Jesus’ purpose in this world is “to give sight to the blind, and to give blindness to the sighted.” What a strange thing--that Jesus would make some people blind. But it is only strange if we take his words entirely literally. Jesus was, in fact, saying this: "To some I will give sight, and to others I will take away insight."
What a great gift! Jesus knows us by name and calls out to each of us as though we were the only sheep in all the world. He knows us, and invites us to know him and to follow him. But a further step is necessary. It is necessary that we listen. The voice of Jesus goes unheard unless we listen.
"Young people are very hungry." Thus said Bernadette Mulholland, the school chaplain in Yeppoon, a coastal Australian town. She organized an evangelistic outreach. More than 250 people became Christians in one month because of that outreach. Some of the conversions seemed unlikely....
The blind man was surrounded by a community who all suffered from some form of spiritual blindness. Sadly, no one acknowledged that a miracle had taken place. No one rejoiced or praised God for the man's ability to see. Instead, they all rejected him because of his profession of faith.
Sometimes our poisonous behavior does not resemble what the younger son does. Sometimes we defect in place. We look righteous, act righteous, feel righteous. But inside, our heart is a cesspool of resentment. We hate anybody who seems to get away with anything.
Today we gather in this church to receive a reminder of home, a taste of food that will help us remember who we are--the bread of life, our Father's gift to us. This is the food of God's kingdom, and reminds us that this kingdom is our true home.
Does this description of the Good Shepherd remind you of anyone you know? I wouldn't be surprised if you were thinking, "Hey, that sounds just like my mother!" Mothers are soft and warm and nurturing, but when someone threatens to hurt their children, they can be meaner than a junk yard dog!
Even today, Jesus is still asking us to look beyond the obvious and to notice God at work in the word in the most unexpected ways. How can we possibly take Jesus' advice to heart and open our eyes to see—to really see—God at work in the world?
Our lives are based on an acceptable percentage of failure. We start every school year knowing that not everyone will graduate. Marriages start out with a predictable rate of divorce. We're happy when the employment rate is below five percent. And sad to say, not every newborn baby will live.
"Labor for the bread which will not perish," St John Chrysostom once proclaimed. People are nailed to the things of this life. We are nailed to crosses of things. It is hard to talk about the freedom of life's journey, when my next paycheck is already spent.