It begins with "Why"

Introduction

Let me begin by saying we all want our children to begin to speak those wonderful words Mom or dad. In some cases, I have heard it can be a competition. The reality is that those are not the first words they learn or speak. The first is NO!

The second word children learn is Why?

Asking why is learning, investigating, discovery.

It marks the life of a child and if we continue in this discovery through adulthood we can be marked by people who ask Why.

This is why I have titled the sermon today, “It begins with Why”

I want you to examine that saying as we look into God’s word this morning and apply the message from God to our lives.

One of my favorite books I seem to point to is

The book of It begins with Why

The premise of the book poses the question that if we begin with asking the question of why when we head out to do something, plan something, questions something we must answer the question of why.

But are we to come to God with Why?

Is that our first response when life around us happens? I am not saying we can’t but do we begin with the question of why?

This morning’s passage hopefully answers this question for us this morning, but before we look at the passage, let me tell you a story.

It’s a story about a man, let’s call him Bob because his name has not gone done in our books.

Bob lived a simple life in the midwest in a small town known to very little in the world. When this story broke, most people had not even heard of the town or can even remember the name of the place.

Bob was known around the town because his life was not a happy life up until the story broke.

Everyone knew Bob, because looking at Bob you could see that he was faced with a physical ailment that brought about struggles for Bob.

As the story goes, one day a travelling evangelist was making his way through the town and stumbled across Bob.

Having compassion on this man, the travelling preacher approached Bob and laid hands on him and prayed.

What happened next became a discussion for many years.

The travelling evangelist told Bob to head to the town square and wash himself in the fountain.

Bob followed the advice of the man, and once finished washing found himself of a divine healing of his physical ailment.

Bob was changed from that moment on and began to go around town with a different perspective on life. He began to see things differently, mainly how people perceived this change in his life.

The crowds began to question this change and soon as any great story develops, the news began to broadcast the event.

Bob began to be interviewed by hosts of media all wanting to either hear the story or question its validity.

He was invited to come to the popular talk show hosts and he began to make the circuits.

Some host were there to share the good story, while others began to question its reliability and doubt began to set in.

He was asked so many questions, but one reoccurring question always came up,

Why did the traveling evangelist come to you. Why you?

You see many wanted to also meet the travelling evangelist, but he could not be located.

So many questions and the buzz around the media began to change and as quickly as Bob’s story became popular, it soon was an old story.

Soon Bob found himself once again back in his hometown, no longer in the spotlight.

Walking around town and once again being overlooked not because of his physical ailment, rather being ignored because of the curiosity of the people’s questions were not being satisfied.

Once again, who appears on the scene, but the travelling evangelist who started all this story. If you have been trying to remember this story it may have a familiar theme.

The evangelist once approaches Bob and ask him, What have you learned?

I will tell you at the end what Bob learned but first let’s pray

Scripture

Introduction of the passage

This morning’s passage has been approached by many people in many ways.

I want you this morning as we look at God’s Word that you open your spiritual eyes and ears to hear what God has to say to you this morning. You may through the reading of this passage see yourself fit into some of the character’s lives.

Make sure as you listen to the story, that you are open to what God’s living Word has for you this morning.

I will be working through the story found in John Chapter 9 and the story of Jesus

Like buying a house, you must be aware of Location Location Location.

This story seems to be a side story and interaction with Jesus, his disciples, the crowd, the pharisees and a blind man.

It just followed a highly charged interaction that Jesus had with the religious leaders that almost cost him to be stoned then we begin in vs 1 of Chaper 9

John 9:1–3 ESV

1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

The Question: “Why”

Can you image the scene? Jesus is walking as was his MO and the disciples along with him and they walk by a man.

Notice scripture gives us a clue why this was not just an ordinary man, this wasn’t going to be an ordinary interaction between Jesus and another man, but one that would change the direction of How Jesus was viewed between the disciples and the leaders of the spiritual community.

A theological Question

Blind from Birth.

A theological question.

The theological answer of the day was sickness was directly tied to sin.

A belief sadly some still hold to even to this day. Although there is scriptural support for sin and sickness being tied together, not all sickness is there a direct connection to the sin in our lives.

The disciples ask the question:

Why

I have to chuckle at the absurdity of the options posed to Jesus.

Think about it.

Was it the parents or the person.

If it was the person, what did he do as a developing child int he womb that he would be delivered blind.

Did he kick his mother too much in his development?

Was the morning sickness over the top for the mother that God would strike him blind from Birth.

What about the parents if they were at fault.

What sin could we commit before God would cause our child be be blind from Birth.

Could you image the grief the parents wold be dealing with as hear others point to them as their now grown son is wandering around the town blind. Oh the guilt.

May this be a word of caution to us as believers when we are speaking with people who are suffering and asking the why questions.

