John 9: Arguing Yourself Into (a Deeper) Faith

Strangely, Jesus is mostly absent from today’s story. Jesus speaks in verses 1-7 and 35-41. He is present in the remaining verses that constitute the bulk of the story, but not in person. But he is there, the subject of the action. And if I were to summarise verses 8-34 it would be something like: 

 1. People wondered about the man and his healing. Is it really him? The man confirms the miracle at the hands of Jesus. (9:8-12) 
2. The Pharisees speak to the man and are divided in their opinion about Jesus. Jesus broke the sabbath; he is therefore a sinner. But others wondered how a sinner could perform such a miracle. They ask the man, and he confesses Jesus as a prophet. (9:13-17) 
3. The man’s parents are called to verify the facts. But his parents, fearful of the consequences, direct them back to the man. (9:18-23) 
4. The man is interrogated again. He says he doesn’t know if Jesus is a sinner, but one thing he does know: “I was blind, now I see.” Jesus must be from God. They revile the man as a disciple of Jesus and refuse to be taught by such a man. 

 From 9:35, Jesus returns to the narrative and leads the man to articulate his faith in Jesus: “Lord, I believe.” And he worships Jesus. (Compare John 20:28) Jesus finds the man and brings him to faith. Jesus then teaches what has just played out between the man and the opponents of Jesus in respect of jesus.  Jesus coming into the world brings judgement. (See John 3:17-21) His presence allows those who come to faith to shift from spiritual blindness to spiritual (in)sight, but those who physically see but reject Jesus because they claim they have spiritual (in)sight, become blind. (9:39-41) The man who was physically and spiritually blind moves from blindness to physical sight and spiritual (in)sight, culminating in his confession of Jesus as the Son of Man. On the other hand, the opponents of Jesus, while physically able to see, remain in spiritual darkness. They refuse to acknowledge the sign of the miracle and what it means (about Jesus). And they refuse to be taught by the man who has gained both physical and spiritual sight. And this double movement applies to the man as he moves from sin to faith, and the opponents from a claimed righteousness to the darkness of clinging sin. (9:40-41) 
 

The absence of Jesus through the middle of the narrative allows us to watch a man arguing himself into faith. And he is wrestling not just with others, but also with himself, and with God. (See Genesis 32:22-32) He argues with his neighbours and names Jesus as the miracle worker. He argues for Jesus against the Pharisees: “Jesus healed me and he is a prophet.” And again, with more opponents of Jesus, the man implies that he is, or wishes to be, a disciple of Jesus. (9:27) And he is reviled by them. But the man knows that sinners can’t do what Jesus has done. And the miracle is a sign waiting to be interpreted correctly. (In John 5, Jesus heals on the sabbath. In the dispute with his opponents, he says that he gives life on the sabbath just as his Father is working on the sabbath. See John 5:16-18 & 10:10) The man is coming to faith: “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (9:33) 

And then Jesus meets the man, points to the man’s hope, and declares that he, Jesus, is the fulfilment of that hope. (9:37) “Lord, I believe.” And he worshipped him. (9:38) I, too, have argued myself into a deeper faith at times.  I do it every time I write a sermon. I wrestle with the text.  In speaking to others about Jesus, I argue myself into a deeper faith. The interaction with others, with life itself in all its joy and sorrow, asks me to decide. Is life stronger than sin and death? Without God, does any of it make sense? Is Jesus the one? “Yes, Lord, I believe.” And he worshipped him.

Luke 17:11-19 The Ten Lepers

The Text

There are a few idiosyncrasies in the text that, when explained, help in understanding the story of Jesus healing ten lepers.

1. Jesus tells the lepers to show themselves to the priest. The priest will declare them to be clean/free of leprosy. However, strangely, they are not cleansed at this point! As they were on their way to the priest, they were healed.

2. Why did they set out to go to the priest before they were cleansed? They had faith in Jesus and his word, and they were obedient to that word. All ten showed faith.

3. Only one returns to Jesus to give thanks to him. Moreover, Jesus delivers a mild rebuke to the nine who have not returned. However, why (even mildly) rebuke the other nine when they are obeying his command by going to the priest? Even though the other nine acted in obedient faith, and continued to do so by making their way to the priest and not returning to Jesus, something is missing in their faith and obedience.

4. Whatever it was that was missing, this gap did not result in the reversal of the healing. The nine cleansed former lepers continued on their way to the priest. An inadequate response to God's goodness does not result in rejection. God's kindness is not discriminatory. (See Luke 6:35) And notice that the Samaritan received nothing more than the other nine: they were all equally cleansed.

