Advent - Making those Who See Blind

 

"Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” John 9:39

If you have been following the Jesus story, you probably would have heard stories that tell Jesus made the blind see.

Now what we might not know of is that conversely, He also made those who could see, blind.

In the preceding message in this series, we have read that the Good Shepherd (Jesus) went after the single lost sheep (you) -- the ones who needed rescuing.

In doing so, He was not only going after the ones who have lost their way but also the ones who are blind and could not see the Christ for who He really is -- their only ticket back.

The 99

Meanwhile, those who the Good Shepherd left behind were all busy keeping their own kind company, playing their reindeer games and whatever else games that they play. They were not blind. They could see (or claim they see). They know about the long prophesied and Promised Messiah.

They know who He is, where He'd come from, what He would be like, what He could and would do.

Face to Face

All their life, they have been studying about the coming Messiah, the Savior, but face to face with Him, they chose to be blind to what they see.

Behind His back, they would look for ways to make Him look bad and make Him not appear to be the real deal.

And as Jesus Himself said He has come so that those who "see" will become blind. And He was right.

Scriptures tell us that only a handful of these "righteous" people were able to leave and wander away from their flock -- the flock which the Good Shepherd will leave behind in the open country to mingle with their own kind.

Righteous in their own Eyes

The most famous of these who could "see" but chose not to, was Saul of Tarsus.

Jesus made him physically blind on that fateful encounter on the Road to Damascus.

Ironically in the few days when Saul was blind, that was the time that he was able to see Christ. (We would talk about this more in another message). 

Bad things do happen to people (like this pandemic) but something good do come out of it (we just might not be able to see the good because we are looking at the bad*).

Noel - Born of God

And to those of us who got lost and blind, God showed us His love in the person of Jesus of Nazareth born in a manger, who grew up like one of us, suffered through the same trials of life as we have and gave up His life so that we will have everlasting life. He came for us.


Advent Series

*Pandemic Preaching