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CHAPTER FIVE CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO SETS OF TRUTH Trust is a fragile thing. In some cases it is given freely as a gift, but for the most part it is earned drop by drop. It is a precious thing that cannot easily be replaced once lost. An apology, although heartfelt, will find it difficult to soothe the searing pain of the wound caused by a betrayal. The pain that accompanies a violation of our trust can last a long time, and due to its very nature it will try to find a home, hiding deep within our hearts. This pain will manifest itself in our ability to freely believe what others say. We will find that without our permission it has taken over a part of us, causing us to question the motive of every word and action by others…….. and even ourselves. _______________________________ Allowing ourselves to trust again in something or someone can be a very difficult thing for most. It involves a hard choice. To let go of the pain that has been our companion for so long, and to risk being hurt again. I once heard a dear friend say, “trust is akin to freely taking my sword and handing it to you, with the understanding that you may use it against me.” Although unconditional trust, faith, love and compassion are tenets of the Christian faith, this doesn’t make it easier for a Christian to exercise these virtues. We are all human after all, flawed beyond recognition…….. and struggle with these issues. For most Christians the fact remains that they find themselves, “caught between two sets of truths……..unconditional love and impending judgement.” Larry Schuse ________________________________ The unconditional love of God is somewhat of a mystery to us. When we think of love, it seems that there are always some conditions………I will love them as long as……….I will trust them until they betray me. I could go on but I’m sure you get my point dear reader. Unconditional is a word that is almost too big for us to wrap our minds around. When Jesus looked upon sinners, without exception he saw them through the lens of compassion. He didn’t point his finger and draw some invisible line in the sand, that if they were to cross it there would be no turning back. As he was nearly beaten to death, spit upon, and hung on a cross that would claim the remainder of his life, his words, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing,” came from a heart that only knew unconditional love. I have searched the scriptures and can find nothing that would indicate that Jesus ever treated the lost with disdain. Stating that he had come for the sick, not the healthy…….. and his command to us to love one another as he had loved us, are proof in but a few words how the Creator perceives the created. If we will believe this fact and act upon these words, our perception of others, no matter their many differences, will forever be changed. I fear that we are still stuck in the same place that has proven throughout history to separate us from one another. Quick to see the differences between ourselves and others……..judging all in the light of our own understanding. All the while, we are slow to see and accept the thing that binds us together as one……..the unconditional love of God poured out upon us without reservation or limit. _______________________________ Come with me for a few moments while we listen in on a conversation that Jesus has with his disciples……… “Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light.”” John 9:1-5 MSG _______________________________ The account of Jesus healing this man who had been born blind, recorded in the gospel of John, follows the words above. Making some clay from spit and dirt, Jesus smears it on the eyes of this blind man and sends him to wash it off. This strange behavior and the instruction from Jesus for the man to, “go and wash,” must have caused his disciples to scratch their heads in wonder. Their Master had healed others without requiring such a thing………they must have wondered, “what this was about?” They were soon to find out that this would not be the most surprising thing they would hear today……… _____________________________ Finding his way to the pool of Siloam the blind man wasted no time. Splashing the cold water on his face he rubbed the clay from his eyes. As the mud ran down his face and neck he dropped his head into the water, washing off what was left, as the refreshing water cooled him from the heat of the day. Pushing his hair out of his eyes he squinted as light, for the first time, flooded into his eyes, setting his senses ablaze. He could see! Shaking all over, he slowly stood to his feet and looked around, taking in everything within his new field of vision. Amazed………I’m sure he could barely catch his breath. Walking away from the pool, his eyes opened for the first time, he wasn’t sure where to go, or what to do next. Before he knew what was happening he heard people all around him and it seemed that he was the subject of their conversation. Some thought he was the man born blind that they were accustomed to see begging, but others disagreed, believing that it was just someone who looked like him. That seemed to be the only reasonable explanation since this man could see……… Excited beyond words the man anxiously said, “It’s me, the very one.” For just a moment the people went silent, gazing at what must be a miracle. Then the inevitable question came. “How did your eyes get opened?” Answering without a moments hesitation the man said, ““A man named Jesus made a paste and rubbed it on my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ I did what he said. When I washed, I saw.”” John 9:11 MSG __________________________________ What a sight this must have been. Some of the crowd excited and rejoicing with this man, while others, whispering among themselves that this man must be a liar. What other explanation could there be? There may even have been some who suggested that he had only pretended to be blind all these years. Begging might have been easier than working the fields………I’ve heard similar concerns and mistrust, when a broken soul is seen standing on a street corner with a sign begging for help. Instead of simply helping, we often feel that we must first judge the person’s situation, motives, and intentions. We can be assured that for every moment we wait to reach out God weeps. _________________________________ Since it was the Sabbath this gathering of self-righteous busy bodies felt the responsibility to report this to the religious leaders. What was this man thinking? Allowing someone to heal him on the Sabbath………They were sure that they would not be found doing something like that……..willingly ignoring the rules. Taking the man to the Pharisees they recounted what had happened and their concerns for the keeping of the Law. The Pharisees were incensed by this and questioned this man with unrelenting persistence. No matter how many times they pummeled him with the question of how this happened, he answered the same way. Frustrated beyond words they called his parents to testify as to whether or not this was their son and if so, they sought assurance that he was born blind. Admitting that he was their son and that he had in fact been born blind, they would say no more for fear of being cast out of the meeting place. It was common knowledge that anyone calling this Jesus the Messiah would be on the wrong side of the religious elite. Angry that they could not get a definitive answer from the parents the Pharisees called the man born blind back to stand in front of them. They demanded that he give praise to God for his healing because they were sure that this Jesus was an imposter. __________________________________ Before we continue to recall this scene I pray that we can take a moment and consider all that has happened. The situation that was plainly visible to them did not fit their religion or understanding of how God dealt with His people. How could a sinner such as this man who stood...