When we offer words of comfort, may they be words that uplift their relationship with God and not a feeling of condemnation.

Jesus’ Answer

Jesus’ answer if we look carefully at it gives a glimpse of how we are to respond to situations in our lives when struggles come.

To be honest this week, I struggled as well. Asking the question why to God for a situation in my life.

It’s in discovering this passage God’s Word that we can have a response that bring’s God glory.

Let’s look at the text

John 9:3–5 ESV

3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Works of God might be displayed.

Did you realize that in order to be the messiah, scripture gave a detailed list of miracles that must be shown in order to be the messiah.

You see in those days, as in today’s world, miracles were happening.

But there were four certain miracles that were ascribed to the messiah. Ailments from Birth, mainly blind and deaf was one of the miracles that Jesus performed that began to grab the attention of the religious leaders.

Although this wasn’t one of them, Jesus still used the opportunity to show his power and direction for not only the man, but His disciples lives and therefore our lives as well.

Jesus now takes the answer to their Why question and transforms the life of this unknown man.

Look at the text

John 9:6–7 ESV

6 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 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

Jesus’ Response

What was Jesus’ response.

Well we can now say it was far from Covid friendly.

When I read this text, I tried to image what the man was thinking.

Did he know who Jesus was? Had the story of this man come upon the ears of the blind?

Making a paste of mud using his own salvia, Christ then applied the mixture upon the eyes of the blind.

Then he tells the man to go to the pool and wash out his eyes.

Ponder that for a moment.

Why didn’t Jesus just touch his eyes and heal them?

Jesus power over the body was quite capable to do this.

He waved his hand and could calm the storm.

He was apparently able to move away from an angry crowd without being notice.

He was able to turn water into wine, why didn’t he just touch the man’s eyes and be bring sight to the blind.

We could surmise that Jesus was wanting to see if the man was wanting to be healed.

If the man didn’t trust, he could have simply wiped the mud off of his face and continue on the way he was living.

I look at the text and ask myself the question, how did he know how to get to the pool?

Remember at this point, he was still blind.

Did he go on his way by himself or was he guided.

Was he so familiar with the place that going to the pool as a blind man was so familiar that he cold make his way there by himself.

The text tells us that after doing this, his sight was given to him.

It wasn’t restored but given.

Can you image the delight of this man.

Seeing for the first time.

When I was 17 I had the opportunity to volunteer with the CNIB and was sent to Toronto with a blind and deaf man to a conference. I was his aid, his sight, his ears.

It gave me a small glimpse of what it would be like for this man in the story.

I met people who were blind from birth, people who lost their sight.

Have you ever thought how to describe color to someone who has never seen before.

Look at the last part of verse 7

John 9:7 ESV

7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

Came back seeing.

What an understatement.

First he came back. Came back most likely to see Jesus, to thank him, to praise him.

Secondly seeing.

Seeing for the first time the place where he lived. Seeing for the first time the surroundings he had only touched and imagined what he looked liked but now it was in living color.

The record doesn’t tell us of the responses of the man, I will leave that up to your imagination, but it sure brought up the responses of the crowd, the people who know this man

John 9:8–12 ESV

8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

The Crowd’s response

Can you imagine the scene. I look at this and notice that some time must have passed in the story.

Image the man going around town and exploring with his very own eyes what had become his arena for begging.

Hearing the sounds of the market, the shuffling of people.

The chatter of people talking among themselves all now became real.

The rich man that always dropped a coin in this plate he could now see.

The owner of the market stall, who would offer him a loaf of bread, the bread he could smell, now saw the stacks of loafs on the table in front of the owner.

I would image that he was making quite a scene as he went around exploring his newly acquired sense of sight.

The man’s life had changed, but notice at this point there was no change in the lives of the people.

They continued to walk and talk among themselves like he wasn’t there.

The man hearing that exclaims, I am he

I can hear you and now see you talking and pointing about me.

Notice the skeptics in the crowd.

It can’t be, he must have been faking all this years.

The crowd begins to ask the why questions.

What did they question?

They began to question is this a miracle or another scam artist coming clean and giving up the life of a beggar.

A few years back, when I was on a mission trip to Mexico, we ended our trip and spent a few extra days in San Diego before flying home to Alberta.

As we walked along the warf there were several people who looked like street people weaving palm branches into baskets.

They were clothed in rags and their appearance was like that of someone who hadn’t seen a bath in a few days.

The baskets they were weaving were then being sold to obvious tourist for prices higher than you could buy the same thing at the dollar store.

Why, you felt compassion on the poor, as they made their living to eat.

What most tourist didn’t notice, which I saw, was after the day of sitting out weaving the person gathered up their supplies, walked down the block and jumped into their new car to head home.