 So, what is missing from the nine that the Samaritan displays? Eucharistia! (Thanksgiving). We do not know if the other nine were thankful or not, but the Samaritan was thankful and returned to Jesus, prostrating himself before Jesus. This faith, that brings him back in thanksgiving, is more than the original faith that sent him to the priest. (The other none have this faith, but only this faith.) And similarly, Jesus' word to him moves from cleansing (when he was cleansed from his leprosy) to Jesus declaring him to be healed/saved. (Lk 17:19)

Final Thoughts

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1Thessalonians 5:16-18)

We are told to give thanks in all things because nothing can separate us from God’s goodness and presence in Christ. (See Rom 8:31-39) Thanksgiving is evidence (if you like) of a mature and maturing faith. The nurturing of thanksgiving through prayer for our union with Christ and all the benefits that flow from this union is an essential part of our discipleship.

Comments on the Readings for Easter 4C

 Acts 9:36-43 

Earlier in Acts, Peter had great success in turning the hearts of his Jewish listeners to Jesus through his first speech. (Acts 2:37-42) then Peter visits the coastal plain and heals a man named Aeneas and, through this healing, converts a whole area, “who turn to the Lord.” (Acts 9:32-35) So, through word and action, the Christian mission is expanding among the Jews of Jerusalem and the surrounding region. Our reading follows this story of the healing of Aeneas, with Peter responding to a cry for help. In our story today we gain a glimpse of the humanity of those involved in the story. Often, as in the case of the healing of Aeneas, the narration of the miracle is terse and to the point. And because of this, we often miss that a healing or other miracle like this comes after a tragedy that deeply affected those around. (Not only the one healed.) And because the story is usually told so matter-of-factly, we miss the human element. But in this story, we are provided a window into the grief of ordinary people. We are told of Tabitha’s good works, and those who grieve show Peter the evidence of this. They loved this woman. After she dies, they lay her in an upstairs room. (As was the custom.) We glimpse a real life here. And through Peter, Jesus gives her life. (It is important to note that Peter does not have life in himself – the power is that of Jesus.) 

Rev 7:9-17 

Immediately prior to the section that we are reading, the tribulations of history are in full swing. (Rev 7:1-8) But there is a short respite before the tribulations continue, to allow time for the servants of God to be marked and sealed on their foreheads. And the number who were sealed were 144,000, with 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, including, significantly, the ‘lost tribes’ of Israel. (See Jeremiah 31:8) This number, constituted by multiples of the symbolic number twelve, represents the fullness of the reconstituted and renewed people of God. “Israel” is first used in Revelation here at verse 4; the chosen ones are gathered and sealed with the blood of the Lamb. Another, and final, Exodus is underway in the vision. And then we arrive at our reading today. John sees a vast multitude, too great to count, from every nation and language. (Interacting with Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-11) While it might seem confusing that there are two accounts of the redeemed, they play into each other. The vocation of Israel (see Genesis 12:1-3) is fulfilled in the renewed twelve tribes of Israel, called from every nation and language. (And we are reminded of Jesus calling twelve Apostles to symbolise the renewed twelve tribes of Israel, and through these apostles, the renewed people of God would include Jews and Gentiles.) We are still witnessing the liturgy of heaven. The people of God are worshipping at the throne, with robes and palms reminiscent of worship in the (recently destroyed) Temple in Jerusalem. We are told that the worshippers have come through the great ordeal, purified by the blood of the Lamb. John is giving his listener/reader (including us) a vision of ourselves with God and the Lamb in the kingdom (to come, yet also strangely here). In this Kingdom there will be no more tears, and the Lamb will guide us to “springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” This is the message: Rejoice and have confidence that God is working on our behalf for the fulfillment of the Kingdom. 

 

John 10 :22-30 

What do you use to identify who and what God is? One ancient way is by the things that God does. If the one you are identifying as God carries out these functions, then that one is God. In John’s Gospel, the author demonstrates that Jesus is God because he carries out these functions. There are a number of functions that only God can execute. For example, life-giver, creator, and judge. Filling out life-giver a bit, we might say that God is source of all life. Not like a prophet who raises the dead in the name of God, but someone who has life in himself, the sheer livingness of God as their own possession. This is Jesus. A classic passage where Jesus identifies himself as possessing life in himself is John 5:25-26. (See also John 10:17-18; 11:25-26.) And this also touches on God as creator, the one who gives life to everything that lives. (See John 1:1-4) And another function of God is protection, because God is greater than all else. These two, life and eternal protection, are the central point in today’s Gospel reading. Jesus says that he, the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, will give his sheep eternal life. And, just as no one will snatch his sheep out of his hand (not like the hireling of John 10:1-10), no one can snatch the sheep out of his Father’s hand because the Father is greater than all, even death and sin. Therefore – and this is the climax - Jesus and the Father are one. (John 10:30) We can trust Jesus, for he is the very Word of God made flesh. (See John 1:1-5, 10-18.) All that Jesus is he has received from the Father through self-giving love: God’s sheer livingness, judgement, life and protection to share with creation. And Jesus the Son loves the Father, and in that love gives his life in obedience to the Father’s desire for our good, our life, our eternal life. (John 3:16)

