God’s word is held as sacred by many of us, myself included. Yet our cultural lenses impact how we understand it.
How can we make sense of what happened way back in history to people living far away?
A good Bible teacher strives to understand and communicate a passage in light of the context in which the key players lived, as well as the intended original recipients of Scripture. Of course, there are points of connection between these ancient texts and us in our twenty-first century settings all about the globe too.
Last week, in my suburban Australian church, we studied a passage which I have heard passionately presented in an Asian context too. The interpretations were starkly different. I’m not saying that one was right and the other wrong. Not at all.
This blog post is my way of exploring this topic. The Bible text is this:
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him….”
John 9:1-3 NIV
Imagine….
Can you imagine being an onlooker casually leaning against a wall that day, almost 2000 years ago, on a dusty street in Israel. I have lots of questions. What was the weather like? What were the people around me wearing? What were the streets like? And the homes? What smells would have wafted my way? And what sort of food was available? It seems strange to imagine a place without tea or coffee.
I wonder who was walking with Jesus that day? His disciples were there, for sure. Were there others? Jesus had just slipped away from a crowd intent on murdering him (as recorded in the section preceding these verses). So it was probably only a small group who walked with him.
Can you imagine the blind man whom the disciples and Jesus discussed? Later in the passage, we learn that he used to beg. Was he begging when Jesus approached him? Or did he approach Jesus? And if he did approach Jesus, was he asking for money? Or did he know that Jesus could do more? (In John 9:11, he refers to his healer as ‘The man they call Jesus….’, so he at least knew of Jesus’ name.)
Actually, it seems that Jesus singled this man out in order to display in him the works of God (John 9:3). What a concept! I wonder if the man knew that? Had he overheard the conversation between Jesus and the disciples?
The writer of John 9 does not record the man born blind saying a word at the beginning of this tale. Later, the formerly blind beggar had plenty to say, and spoke boldly and without fear of what others might think of him. By the end of this tale, the faith-filled follower worshipped Jesus as having come from God himself. (See John 9:35-38.)
The events recorded in John 9 turned this man’s world upside down … or, more accurately, the events turned this formerly blind beggar’s world right side up.
What can we learn from this passage?
An Asian audience
Karma … this passage is all about karma. That is how some people in Asia might interpret it, anyhow. The concept of karma is an integral part of the very fabric of society in some places. If you do good, in this life or another, then life will be good to you. If you do badly, then life will be bad to you.
Whose fault was it that this man was born blind? Was it his own fault, his blindness the result of actions committed in a former life? Or was it his parents’ fault? Later in the chapter, the religious leaders of the day stated that he was “steeped in sin at birth” (John 9:34). They clearly connected his blindness with somebody’s sin.
Did Jesus’ answer shock them? It would certainly shock a listener viewing the world through a lens of karma. “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3 NIV)
The rest of the passage outlines how the One sent from God broke the power of cause and effect – of karma. We are saved by grace. No matter how well we live, we are never good enough. No, only Jesus can save us.
Jesus has power even over karma. All glory be to God.
An Australian audience
“Will you follow Jesus?” the preacher asked, pointing his finger in emphasis. “It’s not for your parents or grandparents or anyone else to decide for you. It’s your choice.”
Individualism is an integral part of the culture in some parts of the world today. Faith is a personal matter, and often private as well. (This worldview is different to that of the Asian audience in the section above.)
This man’s blindness had nothing to do with his parents. And neither did his healing. No, later in the chapter, when asked about what had happened to their son, the formerly blind man’s parents replied, “He is of age. Ask him.” (See John 9:20-23.)
This man’s healing was not dependent on anyone else but himself. He chose to submit to Jesus’ ‘treatment’ of a mud poultice over his eyes made from saliva and dirt. He chose to obey Jesus’ instructions to go and wash in a particular pool. He chose to trust Jesus, and so he was healed.
Jesus has power to save you but you must choose to accept his invitation. It’s up to you.
He is calling you today. If you pass up this opportunity, you may never get another chance to respond. What will be your response?
Close your eyes. Don’t look about the room. This is between you and God. It is nobody else’s business. Will you turn to Jesus right now?
Onlookers in Israel two millennia ago
Jesus healed a blind man, then slammed Jewish religious leaders for being blind to God’s presence among them. He was the light of the world, and they had missed it. That had done even worse than miss it, actually, for as Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains” (John 9:41).
Ouch.
Imminent judgement, it seems, by One in very essence God, was the main point of the passage for early readers of John’s gospel. It wasn’t all negative, for, in Jesus’ words, “… the blind will see and those who see will become blind” (John 9:39b NIV). Judgement would involve righting wrongs and ushering in justice.
In answer to the disciples’ question about the cause of the man’s blindness, Jesus explained that this had happened that the works of God might be displayed in him. Then he went on to make another point, which doesn’t, on the surface of it, seem to relate to the question. Not at first, anyhow.
