03-19-2023 - HEAVISION

 

John 9 NLT - Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

 

 

Now As God’s Holy Word is Being Read,

Picture Yourself as Being this Blind Person

Of Whom St. John Is Writing about.

 

^9:1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.

² “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

 

³ “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the Power of God could be seen in him. ⁴ We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the One who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. ⁵ But while I am here in the world, I am the Light of the world.”

 

⁶ Then He spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes.

⁷ He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So, the man went and washed and came back seeing!

⁸ His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”

⁹ Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”

 

But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”

 

¹⁰ They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”

 

¹¹ He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So, I went and washed, and now I can see!”

 

¹² “Where is He now?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

 

¹³ Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, ¹⁴ because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. ¹⁵ 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!”

 

¹⁶ 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.

 

¹⁷ Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”

 

The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”

 

¹⁸ The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents.

¹⁹ They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”

 

²⁰ His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, ²¹ but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.”

²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. ²³ That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”

 

²⁴ So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”

²⁵ “I don’t know whether He is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”

 

²⁶ “But what did He do?” they asked. “How did He heal you?”

 

²⁷ “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once.

Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples, too?”

 

²⁸ Then they cursed him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”

 

³⁰ “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where He comes from?

³¹ We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but He is ready to hear those who worship Him and do His Will.

³² Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind.

³³ If this man were not from God, He couldn’t have done it.”

³⁴ “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.

³⁵ When Jesus heard what had happened, He found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

 

³⁶ The man answered, “Who is He, sir? I want to believe in Him.”

³⁷ “You have seen Him,” Jesus said, “and He is speaking to you!”

 

³⁸ “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.

 

³⁹ Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”

 

⁴⁰ Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard Him and asked, “Are You saying we’re blind?”

 

⁴¹ “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.

 

John 9:1-41

You Know What - We Are So Blind?

 

So, What Is the Matter with US?

 

Why Do WE

Never Seem to Understand

What Jesus Is Saying?

 

WE Have Ears: Why Do WE Not Hear HIM?

 

Or - Are WE REALLY - Blind?

 

Can WE Not See What HE Is Doing?

 

WE Have Eyes: Why Can't WE See?

 

In Our Bible Reading for Today

Jesus’ Words Are Truly

Speaking Directly to Us.

 

 

It is as if St. John

Wrote This

With All of Us in Mind!

 

 

And this Would Be When

·     You Would Speak Up and Inform Me

o That Maybe for Some

§ We Need New Glasses

·     And Hearing Aids

But – No One Here Is Neither Blind nor Deaf.

So – Then –

What Does This All

Have to Do with US Here?

 

 

Well, If That Is

·     What You Were Thinking,

o Then I would Ask

§ For You to Think About that

§ For a Moment.

 

 

Now – Don’t Get Offensive

BUT – In All Truth

I Believe It Has

Everything To Do with Us.

AND HERE IS A HUGE THING -

When We Read the Bible

·     Or Think About Some of The Stories Within It,

o There Is a Great Temptation to Think:

 

"Oh, All That Is Interesting,

And It Is Wonderful to Think That God

Could Do This for the People so Long Ago.

Yet It Does Not Have Much

To Do with Me Here Today"

 

 

And I think -

§ We Can All Recognize -

o That Type of Temptation.

However,

What We Really Must Do -

That Is - IF - We Want to Be Open

To Hearing God's Word

Within HIS Holy Scriptures,

Is To Be Prepared to Locate

Ourselves Deep Within the Stories.

 

 

We Should Always Seek

§ To Find Ourselves Within

§ The Biblical Accounts,

§ And Within the Characters in The Bible,

§ To Whom God Is Speaking To

§ And Interacting With.

And By Us Doing This,

§ We Will Learn a Little Bit More

o About Whom We Really Are

§ And Of What God Has for Us

·     To ‘BE’ Within These Days.

 

 

 

So – Allow Me to Ask,

By You Picturing Yourself

As ‘Being’ the Blind Man,

Was There Any “NEWNESS”

That Came to You

From Today’s Scripture?

 

Did It Make It More Real?

 

 

 

Were You Able to Feel

That You Were Included

Within The Story?

