Camp Firwood 2017 - 2/4

Intro

I love magic.

I love Penn & Teller’s show Fool Us.

Shawn Farquhar

From B.C.

Went on the show and did an amazing trick.

Re-tell the trick

Penn was totally fooled and was furious

Yelling curse words

But the best part is watching Shawn

He is giddy, laughing, giggling, jumping all around

Not only did he do a great trick and fool Penn and Teller, you can just tell he loves it so much that he’s the only person in the world who knows how he did it

And I told you about Shawn Farquhar tonight to ask you this:

Why do you think Jesus healed that blind man?

Back in to the story.

What book?

What chapter?

Why did Jesus give that man his sight?

Let’s read the story again, and this time let’s look at it through the perspective of Jesus.

The New International Version Chapter 9

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

Jesus is just walking with his friends.

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

He comes across this blind man and now if we see him make one of two big decisions.

The first one is to heal him or not to heal him. He didn’t have to give him sight.

Some of you, the really nice ones among you, would choose to give him his sight, right? And mainly because you have empathy.

But Jesus did it for a different reason.

He says that the man is blind “so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

First of all, that means he sees the blind man not as an outcast, not even as cursed, but as someone who is capable of displaying the works of God

He could’ve said: “Definitely his parents. Have you met his dad? He’s a real tool.” And it would’ve been totally fine and acceptable.

But then he has a second decision to make. Now that he decides to give the blind man his sight, he has to decide how.

After he says that this man is capable of displaying the works of God

He could, presumably, just say the words, and he would see

He gets down and picks up dirt, spits in it, and rubs it on the dude’s face

If you lost your vision and you went to the doctor and he looked at you and then rubbed dirt and spit on your face, what would you do?

He was showing that man, and his disciples, and all of us, that he was God. And this is how we know:

This is how God created Adam in the story of creation — dirt and breath

Saliva is concentrated breath. Mix that with dirt, and you get the same recipe for a brand new man

So Jesus does it this way to show us that he is God, and he’s the only one in the world who can do it this way, because he’s the only one in the world who knows how to do it

So I picture Jesus kinda like Shawn Farquhar the magician after he does something like this.

When everyone is like “whuuuuuuut” he’s just excited and giddy and jumping all around because he just blew our minds with what he is able to do to change someone’s entire life story in a totally unexpected instant!

Jesus, when given the opportunity, takes broken things, things that might feel like a curse, and he makes them completely healed and new in a way only he can, and he does it because it gives him joy and purpose to do it and so if you think about Jesus presenting himself to you tonight this way, as God himself, who can do only things that God can do, and he does it because he chooses to and that he sees every person, no matter what, as someone who is capable of displaying the works of God, do you feel like Jesus would do it again in your life?

Do you believe that Jesus actually did rub dirt and spit on that man’s face and gave him new sight?

Do you think it’s possible that Jesus could today actually still be doing those kinds of things in our world, and if he is, do you think it’s possible that Jesus could take whatever is painful, or wrong, or feels like a curse, and in a way only he can, just make it brand new in an instant?

I know it can be kinda weird to think about and maybe even feel kinda impossible to believe, so as I send you from here asking those questions (Is it true? Is it possible? Is that really what Jesus is about?), I want to share a brief story from my friend Leah, that she published online yesterday.

Leah’s Story:

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Currently, I’m sitting at a coffee shop, drinking a smoothie and eating a scone.

6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

For those of you who have walked with me in the last 4 years, you might understand why this is significant and worth mentioning. Up until two days ago, my body wouldn’t process gluten, dairy, eggs, garlic, onions, pitted fruits, and a plethora of other foods. After being in and out of doctors for 3 years, I was finally diagnosed last year with a colon disease called Mastocytic Enterocolitis.

8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.

Friday was a day like any other, I just woke up with a teaspoon more faith than usual. But considering what faith can do (faith in God, that is), it really wasn’t a normal day.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

** She left class and felt like Jesus wanted her to go for a walk and talk with him. So she did.

10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

** She describes the conversation as one where Jesus simply listened and showed her how he was with her in parts of her life that she had no idea he was there for. She continues:

Throughout the rest of the day, He gently led me through memories that held scars and he spoke soft truths to my soul, destroying the enemies whispers. One by one, memory by memory, lies evaporated as his grace overtook me. Finally, after revelation about myself and sickness and lies I had been believing my whole life, I opened my hands to the Lord and realized there was nothing I held onto.

11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

Ever so sweetly, Jesus took my face in his hands and asked ” Leah, what do you want?”

12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.

Normally when he asks me this, I feel selfish for asking for anything else but “More of you, Lord!” But at this moment, I had a revelation of grace. I looked into the eyes of a man who wanted me to live in fullness, bought by nothing that I had done. I looked at the one who created me to live in freedom, unbound by lies, unhindered by sickness. I looked at a man who wanted to eat ice cream with me. I looked into eyes that desired to see me walking in the health he died to give me.

“Jesus,” I said, “I want a new colon.”

“I don’t know,” he said.

I watched him as he reached behind him and pulled out a solid gold organ from under his robe. “Oh, this?” he said as he grinned and handed it to me.

There were no fuzzy feelings. No sudden tingles. No angels breaking forth from heaven.

Just Jesus & I. 

Deciding to be healthy. Deciding to be healed. Deciding that I had held onto something that wasn’t mine to hold onto. Deciding that I was created to live in freedom and that was what I was going to do.

Later that evening, a friend prayed over me, declaring the healing and claiming the victory. I pulled up my shirt and noticed little gold flecks of dust all over my stomach.

I may have just lost some of you, but it isn’t my job to convince you of anything. All I can say is, I know who my God is and he is real and I am eating everything I see and haven’t felt sick once.

You do the math yourself.

All I know is Jesus. All I know is his heart. All I know is his love. All I know is everything I don’t know. And all the times I have to step forward and keep moving, hidden in revelation of grace.

I don’t know much, but I know that I was throwing up three days ago because I had a bite of cake. And I know that today, I am drinking a smoothie and eating a scone as tears roll down my face.

I know that Jesus is real. 

Firwood friends, as we go tonight and as you go through tomorrow, I hope you’ll think about, pray about, talk about: What if this Jesus guy really does this stuff? What kind of relationship would I want to have with him if he does? What in my life have I seen that I wish Jesus would see and make new?

Let’s pray.