Here's Mud in Your Eyes
One of the best things about my current job is that I was able to meet Brian who has become a really good friend of mine. Brian goes to a small, conservative church of Christ here in San Antonio. Once we found out that we were fellow CofC'ers we have had many long conversations about church, the Bible, and life.
Brian and I have a similar sense of humor so we crack each other up a lot, but we have had some pretty deep conversations as well. For some reason, we both instantly felt comfortable enough around each other to hold each other accountable and to be able to challenge each other on anything. We agree on a lot. We disagree on a few things, but we're ok with that and in fact some of our disagreements have produced the most growth in thought and faith in us.
I'm not sure where he heard this, but yesterday Brian called me up (he recently accepted a job across town with another branch of our company) and asked if I had ever heard a certain theory about Jesus healing the blind man by putting mud on his eyes. Neither of us had encountered this theory, but after some thought, it is certainly plausible. Remind yourself of the story quickly:
John 9 True Blindness
1Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?"
3Jesus 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. 4We 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. 5For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world's Light."
6He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man's eyes, 7and said, "Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "Sent"). The man went and washed--and saw.
Weird. That has always struck me as weird. I'm sure the guy was all excited when Jesus was showing compassion on him during his monologue preceeding the actual healing. Then all of a sudden, Jesus spits in the dirt and rubs it on the guy's eyes. I'm sure he was really appreciative of that.
Now remind yourself of this passage real quick too:
Gen 2:7
GOD formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive--a living soul!
So why did Jesus rub dirt and spittle on this poor blind guy's eyes? Well if we're made of dirt anyway, is it out of the realm of possibility that Jesus bent down, spit into the dirt to make mud and right there on the spot created organic, healthy eyeballs to put into the man's eyesockets? I don't think so. I know it sounds a little outrageous. It sounds like overkill. Certainly Jesus didn't need to form actual eyes to heal this man.
But he might have. The same divine man that walked on water and turned the water into wine might have decided to go retro and get back to the basic method of creation: turning dirt into flesh.
I guess it doesn't really matter. Either way, God was glorified through a miraculous healing. And the people there in that time, along with us today, are amazed by His power and compassion.
Brian and I have a similar sense of humor so we crack each other up a lot, but we have had some pretty deep conversations as well. For some reason, we both instantly felt comfortable enough around each other to hold each other accountable and to be able to challenge each other on anything. We agree on a lot. We disagree on a few things, but we're ok with that and in fact some of our disagreements have produced the most growth in thought and faith in us.
I'm not sure where he heard this, but yesterday Brian called me up (he recently accepted a job across town with another branch of our company) and asked if I had ever heard a certain theory about Jesus healing the blind man by putting mud on his eyes. Neither of us had encountered this theory, but after some thought, it is certainly plausible. Remind yourself of the story quickly:
John 9 True Blindness
1Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?"
3Jesus 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. 4We 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. 5For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world's Light."
6He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man's eyes, 7and said, "Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "Sent"). The man went and washed--and saw.
Weird. That has always struck me as weird. I'm sure the guy was all excited when Jesus was showing compassion on him during his monologue preceeding the actual healing. Then all of a sudden, Jesus spits in the dirt and rubs it on the guy's eyes. I'm sure he was really appreciative of that.
Now remind yourself of this passage real quick too:
Gen 2:7
GOD formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive--a living soul!
So why did Jesus rub dirt and spittle on this poor blind guy's eyes? Well if we're made of dirt anyway, is it out of the realm of possibility that Jesus bent down, spit into the dirt to make mud and right there on the spot created organic, healthy eyeballs to put into the man's eyesockets? I don't think so. I know it sounds a little outrageous. It sounds like overkill. Certainly Jesus didn't need to form actual eyes to heal this man.
But he might have. The same divine man that walked on water and turned the water into wine might have decided to go retro and get back to the basic method of creation: turning dirt into flesh.
I guess it doesn't really matter. Either way, God was glorified through a miraculous healing. And the people there in that time, along with us today, are amazed by His power and compassion.
posted by Eric Livingston at
1/31/2006
5 Comments:
I have not heard that one before, but I am certainly not going to say that it is not possible. I have always viewed that particular passage of scripture as Jesus spat in the dirt and placed mud on the man's eyes to get the people's attention. Then asked the man to go wash as a sign of his faith in Jesus. Certainly, Jesus had the power to instantly heal the blind man but seems to me that Jesus was always looking for a way to teach us and to make an impression on our hearts. Again this is just my opinion and interpretation. It is great that you and Brian could get to know each other and become friends. I have never bought into the liberal vs conservative divide. We usually have more in common than points to disagree over.
Eric -
I just found your blog via your post at Mike Cope's site. I'm Jeff Baker, one of the hundreds of new folks you've met at Meadowbrook. You may remember me as the MCT fella who gave announcements, tried to sell you our house from the pulpit, and presided over communion during your most recent visit.
We're very excited about your arrival and service with us as Meadowbrook. We may even be neighbors, too; my family and I are looking at house ourselves in your new neighborhood this evening.
Keep well, brother, and may God bless the move.
Howdy Jeff!
Sorry we didn't make it to your small group when we were there last. We ended up looking at houses until about 6:30 and then had to go pick up Isaac who was hanging out with Cody Neill. Then we went home and crashed!
That would be great if you ended up in the neighborhood! I talked to Travis the other day and I think he said there are about 5 families in the neighborhood that go to MCC. I hope you find just the right house.
See you in about 3 weeks or so!
Howdy MAK! Yeah I think there are a lot of artificial lines between what we think of as "conservative" and "liberal" or "progressive" or "modern" or "contemporary" or "post modern"...etc... I didn't mean to label Brian or his congregation in that way. I should have just said that his church and NSCOC do some things differently. Anyway Brian is a very independent thinker and wouldn't be pulled in any certain direction by any given congregation's slant.
You're right, Jesus certainly would have gotten my attention by smearing spit-mud on a blind man's eyes!
I did not think anything about you using the term conservative. I have just known people in my life that felt there should be a division and no fellowship between the conservative christians and more progressive (or liberal) ones. I remember as a child we used to get what I would call "hate mail" from some of our more conservative relatives, telling us that we were sinners because we went to a church that supported Children's Homes. It seems so funny to me now because I came from a very conservative background.
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