November 27, 2023 – Does the Bible Say…?

“Does the bible say Jesus can heal blindness with only mud?”

“As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

 John 9:1ff

 Imagine, if you can, what it would be like to be born blind. I don’t know that we can. When I was in college, my class had the assignment of spending a weekend without one of our senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, or tasting. Realistically this was hard to produce – at least some of them. I decided to try to spend the weekend by trying to go without hearing. It was not easy – but it was enlightening. But it was nearly impossible to create a “deaf” experience.

The man born blind was given a great, great miracle. He received his sight. And we must assume he received his complete sight. It must have been so confusing. For you see, to be able to see, your mind must process the information that your eyes take in. And the ability of the mind to process visual information grows as we grow and develop from the moment we are born. It is believed that a newborn will begin to recognize the faces of caregivers beginning at about two weeks after birth. As such, we can assume that it would have taken the blind man at least a few weeks to be able to make sense of what he was seeing.

There was another blind man Jesus healed in the Gospels. This story comes in the Gospel of Mark: “Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?” And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored…” (Mark 8:22-26)

When his sight was restored the first time, he said people looked like trees, walking. It took another healing for his sight to be restored completely. We marvel of course that Jesus can heal with earthly elements like mud and spit. It doesn’t take a long and spectacular show of power and mysticism – Jesus takes what is easily available and heals in profound ways. Just as there are difficult stories from the Old Testament that make us stop and consider the often strange and wonderous workings of the Lord – the New Testament presents us the same. What a strange and wonderful G-d we have.

Pastor Dave

November 28, 2023 – Does the Bible Say…?

“Does the Bible say that Nicodemus, a teacher in Israel dared to come to Jesus?”

 “Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” John 3:1-12

I have a real soft spot in my heart for Nicodemus – for I have been Nicodemus. I have been in the position of asking a question, getting an answer, and not really understanding the answer. I have another soft spot for Nicodemus for he doesn’t stop asking – at least until the end of the text. And even then, I get the impression that he continues to ask questions, even though we do not have them recorded in the book. I believe he continues to ask questions to the point he becomes a disciple of Jesus.

One of the ways we learn more about our faith, and expand our faith understanding is to ask many, many questions. And in the process of finding answers to our questions, we come up with more questions. The true essence of learning involves asking questions and seeking answers – no matter if we are a pastor, a teacher, or a pew sitter. This was the true essence of the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a teacher of the law and he believed he knew a lot about his faith. But Jesus was teaching a new understanding – and it would take time for Nicodemus, and others, to truly understand what Jesus was teaching.

The story of Nicodemus reminds us that we never ever reach a point where we have nothing to learn from Jesus.

Pastor Dave