Confounding the experts

Splitting hairs. It's a religious propensity.

Is a man born gay or does he learn to be gay?
If illness comes to someone do we say that it serves them right, or that they are so good they don't deserve the pain?

Jesus was in the middle of just such an arguement with the religious teachers of the day as they walked by a man by the wayside. Clearly, this man knew the people strolling by and did not want to interrupt them. He was about to discover whether the societal guilt heaped upon him was valid or not. "Jesus", the teachers demanded, "who sinned that this man was born blind? The man's parents or did he?"

I can hear the taunts against the parents over the years about their supposed sin. I can also hear the well meaning friends of the blind man saying, this isn't your fault, your parent's sin caused your blindness.

I can also hear the mothers and fathers warning their children to stay far away from this sinful dirty man.

And then Jesus...

Jesus goes outside the argument to the reality. Practical, simple, powerful. Jesus used spit, dirt and a command to wash and be healed. All of which was unrequested by the man!

Then Jesus answers the argument: Don't connect circumstance with sin. The debate is irrelevant, he is just blind and this for the glory of God!

Jesus took a religious hairsplitting argument and shattered its power by ACTING.

Through all the rest of the story the man realizes that Jesus is outside and beyond the religious arguments, his parents' cowardice, and his neighbors' rrejection.

Jesus comes to find him, seeks him and the circle is fulfilled in relationship. Healed man and Jesus become one in the end.

Act, rather than have your argument finetuned.