Jesus Challenges What We Worship

John 9:1-7

Jim Davis

No one thing challenged the Pharisees’ view of themselves more than violating their Sabbath practices. Moses writes, “You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy . . . It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever” (Exodus 31:12-13, 17). The Sabbath was designed to focus them on the one who had sanctified them and made them holy. 

The Pharisees had every reason in the world to observe sabbatical rules in keeping with the Sabbath. The Israelites were commanded to keep the Sabbath. God made it clear from the beginning the seriousness of violating the Sabbath.

Numbers 15:32-36
32 While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the LORD said to Moses, "The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp." 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses. NIV

God was dead serious about the Sabbath laws. It was a day set aside to remind all of Israel that God had chosen to make Israel his holy nation—not because of who they were, but because of who he was. 

Jesus Challenges Sabbath Laws

Apart from Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah, there is no subject on which Jesus came into such sharp conflict with the religious people of his day as the subject of worship. Our Lord didn’t hesitate to set himself squarely against the Pharisees teaching on worship. Jesus sought to demonstrate how their teaching was contrary to the spirit of God’s laws regarding worship.

The religious teachers of Jesus’ time developed schools of thoughts around their ideas about God. These schools of thought actually hindered their growth. They developed ideas about how to keep the Sabbath. The traditions they developed became more important than the people. Their schools of thought surrounding religious subjects became their focus. God and the Messiah were pushed to the background

Somewhere along the way Israel began thinking that obeying the laws instituted to govern Sabbath observance made them holy. In reality God was pushed out of the picture. The Pharisees reached a point where their gifts and sacrifices were the objects of their worship. They started thinking that it was their religious practices and sacrifices that made them holy rather than God. 

Matthew 23:16-24
16 "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it. 

23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. NIV

The Jewish temple represented God’s presence. The Pharisees believed swearing an oath on the temple meant nothing. Jesus reminds them that it was paramount to swearing by God’s name. By binding an oath sworn on the altar as more important than swearing by the temple elevated their sacrifices above God. Somehow their twisted belief system focused on the gifts of the worshipper rather than God. Their worship, i.e. their sacrifices had become their God. 

The Pharisees reduced the whole argument to how to worship. They were a bit like those who begin by admiring the sunset and soon begin to admire themselves admiring the sunset. (Adam Sparks http://www.theologian.org.uk/pastoralia/beyondworshipwars.html#b1)  Is it possible to come to a point where we worship worship rather than God?

Today, if our worship services are challenging everything we hold sacred, maybe it is time we evaluate what we hold sacred. Does our style of worship excite us more than God? What we do in worship is important, but is it being elevated beyond its rightful place. Worship is designed for the worshippers to express themselves to God. Worship is designed to remind us of the one who makes us holy. 

There was a communion table at one congregation I ministered, which had a “W” carved on the top right side and a “B” carved on the top left side. Apparently there was a discussion as to which side of the communion table the bread and wine should occupy during worship. One man got so worked up over it that he took out his pocketknife and carved the corresponding letters. He wanted who ever prepared communion to make no mistake as to which side each element occupied. To the man who did the carving, it was sacred. He had lost sight of the true meaning of communion.

Distorted View of God

Nothing distorts our worship of God more—than our understanding of the very nature of God.

John 9:1-7
9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 

3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  

6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. NIV

Apparently the disciples missed the story of Job. The book of Job reveals what is happening to Job, but not why? God simply assures Job that Job couldn’t have understood the mystery even if God desired to reveal it. In the end Job ends up healthier, richer and smarter. It must have been surprising to Job’s friends and neighbors to discover God’s powerful hand was at work in his life when it seemed as though he was cursed by God. 

It is this kind of thinking that keeps us sinners from seeing the work God desires to do in our lives. It is this kind of thinking that blinds us to how we can display God’s work in our lives by reaching out to the suffering. It is this kind of thinking that keeps us from praising God in spirit and in truth. 

The man born blind brought the disciples face to face with their personal confliction. Their erroneous views led them to ask, why he was born blind, was it his sins or his parent’s sin. Jesus said "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” Life is not given to us as a theological riddle so we can figure out all the whys as we ignore the need of the helpless. It is our job to realize that every life conceived on earth is destined to manifest the work of God. 