Some of the crowd in the story felt the same way, they have been scammed.

The Man’s Response

The man’s response was simple.

It is Me.

They ask him how and He describes the story

I have a question for us.

How do we respond when God does something incredible in our lives?

Do we use that opportunity to let others see Jesus or just give him the credit.

Do we use that time to bring people to Jesus?

The Pharisees & The Man

The people obviously were not happy with the man’s response or what was happening that they must report this event to the higher authorities.

They must have realized that this was a miracle, an act of God because they brought this man before the religious leaders and not the Romans.

If they were attempting to accuse him of fraud they would have been dragged to the Romans for retribution, instead he was brought forward to the religious leaders.

Look at the text

John 9:13–14 ESV

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

A Theological Practice

notice verse 14

Once again the writer slips in a detail of the event which causes our thoughts to a theological issue.

Can you imagine, Jesus worked on the Sabbath.

Work, who would have thought that spitting and making mud was work, but the religious leaders had defined it like that.

Work needed to be spelled out.

Not to mention, Healing

Theology is the understanding of scripture and how it relates to our lives.

It’s the study of God and his nature and how we shall live out our lives.

It begins to answer the why question

But there is a danger here in this verse

Theology can sometimes develop into a preferred spiritual practice.

The practice can become more important than the why of the theology and outlive the theology.

When our preferred spiritual practice, even practices based upon scripture, becomes a practice without theology it can become a religion.

Now we enter the story of the interactions with the Religious leaders and the man

John 9:15 ESV

15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”

Again there is that burning question of why.

Yes it is asking the how. The intent is why.

The man in the story is only seeing the physical advantage of coming face to face with the saviour.

How often do we come to God with wanting something from Him

We ask God the why questions, for if we know Why God would allow this circumstance in our lives it would make it easier for us to live with it.

Or we come to God wanting Him to remove our blindness and receive our sight.

At this point the man could only say what he had received from God.

Sight.

John 9:16 ESV

16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.

It’s interesting that the discussion turned not to what had happened, but who did this healing.

If you look at the passage you will see that the religious leaders could not come to the realization that the long awaiting Messiah. The one prophesied in their scriptures, the ones that they know so well were among them today.

They couldn’t come to agreement, so they come to the next logical conclusion, let’s ask the guy who received this miracle.

John 9:17 ESV

17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

The once blind man, although awe struck by the miracle had yet to fully understand who Jesus was.

The once blind man had received physical sight but had yet to receive spiritual sight.

What happened next is quite amazing. I want you to go later, maybe this afternoon or sometime this week and read John 9:18-34

You will see that the religious leaders are grappling with the concept of God. What they expect God will Do.

They are looking for answers from the man.

They look for answers from the once blind man’s parents,

They return to the once blind man that wasn’t concerned about who healed him, He was satisfied with the fact that once he was blind, but now he can see.

Do we come to God with questions of Why.

Do we come to God hoping if we find the answers, then it will truly explain the reasons and then we can worship God.

The story ends with Jesus once again approaching the once blind man

John 9:35–38 ESV

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Jesus found the man, who is no longer the man that was blind, but the cast out.

Do you believe.

What does it take for us to believe.

Is our answers to the why questions in our lives draw us to the saviour.

Are we like the disciples attempting to explain why things happen?

Are we like the Religious leaders who are attempting to explain or refute God working in our life.

Are we only content and can worship God when we know the answers.

You see, Jesus told the disciples that this man was blind so that works of God might be displayed in Him.

When the man who was once blind, now sees, and then is rejected and is now cast out Jesus meets him.

When the man comes face to face with the saviour his response was not questions but worship.

Do our questions, and for many of us, there are many, deter us from Worshiping God.

Are we only content to worship when we know why or is our contentment in God’s Sovereign plan enough and we worship in spite of what is happening to us.

Laura story, who wrote the song Blessings writes,

It is a myth to believe that our contentment with God begins when we can see the reasons or answers to our why.

She states that Contentment (or worship) begins when we ask how God might use this for His Glory

Are you struggling with question of why today.

Turn those questions into worship.

Your worship in a God who is in control despite all that is happening to you.

Conclusion

Some of you may still be waiting to hear the rest of Bob’s story. If you haven’t figured it out, l’ll let you in on the story. I made up the story to give you a modern day scenario of the scripture’s story of the blind man, I’ve named Bob.

All of us can be Bob

I started out by saying that it begins with Why.

It may begin there but that is not where it should end.

You may never get the answers to your why question, but you can still worship a God who will one day answer your question.

Our lives should be like the life of the once blind man.

Jesus, the son of man not only healed him of his physical blindness but his spiritual blindness as well.

When we realize that, we can truly begin to worship God for what he has done in our lives.