the    sides

This is part of our e-journey through the gospel of John. Today is from John 9:1-41.

I used to think “why” was such a great question. I used to be impressed with people who could answer “why” questions. I used to want to be someone who could answer “why” questions.

Now I’m realizing a couple of things. Most of the people I would classify as great hardly ever answered the “why” question. Mother Theresa, Billy Graham, St. Francis of Assisi, Jesus - not a lot of “why” answers. Plenty of “how” and “why not.” The other thing is that if we really looked hard at some of the answers we’ve been given - there….inadequate.

Why do bad things happen to people?
Why are some people mean?
Why are some people never happy?
Why do some people love hurting other people?

What if there are no real reasons? At least ones that make sense on this side of the equation. That’s the overall angst I felt as I read John 9 this week.

The disciples are having one of these “why” conversations about a man born blind and Jesus’ answer is “Neither. He’s blind so that God’s glory can be shown by me healing him with mud balls made with my spit.”

First of all, the guy is blind. He can still hear, right? He can hear Jesus hawkin’ up some spit, packing it in some dirt, then can feel the stuff on his face. How in the world can that be glorious? How does that display the glory of God? How does Jesus getting dirty display the glory of God?

More disturbing than that is how outright pithy the whole thing sounds. What about all the other people born blind that didn’t get to hear Jesus spit? Were they blind so that God’s glory could be revealed too?

I’m not really paying attention to the rest of the story. Oh, I read it. Over and over again. But Jesus’ answer at the beginning of the chapter - the more I think about it…the more it bothers me. In fact, it bothers so much I start having this week long discussion/argument with God.

I tell him I don’t like His answer. I don’t think it’s good enough. I think it’s pithy and shallow. I ask whether his answer only applied to that particular blind guy or all blind people? What about people with cancer? What of all the stories of those that don’t get healed?

This goes on all week. No answers. I realize I’m a hypocrite in all of this as I’m approaching the whole conversation much like the disciples - detached, surgical, no real vested interest in the answer. I think that might be part of my problem.

I think the larger part of the problem I finally noticed yesterday. What if physical blindness isn’t as big of a deal in the grand eternal scheme as I think it is? What if there is something worse but less evasive to my life? What if some things were never meant to make sense this side of life?

What if the real people to be pitied in John 9 isn’t the blind man or the countless others that Jesus chose NOT to heal? What if the real tragic character were the people who thought they knew God but they really didn’t? What if the real tragedy in the story is the one who misses the work of God due to his arrogance? What if by being physically blind was better than being spiritually blind?

More questions that I’m not sure I’ll like the answers to as well.