- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
- Messages
- 17,518
30 August 2007
John 9 v 13-16
Then the people took to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. The day Jesus had made mud and healed his eyes was a Sabbath day. So now the Pharisees asked the man, "How did you get your sight?"
He answered, "He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and now I see."
So some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man does not keep the Sabbath day, so he is not from God."
But others said, "A man who is a sinner can't do miracles like these." So they could not agree with each other.
Do you ever feel unimportant? The man who had been blind probably didn't feel particularly important, but he found himself at the centre of a row with the Pharisees (who thought themselves very important) arguing about Jesus healing the man on the Sabbath day (a day they considered not to be a day for healing).
But it's hardly surprising that Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath day and he had God's authority to do so. The Pharisees who didn't understand Jesus were more interested in rules than compassion, but Jesus challenges us to put our faith in to action and to meet others' needs. And Jesus shows us that he is always there to meet our needs, whatever the day and time, and however unimportant we are feeling.
Do you feel strongly about a situation that you know of? Is there something you could do today to stop someone's suffering? To reflect on (handed in to a regional officer of 'Shelter' [a charity for homeless people] by a homeless woman who had turned to a vicar for help and he promised to pray for her):
"I was hungry. And you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger. I was imprisoned. And you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release. I was naked. And in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance. I was sick. And you knelt and thanked God for your health. I was homeless. And you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God. I was lonely. And you left me alone to pray for me. You seem so holy, so close to God, but I am still very hungry, and lonely, and cold."
Help us Lord when we have the power to change someone's situation. Amen.
Written by Sarah Beston
John 9 v 13-16
Then the people took to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. The day Jesus had made mud and healed his eyes was a Sabbath day. So now the Pharisees asked the man, "How did you get your sight?"
He answered, "He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and now I see."
So some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man does not keep the Sabbath day, so he is not from God."
But others said, "A man who is a sinner can't do miracles like these." So they could not agree with each other.
Do you ever feel unimportant? The man who had been blind probably didn't feel particularly important, but he found himself at the centre of a row with the Pharisees (who thought themselves very important) arguing about Jesus healing the man on the Sabbath day (a day they considered not to be a day for healing).
But it's hardly surprising that Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath day and he had God's authority to do so. The Pharisees who didn't understand Jesus were more interested in rules than compassion, but Jesus challenges us to put our faith in to action and to meet others' needs. And Jesus shows us that he is always there to meet our needs, whatever the day and time, and however unimportant we are feeling.
Do you feel strongly about a situation that you know of? Is there something you could do today to stop someone's suffering? To reflect on (handed in to a regional officer of 'Shelter' [a charity for homeless people] by a homeless woman who had turned to a vicar for help and he promised to pray for her):
"I was hungry. And you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger. I was imprisoned. And you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release. I was naked. And in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance. I was sick. And you knelt and thanked God for your health. I was homeless. And you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God. I was lonely. And you left me alone to pray for me. You seem so holy, so close to God, but I am still very hungry, and lonely, and cold."
Help us Lord when we have the power to change someone's situation. Amen.
Written by Sarah Beston
