Among preachers the word theology is used in their learning process. It is typically not used in a sermon. But why not? We all think something. That’s what theology is…what we think with the way we think about God. We shouldn’t let the word theology scare us. We should consider the implications of what our hearts, minds and souls think about God. That is sometimes scarier and will always be reflected in our behavior.
The scribes, Pharisees and other learned theologians studied every minute detail of The Law of God. That’s what theologians “thinkers who like to tell others what to think” do. In their thinking (or overthinking as many of us do) they missed the most important part of God’s Law–GOD. They missed God in relationship with His created. They put God on the shelf, hidden in the scrolls, as a being to be held in high regard but not as One who loves them and wants them to love Him back.
They turned in their thinking from God to themselves. These theologians allowed rules and regulations be the highest authority in their lives. They become self proclaimed gods by creating even more detailed rules based on the rules so they could rule over those who didn’t know all the rules. Was that too much? Rules ruled over mankind but not God the Ruler of all. The Law intended to guide people and help them love God back was lost. Relationship with God was lost.The world went dark. Silence from God lasted for over 400 years until Jesus came to save the world from their own dark theology (way of thinking). The Light brought an end to spiritual blindness to those who believed.
“I was blind but now I can see”.
John – God Speaks!
John 9, New Living Translation
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”
But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”
10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”
11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”
12 “Where is he now?” they asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
17 Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”
18 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”
20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”
25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”
27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
Spiritual Blindness
35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
HOLY PAUSEWhat is your theology about God?
What do you think about Jesus?
Who is the Holy Spirit? Do you believe in the Three-In-One?
What is the measure of our own spiritual blindness when it comes to believing in faith and behaving in obedience?
WHO do we believe and WHO do we love and follow? WHO is more important than what.
Our behavior will reflect our hears. Our theology will be display in our actions to others and ultimately back to God. So, what do we think?
“But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” What a profound simple testimony of the now sighted man! (Reread the sighted man’s full testimony again in verses 30-33.)
I pray that is our testimony today. I was blind but now I see.
In Jesus Name, Amen
“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.” John 1:14-18, The Message
New theology…new relationship.
