Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided.” vs. 16
John 9:8-16
The blind man must have cleaned up pretty well. When he returned from washing in the pool of Siloam many of his neighbors didn’t recognize him. His newfound sight had made him a different person, and the whole neighborhood was perplexed; so they brought him to the Pharisees, their religious leaders. Upon arrival they were amazed to discover that, while their friend and neighbor could now see, the Pharisees had gone blind! Because the healing had taken place on the Sabbath, a day on which doctors were forbidden to work, those pious keepers of the Law refused to believe that it had taken place. Their allegiance to rules and regulations had made it impossible for them to see grace, even when it was standing right in front of them. That kind of blindness continues to afflict religious folks of every stripe. They have such strong convictions about right and wrong they can’t conceive that God’s Holy Spirit works in a variety of ways with all manner of sinners. It must be awful to have that kind of astigmatism, that prejudiced perspective that causes us to write off whole categories of people without a second thought. God is doing marvelous things in our world, barriers are being broken down, the blind are being healed–and some folks can’t even see the miracle!
Thought for the Day: Where have I seen blindness in the Church?
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