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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
“Your Sin Remains”
“But now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.” (John 9.41). These are the closing sad words in the case of Jesus and the blind man. It was not the blind man who couldn't see; it was privileged Pharisees whose sins could not be remedied. There was remedy, but they refused to admit their need!
Dialogue in the Dark is a world exhibit now in the Atlanta area that is designed to raise the awareness level regarding the site impaired. I went there recently with my wife and through that exhibit, I learned things that I could never have learned with my eyes. There is an analogy between that experience and the lamentable conclusion that Jesus announced at the close of John 9.
As a sighted person, I have come to depend heavily on my eyes to guide me in all circumstances. However, I learned that sight is of absolutely no benefit in some situations. As a visitor entering Dialogue in the Dark, I was instructed to take a cane and keep it safely with me at all times. That cane was to become my friend and somewhat of a substitute for my eyes. A guide whose sight had been taken away about 8 years earlier spoke from a location that was out of our sight and then the lights gradually dimmed until there was absolutely no light present at all; the darkness was almost thick enough to feel! The voice of the stranger spoke again but this time his voice was more comforting. He began giving verbal instructions in how we were to move and what we were to feel with the cane as well as sounds that we could expect. Awkwardly as a group we began to move as he gave us directions.
After finding out how absolutely helpless I was in his world, I eagerly awaited his descriptions and commands. The voice that moments ago meant nothing to me was now my lifeline, my only hope to get through the maze that lay before me and to return to a world where I was in charge. I walked blindly up ramps, made turns when there appeared no reason to do so, entered a simulated grocery store, took a ride on a river boat, and crossed a busy street – all without seeing a thing or being able to move without my guide. It was disconcerting at first, but slowly I learned that as long as I followed my blind guide I would be all right.
A particular event during the tour brought us to a soda fountain where we could order our favorite soft drink. The person behind the counter was also blind but he seemed perfectly at home in the world that made no sense to me. A fellow visitor ordered a drink but complained that he only had bills; some were fives and others were ones! His problem was in knowing the difference; in fact he loudly stated, “I can't tell the difference.” The voice behind the counter said, “I can.” Seconds later there was a digitized voice that pierced the darkness; it said in a mechanical monotone, “One.” The tools of the blind man behind the counter were perfectly capable of seeing what no one else in the room could see.
Our tour ended in about an hour; I returned to my world and the blind guide remained in his. I learned that in some circumstances ordinary gifts are of little or no value. Trust is an essential if disability is to become ability. Following Jesus is like that. As long as we depend on our own wisdom and abilities, trust can never come. Only when we admit, “I can't see,” can we begin to profit from His abilities. My world is turned upside down when I enter His world! Only when I accept that fact and allow His voice to guide me can my sins be taken away. Otherwise I return to my world and He remains in His. That is not the way I want it; I want to enter His world. I have but one door of entry and I do not control it!
Questions:
1. Why did the sins of the Pharisees remain in John 9?
2. Was there any thing that they could have done that would have resulted in forgiveness? If yes, what?
3. As humans, what innate abilities do we have to find our way in God's world?
4. Why is total trust in Jesus a prerequisite to justification? What is the inevitable end when we fail to trust in Him?
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