The Power Of A Story

Monday, February 28, 2011

Reading: John 9:13-34

Reflection: It is obvious that this former blind man is not the most educated guy in town. After all, as a man born blind he would have been one of society's outcasts. Viewed as a man under the curse of God, he would not have gone through the educational system of the Jews. He would have been one of the throw aways...a guy whose life's purpose was only to remind others of what you don't want your life to be like. So when he is confronted by the Pharisees, he is like the simple in the presence of the scholars...the powerless forced to answer the powerful. And yet, this man's simple testimony bears witness to the truth. There is an eloquence in his simple and direct recounting of what Jesus has done for him. The former blind man simply sticks to his story and tells what has happened to him...that he was blind and now he sees.

If nothing else, this is a reminder to me that sometimes the best testimony is not an eloquent speech about the great doctrines of the faith...as important as that might be. And maybe its not to be an educated scholar who can incorporate both history and philosophy to prove a point...as good as that could be. Perhaps the best testimony is to simply and directly state what Jesus has done for me...to tell people that once I too was lost and blind but now, because of Jesus, I see. Maybe if we would stick to the basics instead of getting lost in the philosophical details there will be a power to our story that is missing when we are simply sharing rhetoric. So, let's get out there and tell people what a man named Jesus has done for us!