He is wont to use his people to do so just as he uses Ananias to heal Paul.
Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight (cf. Act. 9:11-12)
The process by which he removes the blindness isn't always pleasant.
“I am certain that his eyes will be opened.
Smear the fish gall on them.
This medicine will make the cataracts shrink and peel off from his eyes;
then your father will again be able to see the light of day.”
Yuck. And when Jesus himself does the healing it isn't necessarily a lot better:
Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing (cf. Joh. 9:7).
In order for the healing to happen in the way God intends there must be humility on the part of the person who needs the healing. Saul must accept that all of his depth of training in Judaism is of no avail. Tobit must accept an unpleasant remedy from the hands of his son. The blind man must allow Jesus to rub mud and spit in his eyes.
It is not just the one who needs the healing who must be humble. The one through whom God wants to heal must also be humble. He must trust the odd ways in which God chooses to work. No doubt any of these individuals would rather avoid such an unpleasant situation. Whether it is spit and mud, fish gall, or even a the threat to life that Ananias has every reason to expect from Saul, the healer too must submit to God.
It is only at the intersection of this humility that we learn to truly see. It is only the pure of heart who see God. They prefer God's plan to their own. And when they do amazing things happen.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
The main thing Jesus wants us to see is himself. He is the light of the world (cf. Joh. 9:5). He is the true light which enlightens all mankind (cf. Joh. 1:9). He is guiding us to realize that he is greater than David. All else in the world, whether under the earth, on earth, or in the heavens, including even the great King David, must proclaim that Jesus Christ is LORD to the glory of God the Father (cf. Phi. 2:11). He is leading us to this recognition.
David himself calls him ‘lord’;
so how is he his son?”
The great crowd heard this with delight.
He wants to use people around us to help us overcome preconceptions about him. He is calling us to help others in a similar way. He wants us all to see him more. But if this is to happen we must all be humble before him.
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
No comments:
Post a Comment