Whittier Area Community Church
6/23/24 - Show Me A Sign, Week 6 (Message Only)
The other day I was watching television and something unbelievable happened. I saw someone I know. It was that USAA commercial where they're at a backyard barbecue and the actress is talking about how family members of those in the military are able to join. Yeah, one of the actors used to be a volunteer here on the worship team. Yeah, his name is Chris and that's pretty cool, right? To see someone you know. Well, I guess I should clarify. I don't know him. I think he only volunteered once and then he had to move away for work. So yeah, I don't really know him. I just recognize him. But hey, that reminds me. I do know someone that I think most people here would recognize. Has anyone ever seen the movie Three Amigos with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase? You remember the character Hefei? The actor is Tony Plana and I know him. Yeah, you might have seen him as the dad in Ugly Betty. Yeah, Tony and his family used to live around here and they even came to whack. His son is a year older than me and his daughter is really good friends with my cousin. So yeah, I know Tony Plana. Well, I guess that's maybe stating it a bit too strong. Like, I've never actually talked to him directly and I don't think he knows who I am. So I guess I just have some loose connections with him. But it begs the question, what does it mean to know someone? And if we can ask this question about our fellow humans, how much more does it apply to God, the God whom John says no one has ever seen? What does it mean to know God? This is the question that John seeks to answer in his gospel. If we've never met before, my name is Matt and I'm one of the pastors here at Whack. For the past five weeks, we have been in a series looking at the seven signs of Jesus in the gospel of John. As has been mentioned in previous weeks, John writes at the end of his gospel that Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. John's purpose is that we might believe or have faith that Jesus is the Messiah. And yet belief and faith are not just wishful thinking. They are predicated on knowledge, knowing someone or knowing something. Faith is the embodiment of knowledge. This is the problem John presents. He, the Word, the Logos, the one who is with God and is God, was in the world. Yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own and his own people did not accept him. John says the problem is this. We do not know God. Or as Mary and my Thompson puts it, God should be but is not known by his people. Yet we're not without hope. There is a way to know God. For John says it is God, the only Son who is close to the Father's heart who has made him known. Jesus has made God known to us, to know Jesus is to know God. What then does it mean to know Jesus? And this isn't just a theoretical question, right? Some of us have been coming to church for a really long time. We know the Bible forwards and backwards and can quote scripture faster than the alphabet. But when put to it, would we say we know Jesus? Would Jesus say he knows us? What does it mean to know Jesus? This is the question John explores in chapter 9. And John does so by presenting us a sign. So if you have a Bible with you, please turn with me to John chapter 9 or pull it up on your phones if you'd like. As he, Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. Jesus is in the vicinity of the temple. He has been teaching in and around the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. And as usual, Jesus has caused disruption. He's accused his Jewish audience of not keeping the law of Moses. He's avoided arrest. He's identified his audience as children of the devil and thus incapable of recognizing truth. He's been accused of having a demon. He's claimed to be God and he's narrowly avoided being stoned. But now in chapter 9, Jesus has left the temple and we learn that as he walked along, he saw a blind man from birth. The story begins with this simple statement. In our first glance, it may seem insignificant, right? A sentence that just sets the scene. But we miss a nuance here in our English translations. In Greek, the language in which this was written, there are three different words that mean to see. Bleppo, Theoreo, and Herrao. Bleppo is simply the physical sense of seeing. Theoreo means the act of deciphering what one sees. It's observing and then piecing together to make sense of the visual cues. In Herrao refers to seeing with the mind or it's an inward perception. It is seeing the truth that's beneath an observation. It's interesting. In John's Gospel, Jesus always Herraos. Jesus never just physically sees. He always sees the truth that's beneath. He always sees with an inward perception. And so here in verse 1, we read that Jesus Herraos, a man blind from birth. He sees this man with an inward perception. Jesus doesn't just see this man with his physical eyes. There is a truth that Jesus sees. And John is calling our attention to it. Jesus' disciples are with him. And when they see this man, they ask, why was this man born blind? Was it because he sinned or because his parents sinned? The disciples assume that this man's condition is the consequence of a moral failure, either the failure of this man's parents or a failure of the man himself. Now it's possible that here the disciples have scriptures like Exodus 20, verse 5 in mind. You shall not bow down to idols or serve them, for I, your God, Yahweh, am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third, and upon the fourth generations of those who reject me. But showing kindness to the thousandth generation, to those who love me and keep my commandments. This concept is often called generational sin, or better yet the generational effects of sin. And at its core, it simply is the idea that the choices