 

 

 

Was It Easier for You to Identify

With this Once Blind Man

Whom Jesus Healed?

 

 

Did You Feel This Man’s Courage

As He Stood-Up to the ‘Elite’

And Claimed

That Jesus was Not Only a Prophet

But That Jesus Was Most Assuredly - of God?

 

 

Did the Hair on the Back of your Neck Stand Up?

 

 

Did You Feel - of His Conviction?

 

 

Were You – Even Moved

To BE More Convicted Yourself?

How Determined Did You Become

When ‘Your’ - Parents

Left You Out in The Cold,

To Defend for Yourself?

 

 

We Must Admit

That this Man,

Whom Jesus Had Just Healed,

He Most Certainly - Demonstrated

The Appropriate Gratitude Toward Jesus!

 

 

Was this Not –

An Example of What True Faith Is All About?

AND - Within His Faith

Did He Not Teach Us All Something

Of Great Worth About Ourselves?

 

 

Just Like Him,

We Have All Been Touched

By The Good News of Jesus Christ.

 

 

In A Very Real Way,

It Has Healed Us from Our Own Blindness!

 

 

This Is Paul's Point as He Wrote In (Ephesians 5:8-14).

Ephesians 5:8-14 NLT

^5:8 For once you were full of darkness,

But now you have Light from the Lord.

So, Live as People of Light!

⁹ For this Light within you produces only what is Good and Right and True.

 

¹⁰ Carefully determine what Pleases the Lord.

¹¹ Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; Instead, expose them.

¹² It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.

¹³ But their evil intentions will be exposed when the Light shines on them,

¹⁴ for the Light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,

    Rise - Up from the dead,

    and Christ will give you LIGHT.”

 

 

We Are Not in Darkness!

 

We Are Not Spiritually Blind Anymore!

 

We Know Everything That Is Necessary;

 

We Know That Our Salvation Depends Upon Christ.

 

So, We Are Not Blind.

Much Like This Blind Man was in Our Gospel Text!

And We Are Also Witnessing to

§ Our Gratitude

§ And Our Faith -

Even Through - Just Coming

And Being Here for Our Worship!

 

³⁵ When Jesus heard what had happened, He found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

 

³⁶ The man answered, “Who is He, sir? I want to believe in Him.”

 

³⁷ “You have seen Him,” Jesus said, “and He is speaking to you!”

 

³⁸ “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.

Can You Picture This?

 

Right Here –

The Answer Is Standing

Right in Front of You,

And It Is the ‘Son of Man!’

 

 

YOU Have Been Healed by Jesus!

 

YOU Have Experienced HIS Great Power!

 

YOU Have Been Healed!

 

And Now, YOU Can See!

And Just Like This Man,

WE TOO -

WAY TOO OFTEN –

WE Act as If - WE Were Still Blind!

 

 

Week After Week,

We ALL Come Together

And We Sit Here - In This Room.

 

 

We Come and Gather

To Worship Our Lord

And to Hear the

Good News of Jesus Christ.

And - Hopefully

As Within Your Own Families,

Through Reading of the Bible

And Having Your Devotional Times,

You All Are Coming to God as a Family.

 

 

But Here Is the BIG Question:

How Is This Working for You?

Is It Making a Difference in Your Lives?

 

 

 

Week After Week,

We Come Together as ‘The Family of God’.

In Fact, Our Christian Community

(Which Is the Church)

Is Not to BE - Just a Sunday Thing!

 

It Truly Exists –

And It Lives All Week Long.

 

 

Do We All Know

What the Primary Purpose of “The Church” IS?

 

 

It Is Rather Simple,

But It Has a Very Crucial Role!!!

‘It Is to Give Support to Us Christians!’

Christ Gathered Us Together

So That We Can Become a ‘Fellowship’!

So, When Times Get Tough for Us,

That We Can Lean

Upon Another’s Shoulder.

 

 

1 Corinthians 12:12-26 NLT

 

^12:12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So, it is with the body of Christ.

¹³ Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

 

¹⁴ Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.

¹⁵ If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?

¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

 

¹⁸ But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. ¹⁹ How strange a body would be if it had only one part! ²⁰ Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. ²¹ The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

 

²² In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. ²³ And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So, we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, ²⁴ while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So, God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. ²⁵ This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

This Is the Purpose of The Church.

