Christ: Our Example in Meekness and Strength (From “Onward Through the Fog! By E. Morris-Pierce)

A: a lawyer

B: the preacher

B: Our guest today is a lawyer from the city of Jerusalem. Her name is Tabia, and she learned of this case secondhand.

A: That is correct. It so happened that I was at court that day and I missed all the excitement.

B: Tell me, Tabia, are you a secular lawyer, or do you restrict your practice to religious matters?

A: Actually, I accept secular and religious cases, although the Jews never really separate religion and state. No matter what the crime, it always broke one of the religious laws. Let’s take today’s story as an example of what I mean. If Jesus and the blind man had been Roman citizens, the matter would have ended after he had been healed. But the Jews were upset because they claimed Jesus broke the law regarding work done on the Sabbath.

B: Before we discuss what Jesus did, suppose we talk about what he had to say to his disciples. As you remember, they wanted to know for whose sin the man was being punished, his own or his parents. This would imply that those who could not see were blind because of their sin or the sin of their ancestors.

A: If people believed that those who were blind were sinful, then blind people were likely overlooked and left to their own devices. Most were forced to live as beggars.

B: Then along comes Jesus, who taught that God can be revealed even in a man born blind. As if to prove his point, he proceeds to heal the man in question.

A: That’s why the authorities accused him of breaking the Sabbath. When he made a mud-pack for the man’s eyes, he performed a task that is reserved for the pottery industry, and when you do the work of a potter, you break the law that says no work is to be done on the Sabbath.

B: But isn’t that stretching the point?

A: You are right of course. But then Jesus added fuel to the fire.

B: How so?

A: When Jesus told the blind man to go and wash. That too was breaking the Sabbath laws

B: Well, if Jesus was the one who broke the Sabbath law, how is it that the Pharisees brought in the man who had been healed for questioning?

A: From what I heard; it was because the religious leaders were afraid to have Jesus arrested on some trumped-up charge. They knew how much the public admired the man, and they were afraid of pressure from the people.

B: So they brought in the man who had been blind as well. Tell me Tabia, if you had been called in on the case, whose side would you defend? The Pharisee? Or the blind man? Or Jesus?

A: If I was practising law in your century, I would be known as a criminal lawyer. I chose to defend those who wanted to fight the system. I enjoyed finding loopholes and meeting the challenge of arguing against their petty regulations. So I would have defended the blind man and his healer.

B: Do you think it was fair for the Pharisees to subpoena the man’s parents?

A: Even the neighbours were in disagreement about the miracle. Apparently that act of washing turned a dirty beggar into a respectable man. He was so changed that they couldn’t be certain he was really the same man.

B: What a beautiful insight! That’s exactly what happens when Jesus forgives sin. When people come to Jesus they are changed and they become new people.

A: I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about, but I’m glad I was able to touch on some philosophy that pleased you.

B: So since neighbours couldn’t testify on his behalf, the authorities decided to bring in his parents. They testified that he was indeed their son, but they wouldn’t talk about how he was healed. Their courage took them only so far.

A: Now there’s where the court was wrong. They had no right to exclude people from the synagogue because of their belief about the man Jesus. But these poor people didn’t know that; they were scared and pushed any further witnessing onto their son.

B: So they bring back to the witness stand the man who had been blind.

A: I’ll say this for that man; he had courage and he had intelligence. Not only did he stand up for his rights, he had the audacity to challenge the leaders!

B: I think if I had been in that courtroom I would have been tempted to applaud his testimony.

A: Since he had no one to defend him, the man was excluded from the synagogue. These leaders became so angry with the man’s witness that they threw him out. They drove him out even though he didn’t do anything wrong. I could have helped that man. I could have won an acquittal for him.

B: It’s too bad he didn’t know about you- but then he probably couldn’t have afforded you, He was a beggar and didn’t have much money.

A: True. My fees are a little steep.

B: Okay. Let’s review what has happened so far. 1. Jesus heals a blind man, so that others may see that God can work through anyone. 2. The townsfolk take the healed man to the Pharisees.

A: Yes, that’s the general procedure when people are healed. They must prove it to the Pharisees so that they can be declared ritually clean.

B: 3. Some of the Pharisees accuse Jesus of being a sinner because he worked on the Sabbath. 4. The same Pharisees refuse to believe that a sinner could perform the miracle of healing a blind man. 5. They hold a hearing and summon the blind man – not just once, but twice, to testify. 6. They throw the man out of the synagogue.

A: But the story doesn’t end there. There is still the matter of the man called Jesus.

B: You’re right. Word of what happened reached Jesus, so he decided to go find the blind man – I mean the man who had been blind. (He was never given a name.)

A: That speaks very highly for your Jesus. After all he knew that the authorities were out to get him, but he didn’t back off. I wonder if he imparted some of his courage to the blind man when he healed him?

B: That’s a good point. When Jesus heals people, it’s as though they receive some of the very nature of Jesus into their lives.

A: Obviously, by his own witness, the blind man believed that Jesus was from God. I’m surprised that others were not equally convinced. Yet, if this Jesus was really the Messiah, he would have cleaned up that mess of religious leaders and brought about a change. A revolution!

B: That was not his way. Change and revolution came about person-by-person. When the individual meets Jesus with simple faith, his or her life is changed. Christianity has been working that way for the past 2000 years…Jesus changing the individual.

A: For my part, I think he could have done a lot more good by cleaning up the system than to heal just one blind man.

B: He tried to change the system by challenging the leaders and teachers of the day, but unless the individual was changed in the heart, really changed, the system would never change, especially by force.

