Our reading for this Sunday is from the Gospel of John 9:1-41. Pull out your Bible and read it. I will wait here for you to return.
( Interlude: Sound of Pastor Jim whistling. Five minutes pass.)
Welcome back. So, what did you think? I read the story again while you were gone. This text is fascinating and it is fertile ground for questions of life and faith. The good church people leave a very poor impression in this story. They are self-righteous, judgmental and grumpy. Why anyone would want to be a church person or hang around them is beyond me. Jesus loved the “good church people” but it is very clear that he did not really like them.
The good church people wanted some control of a world that was mostly out of their control. They were looking to explain the world through “cause and effect.” This man was blind. There must be a reason. Random suffering is troubling for humans. It is much easier and less threatening to find order through “cause and effect.”
This man is blind and he did not do something stupid like blowing up a firecracker in his face, so he must be a sinner. He must have made God mad and God decided to punish him. But wait, he was born blind. Could he have sinned in the womb? Probably not. So, it must be his parents who are the sinners.
If they could find a “cause and effect” then they could preserve some order. Nothing is quite so threatening as random suffering. If you are healthy, respected, comfortable, and have good vision then that is the result of God’s favor, correct? You earned the blessings that have come your way. That is the way the world works, right?
But if you are suffering for no apparent reason, then being told that God is punishing you, is adding a second layer of despair. Now, of course, there is such a thing as cause and effect in this world. If you drink and drive, you are asking for trouble. If you smoke, you are asking for cancer. If you cheat on your spouse, you risk destroying your family. There is such a thing as cause and effect. This is not God punishing us, this is the natural order. In fact, we are punishing ourselves and God has nothing to do with it.
So where am I going with this? I am not sure. I guess that you will have to show up this Sunday to find out. But let me say this very clearly. Much of what happens in this world is random. If you were lucky enough to be born in the United States then you won the random lottery. It does not mean that God loves you more than the poor child in Africa. It means that you were randomly blessed, and God expects you to be a blessing to others in return.
There are mysteries in this world. We would like to have the knowledge to explain them, but we can’t. Some are born blind, or handicapped, or poor, or male. It is not their fault, it is not anybody’s fault. There is a lot of random in this world. So, if you can help cure, comfort, feed or protect others, then do it. And if you can’t, do not add to their burden by being a know it all religious person.
No one likes know it all religious people, not even Jesus.
Keep smiling—Keep loving, and I will see you in Church.
Pastor Jim
