We love to play the blame game. If something goes wrong or there is a problem of some sort, the first things we do is look for where to place the blame. In this week's Gospel story, we learn that this is not a new or even historically recent thing. As Jesus and his disciples are walking along, they happen upon a man who is blind. The Gospel writer even makes it clear this man had been blind since birth, which suggests there are no obvious signs of injury that could be blamed. Instead, the first thing the disciples ask is "who sinned to cause his blindness - the man or his parents?"
So my first thought here is what sin the disciples thought this man could have committed to cause him to be blind since birth. Was it the very act of being born that they thought was sinful? Or perhaps more likely did they think this was some sort of preemptive strike on God's part? "I know that guy is going to sin, so let's just throw a little blindness his way now." Surely this man didn't just happen to be born blind. Someone must have done something in order for God to afflict him that way.
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Where is this Living Water?
In this week's Gospel reading, Jesus stops at a well in a Samaritan village. He is tired and thirsty from his travels. The road is dusty and there are no cars or buses, no rolling up the windows to keep the dirt at bay, no pressing the gas pedal to get from point A to point B. Traveling miles and miles on his own two feet.
A local woman comes to draw water from the well, and Jesus asks for a drink. What follows is an interesting theological back and forth covering orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and salvation. All because Jesus got thirsty as he traveled through Samaria.
Just to set the stage, Samaria was once part of Israel. Following centuries of disagreement between the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom and an invasion or two, Samaritans were considered outsiders by Jews. This is what makes the so-called story of the "Good Samaritan" that so many are familiar with so intriguing. Jesus places the positive action on an outsider, a foreigner, one considered beneath the Jews.
And now we have Jesus engaging in dialogue with a Samaritan on the nature of God, worship, and salvation. And not just any Samaritan, but a woman. Oh, the scandal. In a society that strives to keep unrelated women and men from conversing alone together, it is no surprise the Gospel writer felt the need to point out the fact that the Disciples did not react as expected.
A local woman comes to draw water from the well, and Jesus asks for a drink. What follows is an interesting theological back and forth covering orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and salvation. All because Jesus got thirsty as he traveled through Samaria.
Just to set the stage, Samaria was once part of Israel. Following centuries of disagreement between the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom and an invasion or two, Samaritans were considered outsiders by Jews. This is what makes the so-called story of the "Good Samaritan" that so many are familiar with so intriguing. Jesus places the positive action on an outsider, a foreigner, one considered beneath the Jews.
And now we have Jesus engaging in dialogue with a Samaritan on the nature of God, worship, and salvation. And not just any Samaritan, but a woman. Oh, the scandal. In a society that strives to keep unrelated women and men from conversing alone together, it is no surprise the Gospel writer felt the need to point out the fact that the Disciples did not react as expected.
Born of water and Spirit, or How I Learned to Love the Red Pill
This week Jesus meets with Nicodemus, a Pharisee who came to Jesus by night to ask questions and better understand what Jesus has been teaching. When questioned about the power of his teaching, Jesus responds, "no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
Nicodemus is astounded. How can someone be born again?
From this point, Jesus talks about the nature of truth. On another day, I might talk about how what Jesus told Nicodemus was true...from a certain point of view. So many of the truths that we cling to are only true from a certain point of view.
For Nicodemus, the truth is a person is born a single time. We gestate in the womb and then we are born and must learn and live and grow in this world. How can a grown person enter the womb again to be born a second time? That's impossible. This is true, from a certain point of view.
But Jesus speaks of a different kind of birth. Not a physical birth, but a spiritual awakening. Enlightenment, rebirth, whatever you may want to call it. Some may even recognize here a barely veiled reference to baptism with the baptismal font as the womb of the church from which we are born into new life. Again, this is true, from a certain point of view.
And under normal circumstances, I would continue in this vein for a few more lines.
Nicodemus is astounded. How can someone be born again?
From this point, Jesus talks about the nature of truth. On another day, I might talk about how what Jesus told Nicodemus was true...from a certain point of view. So many of the truths that we cling to are only true from a certain point of view.
For Nicodemus, the truth is a person is born a single time. We gestate in the womb and then we are born and must learn and live and grow in this world. How can a grown person enter the womb again to be born a second time? That's impossible. This is true, from a certain point of view.
But Jesus speaks of a different kind of birth. Not a physical birth, but a spiritual awakening. Enlightenment, rebirth, whatever you may want to call it. Some may even recognize here a barely veiled reference to baptism with the baptismal font as the womb of the church from which we are born into new life. Again, this is true, from a certain point of view.
And under normal circumstances, I would continue in this vein for a few more lines.
Where the Wild Things Are?
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness..."
I have a feeling some of us hear that line and think, "What's the big deal?" Sometimes we think wilderness simply means nature. For some of us, any wooded area becomes wilderness. So going to a state park or other frequented nature area involves visiting the wilderness.
Others of us may have a slightly different vision, though it may still not quite convey what is meant here. While in college, the Boy Scout troop I volunteered with went hiking in the Cohutta Wilderness of the north Georgia mountains. While hiking through this area the only signs of other people were the trail itself and any people we happened to encounter along the way. We packed in what we needed and carried out whatever we took in. This is a bit closer to true wilderness.
However, this is still a much tamer version of wilderness than the gospel writer would have understood. It helps a bit if we think of wilderness as an area unaffected or minimally affected by humans. Wilderness is wild and dangerous, a place where the laws of nature hold more sway than human law. Wilderness areas do not have paved roads, houses, cell phone service, or regular/easy access to food, water, or medical assistance. In the wilderness you may not see another person for days, and it is the woodland creatures you don't see that you have to worry about. In the wilderness you can get lost, you can run out of food or water, and if you get hurt it may be days before anyone realizes you are missing and even longer for them to find you.
I have a feeling some of us hear that line and think, "What's the big deal?" Sometimes we think wilderness simply means nature. For some of us, any wooded area becomes wilderness. So going to a state park or other frequented nature area involves visiting the wilderness.
Others of us may have a slightly different vision, though it may still not quite convey what is meant here. While in college, the Boy Scout troop I volunteered with went hiking in the Cohutta Wilderness of the north Georgia mountains. While hiking through this area the only signs of other people were the trail itself and any people we happened to encounter along the way. We packed in what we needed and carried out whatever we took in. This is a bit closer to true wilderness.
However, this is still a much tamer version of wilderness than the gospel writer would have understood. It helps a bit if we think of wilderness as an area unaffected or minimally affected by humans. Wilderness is wild and dangerous, a place where the laws of nature hold more sway than human law. Wilderness areas do not have paved roads, houses, cell phone service, or regular/easy access to food, water, or medical assistance. In the wilderness you may not see another person for days, and it is the woodland creatures you don't see that you have to worry about. In the wilderness you can get lost, you can run out of food or water, and if you get hurt it may be days before anyone realizes you are missing and even longer for them to find you.