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In touch

Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.

 

See a sporting chance

Like a famous sportsperson, Jesus is judged after healing a blind man (John 9:1-41).

 

Context

Those participating at the highest level of international sport are often judged by fans and critics alike. These are highly skilled sportspeople who have often committed a large proportion of their lives through training and competition to do their best to win in their selected field. Their levels of skill, dedication and commitment are huge! Their achievements can be monumental. And yet so many of us, sitting at home in our umpire's armchairs, see fit to judge them – sometimes extraordinarily unfairly! Is this what was happening to Jesus, under scrutiny by the Pharisees, in the wake of his healing of a man born blind?

• The Winter Paralympics have been in full flow over this past week. On Tuesday Team GB won its first medal of the games when Neil Simpson and his guide, Rob Poth, won silver in the Men’s Alpine Combined Slalom Vision Impaired final. Whilst the rules that guide the competition between people with varying degrees of impairment may seem baffling to many of us today, the system offers opportunities that would never have been allowed by the Pharisees in Jesus' time!
• The new Formula 1 season got off to a shaky start last weekend, with probably the biggest rule changes in decades regarding the cars' powertrains and aerodynamics. Whilst Britain’s George Russell climbed to the top step of the podium on Sunday, the season ahead looks to be an unpredictable and challenging one for all concerned. Drivers, pundits and fans are all uncertain of what to expect. Many people’s feelings about the changes were brilliantly summed up in the Channel 4 race introduction by comedian Greg Davies. Greg said: “Change feels scary because it challenges what we think we understand.” I hope Jesus’ Pharisees are listening.
• The Rugby Union Six Nations championship might be drawing towards its conclusion, but it is also scaring home nation fans, as England and Wales fall to the bottom of the table, whilst Scotland soar to the top. These are monumental changes compared with a few years ago. Change can be scary!

 

Reflection

Human society has always been prone to judge itself, whether this be individuals, groups of people or whole nations. By what right we assume we can do this has often been brought into question. Throughout the centuries humanity has judged and labelled those who might be considered to be ‘less-than’ by some. These might also be generously referred to as the ‘other’. By what guidelines do we assume the right to do this? Reading through this week’s gospel passage from John 9:1-41, it would seem things were no different in Jesus’ day. We see the hostility of the synagogue towards the ‘other’, echoed by organised religion throughout the centuries. We see the Pharisees refuse to accept change, or even see the possibility of hope in the form of a Messiah. Instead their adherence to ancient rules make them inflexible and blind to the potential in those they regard as flawed and impaired.

 

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks

• Greg Davies, in his Formula 1 introduction of Channel 4 last Sunday, said “Change isn’t the enemy. Stagnation is.” Is this something of what Jesus was trying to get across to the Pharisees? The blind man’s loss of sight from birth was commonly believed to be due to sin – either his or his parents – but Jesus says that they’ve got it wrong (v.3). It was also believed that acts of healing were not allowed on the Sabbath, but Jesus says get on with it whilst you have my light to see by (v.4-5)! The Jews have awaited the Messiah throughout history and yet these leaders refuse to accept that Jesus could possibly be that Messiah (v.30-33). What does it mean for Jesus to accuse the Pharisees of sin, whilst also claiming judgment over those who may see and those who will become blind (v.39). What did it mean for the Pharisees, for Jesus' disciples or for the blind man himself to have so much change thrown at them? This was change that could potentially create a much more level playing field than many had experienced before. How uncomfortable do you think they might have felt with this change?
• In John 9:1-41 Jesus (along with the man born blind and his parents) confront the disciples, their neighbours and the Pharisees about their concepts of ‘sin’. On their 2025 album, ‘Rushmere’, Mumford & Sons' song ‘Carry on’ also confronts the concept of ‘original sin’ and its human potential for hypocrisy. Take a look at how the lyrics (below) offer relief through accepting our own flaws in preference to imposed moral judgements. They contrast the judgments placed upon us by society or religion with an exploration of individual truth, emphasising the innocence of children as a symbol of purity. The words carry a message of hope and encouragement in the face of a judgemental world:

If this is what it's like to be unholy, man
If this is what it's like to be lost
I will take this heresy
Over your hypocrisy
And count any cost

If this is what it's like to be empty again
If this is what it's like to be adrift
I will take this darkness
Over any light you cast
You and all your original sin

How do the words of such a song speak to us alongside the encounter of Jesus with the man born blind and the challenge of the Pharisees in John 9:1-41? How do the lyrics ‘I will take this heresy over your hypocrisy and count any cost’ speak to us as we witness the amazing sporting achievements of the Winter Paralympians?

 

Questions for discussion

• How would you offer a sense of hope and encouragement to someone who is struggling with concepts of change in their lives? What encouragement would you share from Jesus' words in John 9:1-41?
• What would you want to say to the Pharisees or anyone else who claims that the blind man’s visual impairment is because of ‘sin’? What do you ‘see’ when you look at this man?
• What can we take away from John 9:1-41 and from the achievements of the Winter Paralympians to give ourselves a sense of hope in our present times and encouragement to persevere through life’s challenges?

Tim Lowe is a minister of the United Reformed Church, serving in the Leeds URC Partnership. Through challenging and changing times in life, alongside the words of Jesus, Tim sees heroes in our Paralympians and hears inspiration in the lyrics and music of Mumford & Sons (especially when he saw them play live in Manchester last November!).

 

Check-in

Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people

As I sit down to write on this weeks’ theme of 'What do you see?' I have been met with the news of Team GB winning silver in the Winter Paralympic Games in the alpine combined. This has particular resonance with today’s story since it has been won in the visually impaired men’s category. The event involves paralympians being directed by their guide who skis the course with the athlete and gives verbal signals to the athlete via a Bluetooth communication system. 

In today’s story the disciples only see a victim of sin (v. 2). Jesus, on the other hand, sees a person in need of liberation from the societal oppression that existed in 1st century Jewish society, and an opportunity to make real God’s heart for liberation.

It is easy to use our sight to cast aspersions and limitations on people. In so doing, whether intentionally or not, we can reinforce the systemic powers of oppression that exist within our 21st century society. The Winter Paralympics can act as a reminder of the power of the possible when we support each other and act as building blocks, not barriers, to achievement. 

So challenge yourself this week to consider what you are seeing when you look at the people around you. What might your unconscious biases be? What limitations and restrictions are you putting on those around you? Then ask God to give you His sight so that you may see people as He sees them.

 

Simon Bailey is an Engagement & Participation Youth Worker for the local authority in Central Bedfordshire.

 

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