When our compassion for the weak and helpless is lacking; it is a sign that we have a distorted view of God. Isn’t it strange how sincere beliefs often blind us to God’s very presence and purpose? Sincere beliefs reduced the man’s plight to a theological riddle. Who sinned, this man or his parents? But it went even further as they reduced his healing to a theological riddle about Sabbath observance.  

John 9:13-41
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see." 

16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." 

But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided. 
17 Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." 

The man replied, "He is a prophet." 

18 The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 19 "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?" 

20 "We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." 

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner." 

25 He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" 

26 Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 

27 He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" 

28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from." 

30 The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 

34 To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out. 

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"  

36 "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." 

37 Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."  

38 Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. 

39 Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."  

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?" 

41 Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. 

A dead give away that our focus is all wrong is when we are unable to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Doctrines often become so sacred that everything we believe about God must be filtered through these doctrines at all cost. The Pharisees were seeking to decipher the message of Jesus, but his message conflicted with their doctrines about God. Their Sabbath teaching was in conflict with what Jesus practiced. They couldn’t imagine how the Messiah could possibly oppose their foundational beliefs by healing the blind man on the Sabbath. 

How could they believe in Jesus who violated their concept of worship? When Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath he threatened everything they held sacred. Jesus threatened the Pharisees foundational beliefs to the very core. He healed sinners and those thought to be cursed by God. In doing so he violated their most holy day. It was a double whammy for their belief system.

Turning Christianity into a mere theological discussion distorts our understanding of God. It makes little difference if it is a riddle about why a person is born blind or a riddle about how to worship on the Sabbath. Isn’t it strange how easy it is to weave a labyrinth of simple sincere beliefs together as a foundation for our faith that actually hinders our spiritual search for truth. It all starts out so simple. 

I remember a college course in Logic, which was designed to teach ministerial students how to reason inductively and deductively. It was a course designed to help students to understand biblical teaching as it was strained through syllogistic formulas. We were to use them to prove and defend what we believed. The professor who taught us logic was the sharpest brightest rising star among the faculty. The college faculty rallied around him as their protégé—for he had graduated from the university. This was over 30 years ago. Today he no longer believes what he taught his students to defend by logic. Today he supports many of the religious beliefs he sought to reject through human logic in those classes. I can only wonder if his logic eventually came face to face with the realities of life. Was he forced to face God’s overwhelming purpose? Did he discover that God’s mercy defied his self-righteous human logic? 

Somewhere along the way his logical formulas began leading him away from the God he was sincerely seeking. He probably began experiencing cognitive dissonance between his logical conclusions and what he knew about the mercy of God. He was forced to step outside his group of peers to get a new perspective on life. 

His logic class made it almost impossible for those of us needing and seeking mercy to find it. We dared not ask questions we couldn’t defend with a logical syllogistic formula. 

Challenging Our Belief System is Frightening

Religion gets down right scary at times, especially when we surround ourselves with an “inner circle” of friends for support. Too often it becomes a barrier to touching anyone outside the “inner circle.” It is a barrier to letting anyone into the circle, for membership in the circle is always more exclusive than inclusive. When the circle is inclusive, those included must accept the preset boundaries upon entrance. More often than not it hinders the spiritual growth of the individuals in the circle. No one dare challenge the circle for fear of expulsion. The make up of your inner circle makes little difference. It doesn’t matter if your inner circle of influencers is soaring with the eagles or they are a bunch of turkeys in the barn yard plucking one another’s feathers out. Allowing God to challenge your personal beliefs in either group is difficult. 

If you challenge the doubts you have about your beliefs you will discover self-doubting is not easy, but it can be rewarding. Self-doubts are not only personally challenging, they will also challenge those around you. John the Baptist proclaims Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Yet, the cold hard religious atmosphere around him drives him to question what he believes about Jesus. John sends his disciples to inquire if Jesus was who John himself had been proclaiming he was, i.e., the Lamb of God who takes away he sins of the world. Surprisingly, John was at the very end of his ministry when he sent his disciples to question Jesus. 