of one generation, whether wicked or wise, have consequences on the generations that follow. So here the disciples are asking Jesus, is this man's condition, his physical blindness, is it the consequence of his parents' actions or his? And if we're honest, many of us have asked similar questions in our life, right? Something unexpected occurs. We are diagnosed with an incurable health condition. We lose our job. Our marriage begins to fall apart. We feel trapped in our living situation. We ask, why is this happening to me? Is it something I did, God? Or maybe your question is on behalf of someone else. You see the disheveled man on the side of the road asking for spare change, or the kid who's failing all of their classes. God, why has this happened? Is it because of their actions or actions outside of their control? We all have a desire to understand suffering, don't we? To make sense of this wrong in the world. But Jesus redirects his disciples' question. Jesus says, neither this man nor his parents sinned. In the framing of their question, the disciples locate God's work in the man's blindness. His blindness is a consequence of sin. But Jesus says, you are not seeing clearly. God's work is not to shut eyes but to open them. Let me say that again, because I know someone here today needs to hear this. God's work is not to shut eyes but to open them. Or as Mary and my Thompson comments, God's work is not to condemn people to darkness. It is to bring light to them. For Jesus says, as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Now, please notice Jesus' response does not deny that our actions have consequences, either for ourselves or for future generations. Generational sin is a real thing. Whether we call it cycles of abuse, generational trauma, or structural sin, there are conditions in our lives that are the consequences of our ancestors' actions, not our own. And it's important that we humbly and honestly address these situations. It's not the blame game. It's simply naming and acknowledging that we are deeply formed and impacted by our families and the cultures from which we come. Jesus is not denying this. Jesus says, however, in this particular case, the disciples are not discerning. This man's blindness is not a consequence of sin but a condition that will result in God's works revealed in him. John continues, when Jesus had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, saying to him, "Go wash in the pool of salom," which means sent. Then he went and washed and came back, able to see. Well, there you go. It's all crystal clear, right? More like it's as clear as mud. Okay, Jesus, what's with the spit and the mud? Up to this point in John's gospel, we read about Jesus' healing and performing miracles and has often been simply through his word. And so when we come to this story, it feels really strange, right? It's not something he's done before and it's very much out of our context. Or maybe you read this and it feels disgusting and offensive, right? I don't know if you catch this, but Jesus doesn't say anything to this man before rubbing mud in his eyes. He just walks up spits, makes mud, then rubs it into this man's eyes. Jesus doesn't ask the man if he would like to be healed. He doesn't ask for this man's permission or he doesn't ask if this man believes in him. He doesn't say, "Excuse me, hi, my name is Jesus and I'm going to make it so that you can see, but beware, I'm going to spit and make some mud and then rub that spit mud into your eyeballs." No, Jesus doesn't do any of that. He just does it. And so maybe it's this combination of not asking permission and rubbing a moist bodily fluid on the man's eyes that you hear this and you're a bit disgusted. And yes, I tried to make it sound as disgusting as I possibly could by using the word moist. Well, maybe it's a cultural difference, right? Dune is a series of science fiction novels that has recently exploded in popularity because of the new films. There's a moment, yeah, I heard the woop, there's a moment in Dune when the Fremen leaders Stilgar spits and the Duke Laido Atreides is offended. But Duncan Idaho, one of Laido's right-hand men said, "Hold on, the Fremen, for them, the act of spitting is a sign of respect and honor. Stilgar is giving leto some of his water the most valuable resource on the planet Arrakis." So Laido misunderstands a high honor as a disrespect, a sharp offense. And so maybe we are confused by Jesus's actions because of a cultural difference like this, right? And certainly, there are some cultural differences here that when noted can resolve some of our attention. For example, many scholars note that in the ancient world, saliva was thought to hold healing properties. Several Roman historians recount a story of how the emperor Vespasian cured a man of blindness by spitting into his eyes. So certainly, there are some cultural differences regarding spit at play. Yet it's interesting to note. It's not simply that Jesus spits into this man's eyes. Jesus spits, makes mud, and then spreads that mud on the man's eyes. So Jesus is not just adhering to a cultural perception about the healing properties of human saliva. Jesus is doing something different. Jesus is creating. One scholar Daniel Frayer Griggs suggests that this interpretation of Jesus's actions is most clearly seen by looking at the dead sea scrolls. Now, if you're unfamiliar with them, the dead sea scrolls are a collection of ancient manuscripts from the second temple period that contains some of the oldest manuscripts of books of the Bible. But they also contain a number of extra biblical texts that shed some light on the context of early Christianity and Judaism. Frayer Griggs points to a handful of texts that within the context of discussing creation uses the words spat saliva and clay or mud for humans. So according to these