Reading Plan Text for April 16: John 9:6-12
Jesus acts. He spits in the dirt and applies the mud poultice to the blind man's eyes.
The blind man acts. He follows Jesus' instructions to go to the pool of Siloam and wash. He participates in his own healing.
Of course, this being John's Gospel, nothing is that simple. Immediately upon the man's return to his neighborhood, the neighbors begin asking questions. First, they want to know who he is, if he is indeed the same blind beggar they knew. Then they want to know how he regained his sight.
I sense another discourse from Jesus in the making!
However, I want to return to what the blind man DOES. Not only is he not a passive participant in his healing, he takes a risk and follows the directions Jesus gives him. He could have shouted at the jerk who put mud on his face, wiped it off, and gone on as before. He could have ignored the fool who put mud on his face, gone home, and washed the mud off there. Instead he takes a chance that this stranger, whom he cannot see, may actually be able to restore his sight. He risks, and his life is transformed.
Too many times we--I--do not take those risks. What if it fails? Or what if it succeeds? What might happen then? If (a) happens, then (b) could happen, and what about all those risks? Or what if nothing is done? (C) might happen, and what about those risks? And? And? And? Keep looking at the various possibilities and examining each one in detail, and you end up with what I call paralysis by analysis.
Sometimes you just have to take the step off the cliff...
Peace,
Jeffri
No comments:
Post a Comment