The Uplift: Obvious Truth
I often find myself relying on the concept of a “continuum” when struggling to understand the complexities of life. I don’t see things like an on/off switch, that transitions a room from dark to light, but more like a dimmer that offers a range of illumination. One definition of a continuum is “a continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, although the extremes are quite distinct.” A faith journey can be like that: a gradual, almost imperceptible transition between the two extremes- indifference and belief. As you might expect, there is at least one miracle story in the Bible that illustrates this. This one is called “Jesus Gives Sight to a Man Born Blind.” This Scripture is from John 9. “As he went along, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So, the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
Like other healing stories, this one demonstrates the divinity of Jesus, but it’s unique too. The blind man is asked to participate in his healing through a physical action- washing. Jesus also performs an action, which also is not typical. He spits on the ground and applies a mixture of dirt and divinity to the man’s eyes. Maybe most unique though, is that Jesus seeks the blind man out, not the other way around. The man’s faith is not a precondition of healing, but he is nonetheless transformed by the encounter. His gradual step-by-by step faith journey, from indifference to belief, is the same for all of us. This is borrowed from the website "Enduringword.com.” It follows the blind man’s increasing awareness of Jesus in the story. First, he sees:
· Jesus is a man (John 9:11). Then,
· Jesus is a prophet (John 9:17).
· Jesus is my master, I am His disciple (John 9:27).
· Jesus is from God (John 9:33).
· Jesus is the Son of God (John 9:35-38).
· Jesus is who I trust (John 9:38).
This is a continuum of faith. And what happens after the healing is also predictable. The crowd and religious leaders doubt the miracle they see with their own eyes. They ask each other whether the man really was blind. They question the man and even his parents, all to discredit Jesus and the obvious truth of the healing. The newly sighted man, exasperated from the repeated questions, finally answers: “All I know is, I was blind and now I see.” (And that’s a pretty good song lyric by the way, right?) Anyway, because he won’t back down from the truth, he is thrown out of the temple by the disgruntled religious leaders, cutting him off from the opportunity to worship God. At the end of the story, however, he finds a new way to worship through Jesus. This is from John 9: “Jesus heard that they had thrown him out of the temple, and when Jesus found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
The journey from indifference to belief, from blindness to sight, from darkness to light, takes time. If you’re reading this, you’re already on the Way. So, don’t worry if it’s slow going- it’s going! The song pairing is “Obvious Truth”; “No one sees the wind, just the shimmering leaves moving through the trees.”
Until next time, stay safe, be brave and keep walking toward the light.
Obvious Truth
Yeah, it’s an obvious truth
when I see you smile
I don’t need no proof
‘cause it’s an obvious truth
Yeah, when you hold my hand
I look into your eyes
you know I understand
I just understand
One love, one love, one love…
Now the years roll by like a radio song
playing in my head
I was singing along
now I wonder where they’ve gone
Across my skin blows a gentle breeze
but no one sees the wind
Just the shimmering leaves
moving through the trees
One love, one love, one love…
Yeah, it’s an obvious truth…