Matthew 11:2-15
2 When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" 

4 Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."  

7 As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written: 

"'I will send my messenger ahead of you, 
who will prepare your way before you.'   

11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears, let him hear. NIV

Can you imagine sending the disciples you trained out to ask if what you believed about Jesus was really true? The beautiful thing about John and his disciples is that they never hesitated to question and challenge their beliefs about Christ. They were not afraid to question Christ face to face. Christ was not offended with their questions. Christ knew those who sincerely sought him would have to challenge themselves with such questions. In fact Jesus encouraged his disciples to seek and ask. It was the only way truth could be found. In the same breath Jesus promised that his Father would bless their search for truth.

Matthew 7:7-14
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 

9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. 

13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. NIV

On multiple occasions Jesus’ disciples doubted his claims, but he never took offense. He simply gave them room to grow as they beheld his work. When John’s disciples came questioning Jesus, “Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me" (Matthew 11:4-6 NIV). Jesus was a doer. It made his teaching compassionate and real.

Jesus met the blind, diseased, lepers, cripples and sinners with compassion. Amazingly, the blind man was not seen as an object of mercy by the Pharisees. He merely became the center of a controversial religious subject. It is much easier to discuss an abstract subject than it is to help. The discussion in and of itself may even make us seem pious. But there is no way the knowledge of God can be effective without compassion—without personally experiencing its application for yourself or for someone who needs it.

Matthew 9:35-36
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. NIV

Today there are helpless people wandering around looking for guidance. Jesus would describe them as sheep without a shepherd. They are wandering through churches looking for the right church, or the style of worship that suites them—convinced that this should be their focus. Many churches are seeking to accommodate. Churches are seeking to plug them into a church program to fill their longings. Too often they failed to get plugged into God. Why not take the opportunity to introduce them to God. God has more to offer them than just an intriguing way of doing church. They need guidance.

One tell-tell sign that we have become religious and ungodly is by how we treat sinners. The Pharisees reached a point where their gifts and sacrifices were the objects of their worshipped. The Pharisees beliefs kept the blind man and his family from rejoicing over the fact that the man could now see. Their religious ideas wouldn’t let them rejoice with him either. It should have been a warning sign to examine what they believed.

The Pharisees Sabbath traditions warped their view of God. Their traditions warped their entire perception and interpretation of God’s law. Their Sabbath traditions warped their view of love for one’s neighbor. Their traditions warped their view of themselves. This is why Jesus was challenging them again and again on the Sabbath. Nothing challenged them more than provoking them over their sacred view of how they were to worship God. Somehow their view of worship was focused on worshipping how they worshipped.

Conclusion:

The miraculous healing of this blind man posed a great threat to their religious beliefs.  They believed God cursed him with blindness because of his sins or his parent’s sin. In their thinking, if this was true, only God could heal him. This threatened to unravel the web of beliefs that supported their ideas about worship, and also their concept of who was this Jesus. So the Pharisees said to the man who had been born blind, "You were born in sin!" they answered. "Are you trying to teach us?" And they threw him out of the synagogue (John 9:34 NLT). 

Christianity is easily transformed into a cold religious dogma to be taught and perpetuated that drives those seeking out the back door of the church. 

When Jesus stepped into their world he challenged them as he healed on the Sabbath. His disciples ate without washing their hands. They plucked grain to eat on the Sabbath. Jesus challenged the Sabbath laws, but we find him at the temple observing the Sabbath as God commanded. Jesus wasn’t fighting for a more liberal and lenient interpretation of the law of the Sabbath. He sought to move them beyond an external observance of the Law. He was seeking to push the moral precepts of the law into the inner realm of thought and desire as he sought to focus their minds on God. 

Christ’s teaching method was action-based. It was very effective as those around him began to see the word of God take the form of flesh and blood in the life of Jesus. His life of compassion offered those seeking the guidance they sought. One only has to read the Sermon on the Mount to realize that Jesus came to breathe a new Spirit into the hearts of men and women as he breathed new life into the teaching of Moses and the prophets.