One In Jesus

Chapter 9 is another comedic chapter. Rather than Jesus’ debating the Jewish religious leaders, this dialog falls to a blind man.

Jesus lets his case be argued by a man who’d never seen a Torah scroll, who’d never read the holy text in the synagogue, and who was considered an “utter” sinner by friends, families, and rulers alike.

Why heal this man out of the thousands of blind men in Judea? Because this man saw better than most. Indeed, his lack of formal schooling in the theology of the day allowed him to see far better than leaders. Continue reading →

(John 9:18-21 ESV) ¹⁸ The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight  ¹⁹ and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”  ²⁰ His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.  ²¹ But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”

We lawyers have this (cynical) saying: “When the law is against you, argue the facts; when the facts are against you, argue the law; when both are against you, just argue.” (There are other punch lines available.)

And so the Pharisees, unable to argue Law as against the facts, sought to dispute the facts. Continue reading →

(John 9:6-7 ESV)  ⁶ Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud  ⁷ and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

Readers have long been fascinated with Jesus’ choice to heal using mud and spit (gross!). Obviously, Jesus could have healed with a word. Why this approach? Continue reading →