After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him,
"Look, you are well; do not sin any more,
so that nothing worse may happen to you."
The man went and told the Jews
that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus
because he did this on a sabbath.
It's hard to like this character in the Gospel of John. Despite his sitting by the pool of Bethesda for thirty-eight years waiting for a cure, he answered indifferently when the Lord asked, "Do you want to be well?"
After he was cured, he was accosted by Jews who challenged his new freedom, ""It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat." But he answered indifferently, "The man who made me well told me, 'Take up your mat and walk.'"
He used the Lord's miraculous words to deflect attention from his own decision to obey the Lord and walk. He gave a witness of sorts, as he told the Jews he'd been cured by Jesus, -- he spoke the holy name -- but apparently wants no part in the story.
He would not speak boldly of himself, his decision to walk upright and freely, and of the power he'd been given. We first heard of that power in the prologue,
...those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. (John 1:12-13)
In John 9 we meet another disabled man, a blind man, apparently an adult son living with his parents. When the same opponents of Jesus disbelieve his story of the Lord's mercy, he challenges their authority to teach. Despite his blindness, he clearly sees the Lordship of Christ; and is not afraid to stand with Jesus against the opposition.
In the first chapter of John, when two of the Baptist's disciples follow Jesus and ask him, "Where do you live?" He replies, "Come and see." But they will see more than the house where he lived with Mary. They will see their lives transformed and their freedom unexpectedly restored. I say unexpected because they never knew they were shackled until he set them free. And then, because they have witnessed great things in their life, they will give witness to the great things God has done for them.
One of those disciples is unnamed in chapter one, but given a name in the closing chapters, "the one whom Jesus loved." He is us, and we are those beloved disciples who give testimony to the Lord about the wonderful things he has done for us.
As we see in John 5, not everyone accepts the invitation. They might speak of Jesus but they don't see themselves in his gospel. They might parrot the evangelists, but they will not enjoy evangelical freedom. Like the crippled old man, they disappear without a trace.
Lent again challenges us to rise to the freedom which we are given. We might find ourselves free from, but if we don't exercise our freedom to speak the truth in the face of opposition, we are useless in God's sight. We risk the dreadful curse of Revelation 3:16
"So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.