“Seeing God through the Mud”
October 24, 2009
First off, I want to repeat something that I mentioned the last time I had the honor to speak to you guys a few weeks ago – that is this – we, all of us, Billy, Chris and Frank – we all know that there are like a million things you could be doing on a Saturday night. You could be at the movies, or hanging out with friends at the mall, or at Friendly’s. But just think about how awesome it is, that each of you may have decided, yeah, I could do any one of those things tonight –the movies or the mall or bowling, or whatever your group of friends typically do on a Saturday night. But I decided that I am going to a church youth group meeting tonight. Sure, you may want to come here and play in the gym or hang out with your friends. But my guess is that for most of you, at least part of the reason you came tonight is that you want to get to know God and this guy Jesus just a little bit better than you knew him yesterday.
Why? Because even if you are an atheist and don’t believe in any God, people in general just seem to be interested in the life of Jesus. But here’s the reality. Jesus was either who He said He was, or He was a total liar. Really, it boils down to that. He either was who He said He was – Jesus said, “I am God, God in the flesh, and I came to pay for your sins,”- or He ran this great scam, and 2000 years later you guys are coming here, to youth group, to come worship a liar. Nobody denies that He existed. The problem seems to be that people tend to deny is that Jesus was who He said He was. Do people believe that He was who He said He was? That he was God, in human form, like you or me??
I’m going to talk a little tonight about a very important event that took place thousands of years ago during a time we call the Ministry of Jesus. This event is in found in the Bible in the Book of John, and it’s a story of Jesus healing a blind guy. What you’ll notice in this story is that Jesus didn’t just heal the blind guy. I mean, if I’m God walking around on earth and I’m going to heal somebody, I could just snap my fingers or say abra cadabra, “You’re healed” and I’m done. But Jesus doesn’t do this. There’s more that’s going on in this story. In fact, this story has three types of people that may remind you of somebody you know in your life today.
The first group of people we’ll call a person who is hurting from something that has gone wrong in their life. The second group of people is those that really don’t believe that Jesus is God. And the third group is what we call the followers of Jesus Christ. All I ask is that for the next few minutes, you follow along this story the best you can.
The Bible says in John 9 that Jesus was walking along the road, and He saw a man who had been blind since he was born. What you need to know about this guy who was blind from birth is that at this time in human history there was only one job for somebody who had been blind from birth. It was the job of a beggar. In this culture, at this time, if you were blind, that’s what you did. You were a beggar. So Jesus is walking along. He sees this guy who had been blind from birth. Then His followers, His disciples, said this: “’Teacher,’ the disciples asked Him, ‘Why was this man born blind? Was it punishment from his own sin or, or was it a sin his parents committed before he was born?’”
Picture this: Jesus is walking through town. The Bible says that everywhere Jesus went, there was a crowd. There are people lined up to see him. If you can’t picture this in your head, then picture a parade. How many people in here have been to a parade in person? Maybe a parade on the Fourth of July or maybe a parade on Thanksgiving Day or New Years’ Day, or maybe you saw the Red Sox parade when they won the World Series or the Patriots when they won the Super Bowl. Well, imagine this parade with no floats, no marching bands – just one man walking down the street. Jesus. And there are like hundreds of people on the sidewalk watching Jesus walk down the street. So imagine Jesus is walking down Main Street in Mansfield, and he sees this blind guy in the crowd, and he suddenly stops – and He stops the whole parade. Jesus looks at this blind guy. And as Jesus is looking at this blind dude, Jesus’ disciples – his followers, ask Jesus, “Hey Jesus, was this guy born blind because of some sin he committed or some sin his parents committed?”
And that’s a pretty normal question for people at this point in history because during this time, it was normal to think that if a person had any type of deformity – like a short arm or a limp in your walk or something about their body was messed up – like blindness, that it was a punishment for your sin or your parents’ sin.
So this is how Jesus answered the question:
Jesus tells his followers, you’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. Jesus says, “c’mon guys, there’s just no connection between this man’s blindness and his sin or his parent’s sin. He is blind so the deeds of God may be put on display.
