Blessed Trial
John 9: 1 - 41
Anthony B. Robinson
Well, now, here is a strange thing. A man blind from birth is given his sight by Jesus, and what happens? Does everybody get happy and life get good? Not quite. The man's neighbors don't know him. His parents don't want him. The people in charge at the synagogue think he is uppity and give him the boot. Getting healed doesn't always ensure getting welcomed. At least sometimes, the blind who see and the dead who are raised aren't entirely welcome in a world that may prefer to be blind to God and dead to true life. To be blessed by Jesus can lead to trials and tribulations, which is John's way of talking about the cost of discipleship. But Jesus will not leave those he has claimed as his alone or bereft. As this wonderful drama ends, Jesus finds the once blind, now seeing man, who has come to faith by what he has suffered for Christ.
Prayer: Can I know you, Jesus, without sharing in your suffering, without in my own way sharing your cross? Help me to follow you even, especially, when it's hard. Amen.
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