John
9:1-41 ESV
As
he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus
answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works
of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me
while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the
world, I am the light of the world.”
Unless we live in a hole
somewhere, none of us have missed the horrific events of the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting. Since this tragedy, many people, many pastors have been trying to
cast some sort of sense on a senseless situation.
- We have had people asking, where was God?
- We have had people casting blame on the victims because of who they voted for, or even because of the world’s sinful nature.
In today’s text from the
ninth chapter of John, we see the disciples doing the same thing in regards to
the blind man. Did the blind man’s parents sin, or did the blind man have the
guilt of sin upon him. Here we see Christ in the role of Rabbi which is Hebrew
for Teacher, and Jesus the teacher uses the vision of the blind man as a
teaching event.
Beloved, there is evil in
the world and work and presence of God must be shown and was shown in the presence
of those that helped, those that worked for good and not evil. God was present
in the emergency responders, God was present in those that assisted the wounded
and dying, and God was present in the people that used their bodies as shields
to protect others.
How was God displayed at
this tragedy? It was displayed in the acts of the people (The Body of Christ)
that sacrificed their own well being for others, often strangers. Beloved our job and our call on earth is to be
Christ like and to shine his light in the darkest of places.
Even in the dark area of
the shooting area, the light of Christ could be seen and the love of God could
be witnessed in the actions of his people. Jesus died on the cross and
sacrificed his life for ours, for the many, for all.
Yes, there is evil in the
world and Christ has already achieved the victory over evil. As people of the
victory, as carriers of the Light of Christ, our mission is to be witnesses of
Christ’s love and sacrifice. Our light must shine, even in the darkest,
evilest, and scariest places.
Evil happened, it was
nobody’s fault except the shooters, but victory and presence did occur in the
presence of those that gave their lives for others, and those that saved the
lives of others. Try not to cast blame on this tragedy, and don’t even try to justify
evil. Be the shining light and example
of Christ that has already claimed the victory over evil.
"When I was a boy
and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look
for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this
day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I
am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many
caring people in this world. Fred Rogers: Children’s Television Host and
Presbyterian Minister.
In
Christ
Pastor
Tim.
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