When Jesus said this, his disciples must have looked at each and said, “say what?” This guy was born blind so that the power of God could be shown? Oh good grief, now I’ve heard everything! You see, what Jesus is doing when He answers their question is saying, “I’m not going to be caught in this dumb discussion of whether it’s his sin or his parent’s sin. It’s neither. This guy was born blind so the power of God could be shown.” Right there, He sets the stage for a great miracle that we’re about to see.
Now my guess is that nobody in here is blind, because if you are, you’re doing a pretty good job of pretending you can see. But try to imagine for a second what a blind guy must have been going through. He is blind – darkness is all this guy ever knew. Darkness and begging. He can’t even conceive of what blue looks like or red or orange or green. A million images that you and I take in every day of nature, he has no idea. This guy has never seen a sunset or a tree or a mountain or an ocean. He has no idea of that. Even as a little child, when his mom would hold him in her arms and he could maybe reach up and feel her face or even feel a warm tear that might have come out of her eye, he has no idea what his mom looks like. I mean, he doesn’t even know what a tear looks like. This guy was always dependent on a friendly arm or a walking cane take him places. But what is about to happen is so cool. Jesus is about to heal him.
The Bible says “Then Jesus spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and smoothed the mud over the blind man’s eyes.” Wow – I mean, of all the ways that Jesus could heal this guy, this is how He chooses to do it. He’s talking to this guy, then He spits on the ground, and He takes the saliva and makes this mud pie and puts it on his eyes.
So he gets to the pool, and he begins to wash. Just imagine for a second that light now begins to pour into his eyes. Something he’d never experienced ever before – he could see light. Then, all of a sudden, as his eyes, as the crust comes off, all of a sudden, he begins to see a reflection of a person he had never seen in his entire life. He sees himself! He looks up and sees the sky. He’d heard people say the sky was blue. Now, all of a sudden, it registers that that’s blue. He sees a tree and goes, “Green tree!” And for the first time, he sees a mountain and an ocean.
I have to imagine that, at that moment, it had to have been awesome for the blind guy. I can’t imagine he was healed and then all of a sudden went, “Oh! Ok, now I can see. Well, time for me to get back to my begging post because I’ve got a great spot on the corner and that’s where good business is now – right on the corner.” No way! He saw clearly. The Bible said he started to move toward his family and friends. Probably picking up the pace and running a little bit – “I can see, I can see!” and the closer he got to his parents’ house… “Mom! No cane! Check this out!” No walking cane!
Then the Bible says, “When he went and washed, he came back seeing. His neighbors and others, who knew him as a blind beggar, asked each other, ‘Is this the same man? Is that the blind beggar?’ Some said he was, others said, ‘No it can’t be the same guy, but he sure looks like him.’ And the beggar kept saying, ‘It’s me! It’s me, the guy who used to be blind! I can see. I am that same man. “Then the people asked him, ‘Who healed you? What happened?’ And he told them, ‘The man they call Jesus made this mud pie and smoothed it over my eyes and told me, “Go to the pool of Siloam and wash off the mud.” I went and washed and now I can see.’ They said, ‘Where is this dude Jesus now?’ And the blind man said, ‘I don’t know.’”
This really frustrated the people who knew him. So they did the only thing they knew to do – they took the man to the Pharisees. Now, I realize some of you in here have grown up in church and you know what a Pharisee is. But many of you haven’t, so let me explain. A Pharisee, these are the people who doubt what’s going on here. “Pharisee” is a fancy word for “religious ruler.” A Pharisee is somebody who’s focused on a real small picture of God instead of the big picture of God. For example, if there were Pharisee leaders at youth group tonight, they wouldn’t let some of you in this room. A Pharisee leader would stand by the door and go, “Not you! Not the way you’re dressed. You can’t come in. No. I’ve seen you. You have a reputation at your school. There’s no way you can come into this church.” A Pharisee is someone who would like to keep human laws and not necessarily God’s laws. They knew God’s laws, but they were much more interested in keeping human laws. They were kind of like the religious cops of the day.
