St. John’s 9th: Second Movement

Posted on November 5, 2015 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters

St. John’s 9th: SECOND MOVEMENT

“They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?” He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” “Where is He now?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he replied.” John 9:10-12 (NLT)

Second Movement

John Gill wrote “that when Christ has wrought a good work of grace upon the heart, He withdraws Himself for a while, and the converted sinner knows not where He is.” Such is the case for our blind friend here in the 9th chapter of John’s Gospel. Funny thing here is we never get to know his name so we only get to call him the blind man but the blind man gets to call Jesus…Jesus. And the blind man’s whole testimony is pretty cut and dry, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” and he will repeat this testimony over and over again. What’s cool here is this man’s identity changes and people want to know why.

In the world of music and song there are also repeats. In modern day stuff it pretty much goes verse/chorus/bridge with interesting times of repeats. Well for our second movement of John’s 9th we seem to be in a verse/chorus motif. “Who healed you?” “Jesus” “Who healed you?” “Jesus” “Who healed you?” “Jesus” and so it goes for our once blinded friend. The people around him, who remember him as a pitiful beggar, chime in first with their vexation on what has taken place in this man’s life…so suddenly I might add. I think it might be good to note here that this seems to be a progression that correlates to what our own salvation moment can look like. For those of us who spent so much time in the darkness seem to have this glow when Jesus Christ has opened our eyes to THE light of the world. Usually it’s those everyday people around us who notices this first. (It was in my case)

But what seemed to be the habit back in those days someone has to take you a religious inquisition to check on the validity of this event and our formerly blinded friend is standing in front of those wacky Pharisees to give an account. Now this where the musical movement takes an up tempo direction because this healing happens on the Sabbath and if there is ANY thing done on the Sabbath those wacky Pharisees lose their minds. So, in my ears, once our friend gives his account of his healing the “pianissimo “turns it into a gnarly crashing of cymbals that screams…THIS JESUS IS A SINNER, HE DOES NOT KEEP THE SABBATH!! Then the color of the whole miracle performed to our once blind friend goes from a nice shade of sky blue to a screaming for vengeance red.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 gives warning to “a prophet or dreamer of dreams” that gives a sign or a wonder that would lead you astray. Basically saying that if the wonder came to pass and then they said “Let’s go worship trees” its die prophet die! Now you tie that in with Jesus, a known SABBATH BREAKER, and you got yourself a pretty sticky situation. It’s almost like those folks that test whether or not you are saved and how you got saved. I have a friend you got saved through the Scripture verse we find in Revelation 3:20, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Now maybe to a stiff-necked Calvinist there is no way this is a salvation verse but it is still the words of Jesus and it’s still His truth…so who cares if this got my friend saved. He loves the LORD and knows where he is going when it’s time to go home.

The next time I join you I will be conducting the next movement…the ones who would turn their backs on our once blinded friend. Until then, ponder on what matters more, the continuity of the worship service or that moment when someone has their ears opened by the preaching of His Word and then screams “ALLELUIA I CAN SEE!!” and everyone breaks into praise. Rabbi Samuel ben Meir (a 12th century Jewish commentator) once wrote, “Man shall live through the precepts of the Torah (Lev 18:5) but he should not die in consequence of the same!” I think this is what Jesus has in mind when He tells us to wash in the pool of Siloam. Amen? Chris Hughes is a lover of God, a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger. Email him at cphughes515@verizon.net

Daily Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 22-24; Acts 5:22-42

Think About This: “It is not the blind man who stands in the center of the discussion; he is one the occasion and the stone of offence; in the center stands Jesus; He is the entire narrative, although outwardly He is absent, yet as present as He alone can be”—Josef Blank

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: The Lord is good to those who wait [confidently] for Him, to those who seek Him [on the authority of God’s word]. Lamentations 3:20 (Amplified Bible)

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