Rather, it is a principle that Jesus wants to teach us. Hudson Taylor used to say, "A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in a little thing is a big thing." Once a teenager was admitted to a mental hospital. Her doctors pronounced that she was hopeless and put her in an isolated unit. Even her parents gave up on her and they stopped visiting her. But one retired nurse had the mind of Christ. She had the hope of God in her soul. With her loving care plus hope, she kept paying attention to her with the love of God. Initially, the girl responded with nothing but hostility. She threw away all the food and refused to say a word. But this old nurse took care of her with great patience. Gradually, this girl started to open her heart. Amazingly, her mental illness gradually healed. She not only became whole but devoted her life to the service of others as well. This girl's name is Ann Sullivan who later trained, educated and raised Helen Keller. The light of Christ came upon Ann Sullivan. This light was passed onto Helen Keller as well. We don't know how many lives Helen Keller touched.
In the hands of those who know the love of God, even our saliva and mud can become mighty instrument. Our saliva and mud are our prayers. A few women in Toledo devote their time in prayers. This is their saliva and mud to bring miracles in this ministry. This summer we welcome three children from Mexico. Our love is our saliva and mud. What can we do for them? Franklin Roosevelt became paralyzed with polio when he was thirty-nine years old. What could he do in that situation? So he asked his wife, Eleanor, "Do you still love me?" Then she said, "I loved you, not your legs." She planted hope and vision in her husband. Through her sacrificial help, Franklin Roosevelt overcame himself and became one of the three greatest presidents in American history next to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Those who love God are willing to take action. Those who know God do their part to alleviate others' sufferings. They do not merely philosophize about the situation. They move their hands and feet. They do the work while they have opportunities. Jesus said, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Third, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam."(7-12) Look at verse 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." As people confront Jesus Christ, they expose the condition of their hearts: it is either hardened, broken, or made tender. The man’s heart was made tender. Probably, Jesus’ every word moved his heart to surrender to Jesus. Jesus told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Jesus could have opened his eyes on the spot. But why did Jesus make him to go all the way and wash in the Pool of Siloam? Jesus respected his dignity. Jesus knew that he could take responsible action for his own life. In this way this blind man could grow in personal faith.
Look at verse 8 "So the man went and washed, and came home seeing." The blind man obeyed Jesus. He went to Siloam and washed. Then he received sight. Healing is the work of God. Jesus sometimes heals people according to his grace. We don’t have to do anything. On different occasions Jesus requires our responsible involvement. God displays his work as we do our part of work. To display the work of God we must know this fine difference between depending on God and doing our part.
Look at verse 9: "His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." The blind man might have thought that if only he could see, everything would be all right. But with his opened eyes he had to see many ugly things of the world. He faced the realities of life, which he was not aware of before. The neighbors were not joyful. They in fact became stumbling blocks for his spiritual growth. Yet, Jesus is still the light of the world. God displayed the work of God in this man who was once born blind. How? Jesus saw the possibility in this man’s miserable situation. Jesus planted the words of hope in this man. This man obeyed Jesus. In the similar ways, we must seek God’s possibility in our situation. Increasingly I spend more time out of Toledo these days. For the next ten years I will slowly increase more of my work for the sake of world mission in various ways. You will see our leaders will assume more responsibilities to display the work of God among us. We must accept the words of hope through Christ Jesus. We must do our part of healing and new life. In this way, the work of God is displayed in us as well.
June 15, 2008. Toledo UBF.
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
