[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during March 2026]
And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
John 9 v2 [ESVUK]
The disciples were expressing a sentiment that was common in their society – that prosperity was a sign of God’s blessing and misfortune was in some way connected to disobedience of God’s laws. It is interesting that they did not stop to think about how a man might have sinned before being born.
Are we tempted to form judgements based on social expectations?
I am reminded of the old music-hall song “Brahn Boots”[1] written by Weston and Lee, and performed most notably by Stanley Holloway. The song tells of the disgust expressed by the mourners at a funeral towards a family member who attended wearing brown boots. Their prejudice turned to shame when it came to light that the subject of their scorn had given his black boots to someone else who had none.
We, too, can be quick to jump to conclusions or criticise someone before we know the full story. Are we listening or just waiting to speak?
As we read further into the account of Jesus healing the man blind from birth we see that many other people also had questions about the event. Indeed, it seems that the only people without questions were Jesus and the man himself. The next group asking questions were the man’s neighbours:
The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.”
John 9 v8-9 [ESVUK]
For those of us whose spiritual eyes have been opened, is our life such that our neighbours ask questions? Do they even notice? How should we respond if they do?
Finally the authorities started asking questions. They interrogated his parents who retorted with the excuse so beloved of parents ever since: “He is of age; ask him.”[2] So they did, and they did not like the answer.
They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”
John 9 v26-27 [ESVUK]
The Jewish leaders expelled him from the Temple but the common people remembered the event. Later, following the death of Lazarus, some of those mourning asked, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”[3]
This man who, just a short time previously, had been a social outcast was now ready to give a strong testimony of what had happened to him. Are we equally assertive about our own experience?
References:
[1] “Brahn-Boots” via allpoetry.com
[2] John 9:23
[3] John 11:37
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Last week’s reflection: What’s Troubling You?