 

But - I Believe We All Know This.

 

And Yet, At Times, Just Like in All Churches,

We All Need to Be Reminded Of This.

 

 

Just as From Time and Time Again

§ We Have Heard the Good News Of Jesus

o When He Urges Us

§ To Live By FAITH!

 

 

 

How Many Times

§ Have We Heard Jesus

o Ask Us to Consider

§ The Lilies of The Field,

§ How They Do Not Plant nor Work,

§ And Yet How God Provides for Them?

 

How Many Times Have We Been Urged

·     Not to Be Too Anxious About the Future?

 

And Yet, How Many Times

·     Have We Keep on Worrying

o About Our Tomorrows.

 

 

 

We Pile Up More And More –

·     More Money,

·     And More Things.

 

Do We Ever Seem to Have Enough?

 

We Just Seem to Need More –

For Security

Just As If We Have Never

Ever Heard of Jesus' Parables.

 

 

Today – We, As Christians, We Are Dying Away!

 

People of Today

Are TOO BUSY for Church!

 

People of Today

Are TOO REMOVED

From Even Knowing

Of What They Need!

Since COVID-19 Break-out

·     Nearly Three-In-Ten – of the Americans

o Of the Age 26 and above,

o Have Report Stronger Personal Faith

§ Because Of The Pandemic.

 

 

 

This Sounds Rather Good –

That Is Until You Hear

Of Our American Young Adults of Ages 18-25.

·     Within this age Group, Since COVID-19

o The Percentage of These

§ Who Claim to Be Following Jesus

§ Has Dropped By 10%!

 

WHY IS THIS?

 

·     Young Adults Find It Difficult to Understand How to Get Along with Others.

 

 

·     We Are Growing More Use to Our Cell Phones and Tablets Than Actually Relating To Each Other.

 

 

Currently, the View Out of our Vehicles

·   Is All Clouded Over.

 

It Is True - The Spirit Can See Through

·     This Fog,

o But It Is Difficult for Me and You.

 

 

We Truly Need to Hold onto the Spirit

·     And To Follow His Lead.

 

 

Our World – IS CHANGING SO FAST!

 

 

Just Look Around within Our World Today!

 

 

People Are Being Removed

From the NEED To Talk To Each Other.

 

·     Dillons – Is Almost FULL Self Check

 

·     Delivery Like Instacart Deliver Your Groceries

o To Your Vehicle

o Or to Your Front Door.

 

·     Our Pharmacy Drugs Are Also Being

o Delivered To Your Front Door

§ By Delivery Carriers

§ Or through the mail.

 

·     Grubhub Is  Delivering Your Meals to your door.

·     And We Even Have Robots That Mow Our Lawns for Us.

 

 

So – What Does This Mean?

 

 

It Means that “Our Relationships,”

·     Are No Longer Being Made

o Nor Are They Even Looked At

§ As They Were Just 5 Years Ago.

 

 

We Need to Pray

To The Holy Spirit.

 

We Need to Let Him Know

That We Want to Follow HIM.

 

 

The Bottom Line Is –

Right Now

We Are Driving in A Fog.

 

 

Satan Is Trying

So Very Hard Right Now –

He is Trying to Destroy

Anything

And Everything

That Is of God’s.

 

 

And That Includes Even You and I!

 

 

 

But the Good News Is,

It Is Because Of Jesus Christ,

God Has Forgiven Us!

 

 

 

Does that Not Explain to Us

Just How Much Our GOD Loves Us?!

 

 

 

And You Know What -

That Means That YOU Are “Lovable!”

 

 

We Need to Catch Ahold of This - And Hang On.

 

 

 

AND There Really Is GOOD NEWS!

 

 

God Is Still - So Eager to Save ALL!

 

So, Prepare Yourself

For HE Is Coming into Your Life.

 

 

He Is Already Here

And He Is Knocking at Your Door.

 

 

Let Us Wake Up and Start Grabbing Hold.

 

 

God Is Eager to Have You!

 

 

Christ Shall Give You, HIS LIGHT. Amen.