texts, human were made from saliva and mud in addition to the dust of the earth, which we see in Genesis 2 verse 7. So Frayer Griggs argues that even though the spit and mud are not elements of the creation stories found in Genesis, the interpretation that Jesus is engaging in the act of creation is supported by these Jewish scrolls. And so when we read John that Jesus spat on the ground, made mud with saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, Jesus is not performing some ritual that relies on the supposed healing properties of human spit. Jesus is creating new eyes for this man. He is doing what only the Creator can do. He's making and remaking humans out of the dust of the earth. And so this sign reveals the truth of who Jesus is. He is the incarnation of the God of Israel, the Creator of all things. Yet this isn't clear to everyone. The man comes back from the pool of salome, able to see, but his neighbors debate if it's really him. They aren't able to make sense of what they are seeing. And it's here that a tragic irony begins to unfold. Those who are able to see are unable to discern the signs right in front of them. Maybe you've had a time like this in your life where you could see, but you weren't really seeing what you're looking for is right in front of you, but it's as if it's invisible. It's not there until suddenly a light goes on. Robin Wallcomer, one of my favorite authors, tells a story like this about her first time visiting a tide pool. She writes, "I knew from pouring over field guides and anticipation of the trip that we should see starfish in the tide pools, and this would be my first. The only starfish I'd ever seen was a dried one in a zoology class, and I was eager to see them at home where they belonged. As I looked among the muscles and the limpets I saw, none. The tide pools were encrusted with barnacles and exotic looking algae, anemones and chitons, enough to satisfy the curiosity of a novice tide pooler, but no starfish. Picking my way over the rocks I pocketed, fragments of muscle shells, the color of the moon, and tiny sculpted pieces of driftwood looking continuously, no starfish. Disappointed, I straightened up from the tide pools to relieve the growing stiffness in my back, and suddenly I saw one. Bright orange and clinging to a rock right before my eyes, and then it was as if a curtain had been pulled away, and I saw them everywhere, like stars revealing themselves one by one in a darkening summer night. Orange stars in the crevices of a black rock speckled burgundy stars with outstretched arms, purple stars nestled together like a family huddled against the cold. In a cascade of discovery, the invisible was suddenly made visible. See the neighbors? They see that the man can now see, but they do not see the works of God revealed in him. They do not have open eyes, and so they bring the man to the Pharisees because if anyone can make sense of it, it's them. And I'm not being sarcastic, actually. Often we think of the Pharisees as legalistic hypocrites who cared more about appearances than moral and spiritual formation, but this is an unfortunate caricature. You see, in reality, the Pharisees were a movement within Judaism that sought to bring about the restoration of Israel through moral revolution. The Pharisees, they built synagogues so that Jews who were not geographically close to the temple in Jerusalem could still be faithful in their worship through the sacrifice of prayer and the study of Torah. The Pharisees wished that all Jews would spend their lives in service to God, not just the priestly elite. It's their empowerment of all Jews that led to the emergence of the scribes we read about in the Gospels, learned lay persons who were experts of the Scriptures. And so very truly, if anyone could understand and interpret this miracle, it is the Pharisees. They know the Scriptures very well, and they seek to follow God, keep Torah, and remain free from sin. Yet the tragedy is that even the Pharisees cannot discern rightly. They become divided. Some saying Jesus is a sinner for not observing the Sabbath. Others saying, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" They interview the parents, but the parents pass the buck because they are afraid of being disowned by the community. They interview the man again, but because of his response, they condemn him as entirely born in sin and drive him away. And so this story concludes with the tragic irony that those who should see most clearly are utterly blind. And it's not just that they can't see. They are deaf to the words being spoken to them. They cannot understand what Jesus has previously told them, and they do not recognize the testimony that this man now brings to them. Though they have eyes, they do not see. Though they have ears, they do not hear. And so the Pharisees stand as a warning to us who think we see. A warning for those of us who think that we know God. Yet all throughout this tragic irony, the Pharisees are juxtaposed by the man born blind. See, while he is still blind, he hears Jesus. After Jesus rubs the mud in the man's eyes, he tells the man, "Go, wash in the pool of salom," and the man does so. He obeys. He hears Jesus. Mary and my Thompson writes that hearing is not just the act of receiving audible sounds. Hearing indicates the response of obedience, of doing God's will, of keeping the word that is heard from God. In the same way that Jesus does what he has heard from the Father who sent him, this man now does what he has heard from Jesus, who has sent him. Even after Jesus is not physically present, this man continues to bear faithful witness to the light that has come. He keeps the word he has heard. After the Pharisees drive this man out, Jesus returns to the story and he finds the man and asks, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" The man