{"id":19389,"date":"2022-06-03T06:15:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T05:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/urc-daily-devotion-friday-3rd-june-2022-reverend-dr-trevor-jamison"},"modified":"2022-06-03T06:15:00","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T05:15:00","slug":"urc-daily-devotion-friday-3rd-june-2022-reverend-dr-trevor-jamison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/urc-daily-devotion-friday-3rd-june-2022-reverend-dr-trevor-jamison\/","title":{"rendered":"URC Daily Devotion Friday 3rd June 2022 Reverend Dr Trevor Jamison"},"content":{"rendered":"

3rd June 2022<\/strong>
St John 9: 13 – 34<\/strong><\/p>\n

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.  Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.  Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, \u2018He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.\u2019  Some of the Pharisees said, \u2018This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.\u2019 But others said, \u2018How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?\u2019 And they were divided.  So they said again to the blind man, \u2018What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.\u2019 He said, \u2018He is a prophet.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight  and asked them, \u2018Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?\u2019  His parents answered, \u2018We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;  but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.\u2019  His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, \u2018He is of age; ask him.\u2019<\/p>\n

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, \u2018Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.\u2019  He answered, \u2018I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.\u2019  They said to him, \u2018What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?\u2019  He answered them, \u2018I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?\u2019  Then they reviled him, saying, \u2018You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.\u2019  The man answered, \u2018Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will.  Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.  If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.\u2019  They answered him, \u2018You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?\u2019 And they drove him out.<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m someone who likes order and structure in church (unless I\u2019m the one causing the chaos). So it\u2019s very frustrating  when something works in practice, despite the fact that it doesn\u2019t work in theory, at least as far as I understand the theory. This puts me in sympathy with the Pharisees here, at least up to a point.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

No Jew is supposed to work on the sabbath day. Instead, it\u2019s a time to enjoy God\u2019s creation and give thanks to God. Jesus (a Jew) has prepared a healing mud and spit concoction for application to the blind man\u2019s eyes. This could be taken to constitute \u2018work\u2019 and so would transgress the sabbath day, making Jesus a \u2018sinner\u2019, at least in theory. But, and this is a big \u2018but\u2019, as a result of Jesus\u2019s sabbath day action (work?) someone who formerly had been blind can now see.<\/p>\n

Making the blind see is divine, godly activity (Isaiah 42:7), but how can Jesus be or do that? After all, according to the theory of the Pharisees (and others), \u2018he is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.\u2019 In practice, though, Jesus has performed such a divine healing sign. In theory, then, he cannot be a sinner! If your head hurts at this point, think of what it was doing to Pharisees who were trying to make sense of it.<\/p>\n

Then follow salutary lessons on how not to respond to good things which threaten the status quo, whether by the pool of Siloam, or in a church today. Don\u2019t blame someone for doing good because it makes you uncomfortable. Don\u2019t blame people for being happy when something good happens to them. Instead, look and listen, share the joy, and carefully adjust your theories of God and the Church to fit the good news.<\/p>\n

 Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

O God, make me a good Christian, in practice as well as in theory. Amen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

3rd June 2022St John 9: 13 – 34 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.  Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.  Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, \u2018He put … <\/p>\n

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