So the people took the guy who was blind to the Pharisees on the same day that Jesus had healed him, which just so happened to be a Sabbath day. Why weren’t the people just happy that this guy’s blindness had been cured? Because of one simple reason – Jesus had healed the man on a Sabbath. Now, a Sabbath doesn’t mean much to you today. But a Sabbath is a day that the law said you don’t work on. Some of you who may ask, “How did Jesus work on the Sabbath? All He did was heal a guy.” You know how He worked? He spat on the ground and He made mud. That was considered work. That’s how nutty the Pharisees were about man-made laws, that He worked on a Sabbath. The only time that you could actually work on a Sabbath was to save somebody’s life – not to heal someone. So now these religious leaders, they don’t even care that the blind guy’s been healed. They’re just really ticked off that Jesus worked on the Sabbath.
The Bible goes on to say that “The Pharisees asked the man how his blindness had been cured. So the man told them, ‘He smoothed some mud over my eyes, and when it washed away, I could see.’ And then some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man Jesus is not from God because He’s working on the Sabbath.’ But on the other hand, some of the other Pharisees were saying, “Ok, if Jesus is not from God, then he is just an ordinary sinner – but how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?’
Now the Pharisees were just as confused as the people who lived in town! They didn’t know what to think. So they asked the man who used to be blind, “This man who opened your eyes. Who do you say He is?’ What do you make of him? And the man said, ‘I think He must be a prophet.’”
The Bible doesn’t even tell us that these Pharisees, these religious leaders, were actually excited that this guy was healed. All they’re after is trying to get at Jesus. The religious leaders didn’t like Jesus because He taught differently. He taught more about God’s love, than man-made rules. He taught more about a relationship with God than keeping the rules.
The story goes on – the Jewish leaders wouldn’t believe that he had been blind, so they called in his parents. So here’s this guy who’s been healed, telling his story, and they go, “No, we don’t believe you because that would mean that Jesus is something special, like he’s God or something, and we just won’t stand for that! So they call the parents in. They said, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he see?” The reason this is such a big deal is that no one in the history of the world has been born blind and healed. No one in the history of the world. Do all the research you want. But nobody in the history of the world has been born blind and healed. Until this moment.
“The parents replied, ‘We know this is our son and that he was born blind. But we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. He’s old enough to speak for himself. Ask him yourself.
So the Pharisees call this guy back in a second time. And this time they say to the man, “Give God the credit. He’s the one who healed you. All glory belongs to God by telling the truth because we know Jesus is a sinner.” You’ve probably figured out by now that these Pharisees are the skeptics, the doubters.
Here’s what the guy said, and this is a great response: “‘I don’t know whether He’s a sinner,’ the blind man replied. ‘But I know this. I was blind, and now I see.’” What did this guy say? He didn’t know the answers to their question. He didn’t know who Jesus was. All he said was this, “I was blind, but now I see.” This was his entire story of being healed…these seven words…”I was blind, but now I see.”
Still, despite all these questions to the man who was blind and to his parents, the Pharisees still are not satisfied! They keep going after this guy and ask ‘What did He do? How did He heal you?’ The guy says, ‘Look! I’ve already answered all these questions, and you don’t like my answers. Do you really want me to repeat myself over again? Are you guys thinking about joining up with Him and becoming his followers?
Then the Pharisees cursed him and said, ‘Get out! You don’t know anything.’ And as the former blind man is leaving, he stops on the way out the door, turns around, and really gives it to the Pharisees. The man who was blind tells them, “This is very strange. He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know anything about Him. You religious people are supposed to be so close to God. He healed me, and you don’t know anything about Him. God doesn’t listen to sinners, but He listens to those who are ready to worship Him and do His will. Ever since the world began, has anybody been able to open the eyes of someone born blind? If this man were not from God, He couldn’t do it.’ Wow. Can you imagine on his way out, that the man who used to be blind really gives it back to the Pharisees? These religious rulers in their robes and their fancy hats, whatever they were wearing, they went after him. They said, ‘You were born in sin. Are you trying to teach us?’ And they threw him out of the synagogue.”
As we finish up tonight, let me ask you a question. Would you identify with one of these three? Is there one of these three that you would say, “That describes me?” You don’t need to say it out loud. You don’t need to share with anybody. Just in your own heart. Are you the one hurting? Or are you a doubter of Jesus Christ? Or are you a follower of Jesus Christ?
