Offend Our Religiousness

Last evening we had a meeting at church where we were talking about how the Lord would proclaim the Kingdom and then demonstrate its reality, and how some people were offended by the way He did those things.  This morning I felt led to turn back to a very familiar story that I have reflected on many times, the story of Jesus healing the man born blind, recounted by John in chapter 9 of his gospel.  This is such a great example of how religion can get offended by moves of God. Here are verses recounting the aftermath of Jesus healing the man, and local religious authorities being confronted by the reality of God moving in their midst.

John 9:13-19,24-34 NIV:

[13] They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. [14] Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. [15] Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” 

[16] Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. 

[17] Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” 

The man replied, “He is a prophet.” 

[18] They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. [19] “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” 

[24] A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” 

[25] He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” 

[26] Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 

[27] He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” 

[28] Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! [29] We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” 

[30] The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. [31] We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. [32] Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. [33] If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 

[34] To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.”

I am always amazed at the absolute unwillingness to consider that God might be moving in ways that the religious would consider unacceptable!  To non-believers, it was quite clear that God had worked a miracle!  It was the religious, the experts, who struggled. In fact the man was basically schooling them in the right approach, the right perspective, and they just couldn’t receive it!   

One wonders how we would handle such a miracle in our midst, in some similarly out of order way?  What if someone got radically healed in the midst of a sermon, like went from being blind to seeing?  Would we stop and celebrate?  Would we later have a “talk” with the Lord explaining that its all fine and good if He wants to heal someone, just please do it during the ministry time in the future?  Would we wonder why He didn’t do such a thing when we were speaking?  

There are hundreds of possible responses, but I think the Lord is after our hearts!  I think it is safe to say that He wants our response to be increased faith, and sometimes that requires repentance on our part!  

A second question just popped into my head - are we gathering on Sunday mornings to talk about God and remember what He did, or to encounter Him in the present?  

I think the teachers of the Law, the Pharisees and Sadducees were so busy looking backwards to what God had done and had said, that they couldn’t accept what He was doing right in their midst!  

My prayer is that we might embrace this idea that God wants to encounter us anew!  He is still creating, still doing new things, and we want to look back at what He said and did before, rather then taking a chance of encountering Him now!  

Lord help us to encounter You now!  Help us to have the courage to open our eyes, to open our ears and to step into what You are doing right now, right here!  Oh Lord, I pray that You would offend our religiousness so that we might grow in our faith, and in our experience of You!!

Amen and Amen!