"...Who sinned; this man or his
parents?" the disciples asked.
"Neither this man nor his parents
sinned, but that the works of God should he revealed/manifest in him."
Jesus replied.
(John 9:2-3)
One too many times we as humans and even
Christians view things with a perspective that displays how limited we can be
over certain things. In the above text from scriptures, the story goes of a man
born blind. As at the time, there was practically no other reason why one
should he born blind except that there was sin somewhere along the line that
lead to the Man being born blind. Medical science hadn't been advanced as at
the time to give their long explanations as to why one could be born blind so
that was the only explanation.
Our friends in the story; the Disciples had
just one thing as a reason for blindness and so did others of their time
believe, and that was sin. Now the question they asked Jesus could be out of
compassion or curiousity. Compassion in the sense that says, 'what did he do to
deserve this?' Curiousity on the other hand to know what exactly went wrong; to
either justify the belief that it was sin that lead to it and probably try to
know what can be done in order not to allow their sins get to the point where
blindness or worse would be the ultimate punishment. (At least they
acknowledged the fact that sin had devastating effects). Their question falls
into either one of these lines of thought.
What
was Jesus's reply?
This is not a matter of who sinned and who didn't.
It's not a matter to be deliberated over. It's a matter of divine purpose.
There's no earthly justification for his blindness. He was born for this day.
He was born for the purpose of manifesting God's power. He was born blind so
that through the miracle of his sight being restored fully, the people can
believe that there is still God and He has the power to reverse adverse
situations and more so that He sent me (Jesus). This blindness is an instrument
the Lord wants to use prove a point!
That's
PERSPECTIVE!
It takes a divine nature for one to see past
human perspective. Jesus was divine and what he saw was not what they saw. What
they were seeing was the condemnation but Jesus was seeing solution. They were
seeing a problem and failure, Jesus was seeing healing and glory. They were
seeing sympathy and justification of the power of sin, Jesus was seeing
deliverance from the power of sin. They wanted to give glory to human errors
but Jesus was out-rightly rewriting the errors.
The same is amongst us today as Christians.
We see a situation and the first thing that comes to us is, "sin". It
must be a sin that has caused this to fall upon us. True as it may be, this
line of thought is not for those who have been engrafted into the bloodline of
Jesus through acceptance of His forgiveness and love. No child of God who has
had his mind renewed by the water and the word can see a situation and begin to
count his sins (already confessed and forsaken, forgiven and forgotten).
Rather, he would see another chance to glorify God. This is the mind of Christ.
Push forward years later after Jesus had died
and resurrected, after He had breathed upon them and they had received the Holy
Spirit. Peter and John saw a man at the Beautiful gate and instead of
deliberating over who sinned and who did not, with all authority Peter said,
"Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: in the name
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk". (Acts 3:6)
How
about that for a renewed mind!
The reason why things look the way they look
is because we've got our minds still stuck in the old way if thinking. We still
think within human limitations. We still carry the old man around and claim
we're Christians. Yet at the slightest provocation or situation, we are quick to
glorify Satan, sin or that problem. We exalt it so much that even when Jesus
steps in to take charge he wouldn't find a space to take glory.
From now onwards God wants you to stop being
negative. Stop doubting. Stop fretting. Stop giving Satan glory. Start being
positive. Start believing and keep believing. Start loving. Start giving God
glory. Jesus is our typical example. The sisters of Lazarus saw death but Jesus
saw an opportunity to give God glory. He said, "This sickness is not unto
death, but for the glory of God... Father, I thank you this day..." (John
11:4 &41). On so many occasions where one would expect panic, He simply
comes out and says, "Thank you Father" or "Father glorify your
son, that your son may glorify you". He was always positive even at the
point of death. At the cross in pains, He was still positive, giving hope to a
dying man who was dying alongside with Him!
The
mind of Christ!
I come to a close with this; for everything
you see, rather than whine and complain or try to trace your problems to this
or that sin, begin to speak positively. Hence you are in the right with God and
He is your father, keep the right frame of mind. Never let negativity cast a
shadow all over you. “If then you be risen with Christ seek those things which
are above, where Christ is sitting on the right hand of God. Set your
heart/mind on things above not on things on earth. For you died, and your life
is hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:1-2). Renew your mind. (Rom. 12:2).
Remember, when the disciples hadn't received the Holy Ghost they saw things
carnally but as soon as they were breathed upon and received the Holy Ghost,
their mentality changed. They'd rather heal than look for sin. Forgive rather
than retaliate. Die rather than live to fight another day. They became the
exact opposite of who they were when they were carnal and began to command such
positivity to the point that Peter's shadow began to heal the sick!
Now,
in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, RECIEVE THE HOLY GHOST!!!