As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
John 9:4-5 NIV
Cultural insights
Details in this story meant a lot to those who witnessed the account but don’t mean much to us without a cross-cultural guide to fill us in. My knowledge is only gleaned from what historians write and from other parts of the Bible. And it is limited.
Let me touch on a few points as lightly as a dragonfly touches on water – 蜻蜓点水 . (That is a Chinese idiom, obviously.)
1. Light of the world
Jesus claimed to be the ‘light of the world’ (John 9:5).
This isn’t the first time we have come across this claim. Not long before this encounter with a man born blind, Jesus had said to a large crowd which had gathered in the temple, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12 NIV, and see also John 8:20).
Now we see him give light to one who had only ever experienced darkness.
This concept of ‘light’ was hugely symbolic. In fact, John (who wrote this record) made a huge deal of Jesus being ‘the light of the world’ in his opening chapter. (See John 1:4-9.)
2. Mud made from dirt
Saliva and dirt were mixed to make mud.
God himself created man from dust and breathed life into him at the very beginning of time as we know it. And now the Son of God is restoring our marred broken bodies through dirt.
I wonder if Jesus’ use of dirt brought to mind the creation story to onlookers of the day.
3. Mud made from saliva
Jesus sent the blind man with mud on his eyes, mud made with Jesus’ own saliva, to the pool of Siloam to wash. Back then, priests would ritually collect water from this pool every day during the annual Feast of Tabernacles, and would take it to the temple and pour it out with great pomp and ceremony. On the final day of that feast that particular year, Jesus stood up and offered living water to any who believed in him. “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink,” he said (John 7:37).
Now, just a short time afterwards, this same man who claimed to be the source of Living Water used his own saliva to bring light to a man trapped in darkness. In fact, he sent his own saliva back to the pool from which ritual healing waters came, in the form of mud.
The water originating in Jesus’ body was far more powerful than the water used in rituals. Sending the man with the spit-mud on his eyes to wash in this ritually important pool was not coincidental.
I wonder if onlookers at the time recognised its significance?
4. Prophecies
There are hope-filled prophecies in the Old Testament about the Messiah healing the blind. They’re even richer than physical healing, because they are often linked with judgement and reversal of injustices. See Isaiah 35:4-5 and Psalm 146:8, for example.
Jesus explicitly linked this miracle of giving sight to a man born blind with judgement and reversal of injustices in his explanation later in the chapter (John 9:39).
Jewish religious leaders would have been well aware of such prophecies. Bringing sight to a man born blind was a powerful statement about the judgement of the ‘Son of Man’ (see Daniel 7:13-14). What they probably did not expect, however, was his declaration of them – the religious leaders – as the object of divine judgement. (See John 9:41.) That they took offence to Jesus’ rebuke is almost understandable … almost … and also serves as a warning to us.
5. Lord of the Sabbath
Jesus healed the blind man on a Sabbath, which was seen as sacrilegious by the religious leaders of the day. Their rigidity on this matter reflected their blindness to God and his heart for his people. Not only was Jesus the Light of the World, the source of Living Water, but he was also Lord of the Sabbath.
In summary, this particular miracle was a powerful statement of Jesus’ deity and the work of God, which he, Jesus, was carrying out. Judgement and salvation were integral parts of that work. The healing displayed God’s work in terms that were hard to miss if you were a first century Jewish scholar of the Scriptures.
Neither this man nor his parents sinned, … but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
John 9:3-5 NIV – my emphasis
In conclusion….
In this blog post, I have looked at a particular Bible passage that can be interpreted in quite different ways in different contexts.
Is the story of Jesus healing the man born blind a powerful teaching about karma? Does it rock the very fabric of a worldview based on karma?
Is the story of Jesus healing the man born blind a powerful call to individuals to respond to Jesus’ call and so be saved?
Is the story of Jesus healing the man born blind a powerful illustration of his divinity and of his work of judgement and reversal of the ancient curse?
I’m not saying that the interpretations described in either modern-day setting are incorrect. God’s word speaks to us in various places and times which are vastly different to those of the original recipients. We need to know God’s mind on matters quite foreign to those of Bible times, and his word is powerful to address such matters.
What I am saying is that our worldview – how we view the world – significantly impacts how we interpret God’s word. That in itself can be a cross-cultural adventure. And like any cross-cultural explorer, we are wise to consider how other people see the world as well as how we experience life.
The Light of the World, the source of Living Water, the Son of Man, the Judge of the World, was born in a particular time, place and culture. But he calls and saves people of many cultures, languages and who view the world in very different ways.
May Australians, Asians and others from around the world and from different eras grow in our understanding of Jesus, just as the man born blind did. May we, too, worship Jesus as Lord, our eyes filled with light and our souls channels of living water. And may we handle God’s word well, with wisdom and diligence, as we apply it to our own lives.