A: So that’s why Jesus told the Pharisees in the story that they were the ones who were blind.

B: Their blindness was self-imposed. They knew the truth and they overlooked it.

A: The more I reflect on this story, the more I come to realize that Jesus was truly very strong. It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to the religious authorities, and that’s what he did. He never backed off for a minute.

B: Even when he had to stand at his own trial. Jesus never backed off. A weaker person would have succumbed to the pressure and tried to save himself. But not Jesus. He allowed the authorities to execute him.

A: But why? That’s so senseless! What good can a dead man do?

B: If you would believe that Jesus is the Son of God, you would know that Jesus is not a dead man. His story goes beyond his execution, for we believe that Jesus conquered death and lives with God.

A: I’ve heard rumours to that effect. But I find such a thing very difficult to believe. After all. I’m a lawyer, and I base most of my cases on fact, not rumour.

B: That’s where the theory of working with the individual comes into play. If you would allow Jesus to heal your blindness, you would come to know that his strength is now your strength. His victory over death becomes your assurance of eternal life. And when you become changed, you can become the means for another person to become changed.

A: I begin to understand. Change cannot be forced on a person, nor can it be forced upon a nation …no more than the Romans could force Jews to become Roman citizens. In their hearts they would always be Jews.

B: The strength of Jesus was his meekness, his willingness to endure all so that we may be healed of our blindness and become changed creatures.

Let us pray: Lord God, give us the determination to be healed through the touch of Jesus, so that we no longer surrender ourselves blindly to sin. As forgiven people, let us follow the way of Jesus and bring others for healing. Amen.

This amazing truth, that Jesus makes us into someone new is as true for us as it was for that man whose blindness was healed over 2000 years ago

The nameless man who was healed was so changed by Jesus, that we are told that his neighbours were not even sure of his identity

After the man was healed the neighbours were arguing over whether or not this man who could see was the same one who used to sit and beg

It seems that when Jesus healed the man of his blindness that there was a transformation of his person

Did he stand taller?

Did he radiate joy where before it was only hopelessness?

Or, had people before only noticed his blindness, so that when he could see, they were not able to identify him?

The man had been touched by Jesus and he was healed physically

Much more than that happened

At that touch the man knew that Jesus was a prophet

And where he had been the one who sat by the road, humbly begging, he now had the confidence to look the authorities in the eye and give a definite answer to the questions that were asked about Jesus

While Jesus does not come into our lives and physically lay hands on us, as happened in the case of the man who was healed

Jesus does come into our lives

We read the Shepherd psalm this morning that talks about how God cares for us

We were reminded in the reading in Ephesians that we are called to be light in the darkness

And in the gospel we read of someone who was healed and whose life was turned around

When we walk with Jesus, we are saying yes to all that has been done

We are saying yes to following the Shepherd

We are saying yes to being light in the world and we know that like the man in the gospel story our lives can be turned toward Jesus

Being light in the world can mean being a floodlight or it can be more like a flashlight

Light can not be overcome by darkness

Even if we are the only ones at work who have hope

Even if we are the only ones in the neighbourhood who are helpful

Even if we are the only ones in the constituency who speak up for the homeless

We are still light

I think of the example of the lighthouse

A lighthouse is an imposing structure

But from that place that a ship will first spot the lighthouse, it is very small, maybe a dot on the coast

The light of the lighthouse has been the way that many ships have avoided a shipwreck

The steady light in the darkness is the way that a ship is saved

Our steady light can be the way people are able to see Jesus

Jesus the light of the world makes us new.

Invitation to the Offering

The season of Lent leads us on, closer and closer to the Cross. As we contemplate Jesus lifted up on the Cross for our sakes, consider what the gift of his mercy and grace means for you. Let your offering express your thanksgiving for such an amazing gift from God.

Prayer of Dedication

Lord Jesus, you gave so much without counting the cost. Bless these gifts with your generous love. Send them and us into the world to bless it with the same hope and healing we have found in you. And let us not count the cost until we too have given all we can for your sake. Amen.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession

Generous and gracious God,

with your great mercy, you have made us alive together with Christ.

By your grace we are saved from sin and despair,

and promised hope for everlasting life with you.

You have shown us immeasurable riches through your grace and mercy,

and we offer you our deepest gratitude, now and always.

We pray that each person will know the fullness of your gifts

in ways that touch their deepest needs.

 

We pray for those dear to us

and all those we’ve come to lean on in the months of the pandemic…

We pray for those who are struggling in isolation or frustration…

for all those who experience illness or pain in body, mind or spirit…

for all who have lost someone or something central to their lives

and have to cope with grief and loss…

May all these, your children, know your grace and mercy.

 

We pray for peace and safety in the world…

for countries struggling to care for their citizens and to rebuild their economies…

for all who do not receive the respect and consideration they deserve…

for all those persecuted for their faith or their views…

for all who are disenfranchised and long to live in freedom…

May all these, your children, know your grace and mercy.

We pray for your church around the world and for the congregations we know…

for the work of presbyteries across Canada and the faithful ministries they lead in this time of working at a distance…

for the learning we have gained in outreach during the pandemic and all who have connected to your church in new ways…

and for ministers and other leaders who are finding this time of planning and decision making very stressful…

May your church in all its many expressions know your grace and mercy.

 

We pray for the concerns on our hearts this day,

for the fears and frustrations we struggle with…

for any troubled relationships…

for the doubts and the hopes which compete within us…

for any need of healing and support…

May we, your children, know your grace and mercy.

 

We offer the prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord who taught us to pray, saying:

The Lord’s Prayer