Can you envision the scene from this past Sunday’s Gospel? Jesus heals a man who was blind from birth and everyone was baffled. They investigate the case and ultimately decide to cast the man out. But Jesus doesn’t leave him an outcast—He reveals the tenderness of His Father’s Love.
Everyone knew this man was blind from birth. In Jewish culture, any sort of disability, illness, or infertility was attributed to being a sinner. People saw the blind man every day and cast judgement on him. Some may have even been scared to encounter him out of fear that his blindness was contagious or that his sin would be cast on them.
Then Jesus comes on the scene. Someone asks Him who sinned—the man or his parents. Jesus says, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him” (cf. John 9:3). Then He proceeds to make clay using his spit, rubs it on the man’s eyes, and has him go wash. Wahlah! This man can now see, thanks to Jesus’ tender love. WHAT?!
Can you imagine being a bystander in this story?! Would that not be a little weird to witness?!
We have the big picture. We know how the story ends. Yet, the people living in these moments had no clue what was happening. Can you blame them for being a little skeptical of this Jesus character?
Jesus lived so radically and intensely desired for these children to know their Father, so He didn’t care what people thought. He continued living out His mission despite the criticism and skeptics. And, one heart at a time, people began to know the Love of the Father thanks to Jesus’ witness.
How often do we let others’ perceptions of us keep us from living fully alive in Christ? How often are we just going through the motions each day, unaware of God’s all-encompassing love surrounding us? How often do we fall into judging others because of their sins without even acknowledging the logs in our own eyes? How often do we forget the mission and purpose of the life God has written in our hearts?
We are almost finished with Lent, but not yet. This is the point where it can be tempting to just give up the Lenten promises we have failed to complete perfectly and forget we even tried.
My friends, let’s remember that we have the big picture. We know how this story ends. These Gospel stories aren’t fictitious—they are our stories, too. Jesus Christ came into this world to heal our blindness, cure our sickness, and raise us from the dead.
This time of Lent is a time for us to acknowledge our weaknesses and feel the pain of repentance for them as we walk with Christ in His Passion. However, Lent also provides us with the hope of what’s to come—the Resurrection.
Recommit yourself to Christ today—He will not leave you blind, sick, or dead. He deeply desires to bring you to LIFE. Will you let Him?
Take some time to pray this week over your Lenten season. How is it going? How is it failing in your own perception? How is Jesus Christ calling you to enter into His story so He can heal you, too?
All my love,
