Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
John 9:1-17; 35-41
9 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 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.8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[c] 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
In the book of John, Jesus is in the middle of His earthly ministry. In the early part of the chapter He is walking by and encounters a man who had been born blind and proceeds to heal him. The response of the people was met with skepticism. As a matter of fact, the religious leaders of the day scoffed at the man, saying he was a liar in that there was no way Jesus could heal him. By the end of the chapter this man went from a blind beggar to a born-again believer, yet he was met with disdain and discouragement rather than excitement and celebration.
Pastor Derek in his sermon a few weeks ago at Sango made mention of the reality that it is much easier to weep with those who weep than it is to rejoice with those who rejoice. If we are not careful, as Christians we can fall victim to hating one’s success and growth instead of celebrating alongside them! In this context, this man whom Jesus encountered had his life changed forever yet the religious leaders were upset because it was Jesus who healed him.
As believers when we see someone radically saved, or see someone return to the Lord, our first response ought not to be contempt, but celebration. We ought to look to encourage folks in the Lord to continue to grow instead of looking down on them out of envy. If we are not careful, we can become like Pharisees and begin to hate when God works and moves in the lives of others because we may not be receiving the outward attention they may be receiving, or we are jealous because the Lord is not moving in our life. Either way, that is a dangerous place to be for a child of God. We ought to be thankful that He is still on the move! He is still making a way in the hearts and lives of those around us. He is still saving souls and mending hearts. Hallelujah!
So today, choose to celebrate what the Lord is doing in the hearts and lives of those around you. For you who are jealous or envious of what the Lord may be doing in the lives of those around you, choose to look up to Him who wants to do a new thing in your heart and life as well. Don’t hate, celebrate! Celebrate new life! Celebrate what all the Lord is doing at Living Hope both at Sango and Tylertown. Celebrate that God is still at work and is still making a way!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for being a Waymaker! Help me today to choose to celebrate all that you are doing in the hearts and lives of those around me! Help me to celebrate all that you are doing in my life! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
SONG OF WORSHIP FOR TODAY: Waymaker- Leeland
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 34:1
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.