Jesus the Exorcist and Healer

When it comes to the healings and exorcisms of Jesus it is easy to get caught up in discussions about the miraculous on the one hand, and questions about the reality of the demonic on the other. While important, those discussions need to be broadened a little. Brad, my co-minister here at Holy Innocents used to work with children with multiple disabilities. In that work he would use every channel available to communicate with the children. He remarked in a recent sermon that he could see some similarity between his work with these children and the story of the healing of the deaf man with a speech impediment in Mk 7:31-37. Those schooled in the debates about the reality of healings and the question of magic miss the very basic ways that Jesus is communicating with the man in the story. Jesus touches the man's ears and tongue, and looks up to heaven and sighs. The man would recognise what Jesus was indicating and doing. The question of what happened in the healing does not disappear, but we need not see the touching and the saliva as some kind of magic, or even just as a prophetic acting out. Jesus might have also been communicating with the man, telling him what he, Jesus, was about to do.

The same holds true with the exorcisms of Jesus. The Gospel stories explicitly weave social and political realities into the exorcisms. Two examples, both in the Gospel of Mark, come readily to mind. The first is Mk 1:21-28 where the exorcism is clearly linked to the contrast between the teaching and authority of Jesus with the teaching and authority of the scribes. And then there is the story of the Gerasene demoniac. (Mk 5:1-20) I can't remember where I read it, but apparently there is some evidence to suggest that in antiquity demon possession increased during times of foreign occupation. Demon possession, while a spiritual reality in the text, is not divorced from the political realities of the people within the text. And just in case we doubt it, the name of the demon is legion, the basic unit of the Roman army.

Surrender and Healing

The Christian faith is about union with God. But to be united with God we have to give up everything – even ourselves. Making ourselves, securing ourselves, controlling our lives, our futures, our desires, our image and identity, dying to self. And in this dying we are found in God, and we discover who we truly are. All the rest is stripped off as we come to live more and more into God. It is quite harsh for it calls for a death to the usual things about ourselves that we would all think quite reasonable. And you can get a good glimpse of it when sick, diseased, facing an operation, wearing out, dying. Our fears come into play. What will happen? We are losing control. Things could happen that we don’t like. We try to gain control.

I remember hearing about a group who believed they would never die if they had enough faith. All those who died had obviously no faith! (I kid you not, such a group existed in Adelaide!) Tlak about the denial of reality, trying to gain control by manipulating God. It is a temptation for all of us, especially in the dark times of illness etc. A last ditch attempt to deny reality or escape it. A way of manipulating God. (Pray harder; and when the outcome is not what we wanted and we say, "Why did God not listen?" Well, what a give away!) When I had an operation a few years ago I discovered something about myself. I couldn’t trust myself to God. I wanted a certain outcome, and I wanted God to make sure it happened. All normal, of course, but it is not what Christian healing is about. Christian healing is not about using our faith to get what we want. Facing the darkness of sickness etc. is an opportunity to deepen our surrender to God. Anointing with the sign of the cross in the name of Jesus provides a clue: the cross is the symbol of losing life and of surrender; faith in God is not a shield from the reality of our lives. We get sick, injured, wear out, and die. Faith is about trusting in God no matter what. Its easy to trust God when everything is going smoothly, a different matter when we are in the darkness of suffering. That’s when the rubber really hits the road.Can we give our lives to God? Can we trust that all shall be well, no matter what? Can we give up our very selves in the promise of gaining life? That’s what healing is about. Sometimes the outcome is what we want. Eventually it won’t be. But that’s beside the point. The point is knowing that in the light of the resurrection of Jesus all shall be well. No matter what.

Syro-Phoenician Woman

A guest post from the Revd Ron Keynes, based on Mark 7:24-37.

We have become almost inured to the sight of a Lord Who was happy to meet anyone whoever or wherever they were, and yet continue to be surprised by the Infant Church in the Acts of the Apostles stumbling over its outreach to Gentiles. This little cameo bears a close look, if only because previously traditional treatment of it tended to take off the sharp edges of Jesus’ words to the woman. Never lose sight of the fact that Jesus is in Tyre (Gentile territory by a long distance) with the obvious intent of taking the blinkers off His disciples.

It is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs was the rendering in the AV Bible. I recall Sunday School story treatment of this passage asking teachers to render ‘dogs’ and ‘puppies’ on the grounds that Jesus would never have been so severe on a woman as the original appeared. On the contrary, Jesus was being quite rough, as that woman would have expected, but it was not to be rude to her as much as make the disciples face the horror of their own attitudes. That lady would have expected such an outburst, and her response shows that she was ready for it.

The disciples, on the other hand, were confronted by a human being who not only handled the abuse, but showed a depth of spirit and faith that would have been totally unexpected. This sort of thing should be a constant discovery even for the modern Christian.

Surely, then, the tell-tale story that follows in today’s Gospel should be the one that shocks even more. This is not just the telling of the story of the healing of a deaf-mute! This is an intended shock for the Christians of every later age that they are the deaf mutes, for they have seen the glory of the Gospel but have refused to see it in others or share or with others.