“Bob, you might be saying, I’m hurting. I may not be blind, but I’m hurting and need some healing.” Or you may say, “I’m a skeptic. I am a doubter. I came tonight with a friend and I’m interested in this Jesus. But I gotta tell ya Bob, I just don’t get it. I don’t get the God thing. I don’t get the Jesus thing. I don’t get the church thing. I’ve got questions.” Or third, maybe you’re here today and you’re a follower. You got out of bed today because you want to go to youth group. You like coming to church or youth group. This is the time you get your spiritual tanks recharged.
Who are you? You don’t have to answer that right now…just think about it…which one are you?
Are you a follower. If you’re a follower, just remember this tonight. You watch for changed lives. If you’re a follower of Jesus, if you’re a disciple of Jesus, watch for changed lives. Don’t be like the Pharisees who saw this blind guy healed and they didn’t care about him. It didn’t impact them. When you hear about a friend who has come to Christ, you ought to throw a little party. You hear of a friend who would just normally come to youth group on a Saturday, but then starts coming to church on a Sunday morning – when you hear that, you ought to go, “Wow! That’s great!” Because if you are not celebrating anybody’s spiritual growth, you have become hard to the ways of God. If you look around and say, I’ve got a friend who’s now reading the Bible and just go, “That’s cool,” but it doesn’t mean anything to you, here’s what’s happened to your heart. It’s shriveling up. So celebrate! Watch for changed lives. Why? Because it proves the power of God.
The second person is the skeptic, the doubter. Maybe this is you. You’re like, “This is my parent’s deal. I’m forced to come here. I come here to play this game with my folks that if I come to youth group, they will think I have it all together and I will behave at home and do my homework and take out the trash and walk the dog, and in return my parents will extend my curfew or they’ll get me a cell phone, or they will let me drive, or this whole youth group thing is just really a condition for me getting my driver’s license.” Whatever it is. But in your heart, you’re a skeptic. You’ve got questions. You don’t get it. There’s stuff that we talk about at youth group or read in the Bible that’s hard for you to buy. You wonder. You doubt.
If that kinda describes you, here’s what I want to say to you…I think being a skeptic is a fine place to be. If you’re a skeptic, let me challenge you. Go ahead and ask questions. There’s no question that you’re asking today that hasn’t been asked in over 2000 years of Christianity. If you have a question, just pull me or Billy or Chris or Frank aside and ask. There are no dumb questions. I should know. Sometimes I think all my questions are dumb!
Finally – are you hurting tonight? What does it mean to hurt? Some of you in here, I understand. You cover it well. You hide it well. You live in a decent house. But I know there’s some hurt in here, in this room, right now. It might be relational hurt. It might be from fighting with your parents or brothers or sisters every day, or watching your parents fight with each other all night. There are addictions in here that you can’t shake. There are people in here tonight who are hurting because they have made some bad decisions. Whatever it is. What I want you to hear tonight is this: just like Jesus stopped that parade that one day, just like He stopped the crowd and He looked at that blind guy, I want you to feel that, sense that you might be hiding your hurt from other people, but God sees it, just like he saw that blind guy that day thousands of years ago. God is looking at you right now, at this very moment and saying, “I don’t want you to live like that. I don’t want you to be hurting anymore. I’ve got a way that you can find some healing in your life.” God is just saying, “Follow me.”
Let’s pray:
God, we want to worship You. We want to worship You with our lives. I know there are some people here today who are just hurting so badly they don’t know how to worship You because all they’re thinking about is their pain. I pray that You would meet them like You met the blind beggar and heal them of their hurt. And, God, there are some people here who are skeptics, who’ve got so many questions. They’re just not sure what to do with those questions. I pray that You would, in the way that only You can, provide them answers through other people, through Your word, through their study and their sincere investigation. God, I know there are followers here today who know You and have relationship with You. God, I pray that You would help them to look at changed lives, to see Your power, for them not to focus on their problems but to see how You could take their problems and reveal Your power. God, that we might be different as we walk out of here today. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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