answers, "And who is he, sir, tell me so that I may believe in him?" Jesus says to him, "You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he." And the man says, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him. Earlier, I mentioned that in Greek, there are three different words for seeing. And up until this point, this man has simply been given the ability of physical sight, blepoh. But now Jesus says this man has seen him. He heroes him. This man sees the truth beneath. He sees with an inward perception. This man now sees as Jesus sees. And Jesus says this because of the man's response, "Tell me so that I may believe in him." Speak. I'm listening. This man is attentive to Jesus' every word. It isn't hearing that this man sees. And it isn't this hearing and seeing that this man knows God and worships him. And so we return to our opening question. What does it mean to know God? To know God is to hear and see Jesus. But it is a hearing that is evidenced in obedient response. And it is a seeing that is dependent upon the presence of the one who is seen. Seeing is communion with God. Mary Ann Mitomsen writes, "Knowledge of God must therefore be interpreted as experience of God, appropriate honor of God, and acknowledgement of God in his works in response to his commands." To know God is not just to recognize him in the healing of the sick, the walking on water, or the raising of the dead. It is to experience God in every single breath. When Jesus opens the eyes of the blind man and is revealed as the creator in flesh, Jesus is revealed as the one who not only created the world in the beginning, but is the one who sustains all life right now and is still creating today. Do we experience God in every breath? Every dandelion? Every coup of a baby? Every bite of a perfectly ripe strawberry? Every wave rushing up the sand. Do we experience God in both the majestic and the mundane? Robin Waukemower speaks to this intimate kind of knowing when she writes, "Just as you can pick out the voice of a loved one in the tumult of a noisy room, or spot your child's smile in a sea of faces, intimate connection allows recognition in an all too often anonymous world." This sense of connection arises from a special kind of discrimination, a search image that comes from a long time spent looking and listening. Intimacy gives us a different way of seeing when visual acuity is not enough. And so today as we encounter this sign, we are invited into this intimate, attentive knowing. Perhaps you've been going to church for a long time. You'd even say you've been a Christian your whole life. You know the Bible front and back, but the question is, do you know God? You know his words, but do you know his voice? They aren't the same thing. Matthew, in Matthew Jesus warns his listeners, "On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and perform many deeds of power in your name?'" Did we not have great Bible studies? Did we not go on missions trips? Did we not host huge outreach events? Then I will declare to them, I never knew you. This knowledge is not something we can earn by absorbing information or doing many things. It is a gift we receive through a long time spent looking and listening. So today, if that's where you find yourself, this invitation is very simple. Look and listen. Slow down. Pay attention because Jesus did not come just so that we could have life with God in some future age. Jesus came so that we could have life with God right now. Or maybe this whole thing is new to you. You haven't been coming to church very long. Maybe even this is your first time, but something has been drawing you in. You've been feeling it. And so today, you hear the words go wash in the pool of saloon, wash in the pool of the scent. And the question is, will you? Will you respond to this word? Will you be made new? Will you bear witness to the light who has come? Let's pray. God, we thank you today for the witness of your word. I ask Father that your word would not fall on deaf ears, but that every person present today, whether in this room outside or joining us online would have ears to hear and that in our obedient response to your word, our eyes would be opened. We thank you that you are not an unknown God, but that you have been revealed most fully in Jesus. Faith is not something we can manufacture or muster ourselves this we know, but it is a gift that comes with knowing you. And so would we have the patience and the courage to live a life that is characterized by a long time spent looking and listening? We ask all this in your name, Jesus. Amen. Well, thank you for joining us today. Before you leave a couple notes, in the fall, we are going to be launching a new curriculum for groups called emotionally healthy spirituality. And in this curriculum, we go over some of the material that we went over today, such as generational trauma and how that impacts our spirituality. And we talk about practices that cultivate intimacy with God and a slowed down kind of spirituality. So if that sparks your interest, please feel free to talk to Chris Cox. He'll be in the lobby about that and he can give you more information about maybe signing up for that. And maybe also when you hear that, you're like, hey, I can't wait that long. I want to start something today. I want to start integrating these kind of practices of knowing right now. And if that's you, there's a great resource called practicing the way where they walk through prayer, the reading of Scripture, and how to implement those in our lives in ways that are not just kind of last week or two, but that can actually be seeped into our very lives. So if that's you, please use this. It's a great resource. As always, feel free to come talk to me or one of the other pastors. And may God bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. Go in peace. [BLANK_AUDIO]