New Eyes Pastor - Johnnie Simpson Jr.

John 9:24-25

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” 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!”

I am particular about my eyes; I did not grow up wearing glasses and struggled with them when I finally had to start wearing them. When I was 26, I had blood pressure issues, and the next time I went to the eye doctor, they told me I would have to start wearing eyeglasses. I adjusted to the glasses but still wanted to do something else; I wanted to wear contacts, my current doctor said I could sell you contacts, but with your prescription and eye issues, it would be hard to get contacts, so I deal with these glasses. I think about that even more as I grow older because one thing that tends to change is vision.

There is a medical condition known as presbyopia. If you're over 50, chances are pretty good you have it. Presbyopia means "old eyes." It's the fuzzy vision most of us get as we age, leading us to use eyeglasses for reading and, eventually, everything else. As surely as presbyopia is about old eyes, today's gospel lesson from the ninth chapter of John is about new eyes — specifically, the eyes of a certain blind man whom Jesus heals.

The man was born blind, and everyone assumed that he or his parents had sinned to cause the blindness. I firmly believe that most of our problems are our faults, but I know that sometimes the environment plays a role. Jesus never explains why the man was born blind, and I don't think it needs an explanation; sometimes bad things happen, and we must deal with it. Jesus sees a need and meets the need. 

Jesus healed him by rubbing mud and spit together and telling the man to wash in the pool of Siloam. Here is another example of a miracle in the Bible and people following instructions before the miracle.

One feature of most human communities — and not a very positive one — is that they don't adapt well to change. There's a well-established protocol or pecking order in that community, and Jesus has just turned it on its head. The people who knew the man couldn't believe this was the same person they knew. The man's parents and the community failed him. The man's parents failed him out of fear, and the community failed him out of complacency.  But suddenly, Jesus' miracle changed all that. And those at the top of the religious pecking order — the Pharisees — are not too happy about it.

Haters cannot handle your elevation. What God has for you is for you.

The Pharisees couldn't believe Jesus healed the man either, and they complained that Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were more concerned about the rules than the fact that a man who had been blind since birth could now see. They interviewed multiple people but had their minds made up. The irony is that the blind man receives his sight, but others lose theirs. The people did not lose their physical sight but their ability to understand the miracle in front of them and, even worse, the miracle worker. 

"The Pharisees do not want to hear or believe the man's story because it opposes the story they want to tell. They want Jesus to be the sinner, not the story's hero; they want another explanation that leaves them in control of all the religious goods and services. "

The Pharisees accused Jesus of working on the Sabbath, but none of the actions Jesus did broke the Sabbath law; Exodus 35 said that people should not do work on the Sabbath, and work back then meant lighting a fire. That is why some sabbath compliant appliances today work without you having to push a button on the Sabbath. Push a button = using electricity = work.

I have gained peace by understanding that I don't need to change the minds of people intent on misunderstanding me anyway. 

New eyes. That's what the man gets from his encounter with Jesus. New eyes in the physical sense and new eyes in the spiritual sense as well.

And what about us? What sort of new eyes do we need? We're not talking, of course, about bifocals or cataract surgery; we're talking about our outlook on life and the ways we see with the eyes of the soul.

When we look at the people around us, those we encounter every day, do we see them as if they've always been small-minded, petty, or otherwise flawed? Or do we see them as God sees them, human children with infinite potential?

When we look at people different from us — people from another ethnic heritage, religion, or community —do we assume certain things about them based on old prejudices? Or do we approach each encounter open to whatever God's ready to show us?

Jesus healed the blind man before he became a believer.

Recognizing a man named Jesus 

Realizing he must be a prophet 

Calling him Lord

They told the man to give glory to God, and he did. 

The man said he didn't know about all that, all he knew was that he once was blind, and now he can see. Lord, I don't know how you did it, but I know you did it, and I'm glad about it.

Faith 150 - Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr.

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

I am usually an unassuming person; I don't like to wear flashy clothes or drive a flashy car, and I want functional, unassuming, reliable vehicles. I know I am not alone in that because the best-selling vehicle in the United States for the past 45 years is not a sedan, a van, or an SUV. It's a pickup truck: The Ford F-150. About one million new trucks hit the road each year.

The truck has excellent fuel efficiency and incredible hauling capacity. The website says it is "a symbol of American tenacity, grit, and honest living," combining ruggedness with innovation. That seems like a formula for success, but Ford is not stopping there with their F-150 truck. The Ford F-150 is going electric, and Ford is making an electric version of their most famous selling vehicle. 

Given the sales history of this truck, you might wonder why Ford would want to mess with success. You know the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Ford executives knew they would need to win over some serious skeptics with the electric version. "We wanted to make sure that we built a truck that would be accepted by truck owners today," said Linda Zhang to Fast Company magazine. She's the chief engineer for the new electric truck.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." That's what many folks were saying about good works back in the first century. Within the Jewish faith, there was a long tradition of people being "justified by works" (Romans 4:2) following the rules and almost getting to the point where they worshiped the rules more than worshiped God. 

But then the apostle Paul came along and saw something that needed to be fixed.

Paul made an important discovery when he studied the story of Abraham in the book of Genesis. He realized that it was simply not true that Abraham was justified by his works. "What does the Scripture say?" "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness" (v. 3).

Yes, Abraham was made righteous by believing God, not by following the law. He was justified by his faith, not by his good works.

Justification by faith was a radical innovation like a pickup truck going electric. No one saw it coming, but then it revolutionized the industry. If we follow Paul, we must choose a new kind of vehicle: A Faith-150.

Paul is telling the people in the Roman church about faith, and the best example of faith is Abraham. Abraham did not earn God's favor but rather trusted in God. Abraham was around before all the rules were put in place. Abraham was circumcised before they had laws on being circumcised; Abraham tithed before the Bible said to bring tithes into the storehouse. Abraham believed God before the law and was made righteous by faith. 

Now, we know that in our communities, family is everything. It is who we turn to in times of trouble and celebrate with in times of joy. And so it is in the family of faith. But who belongs to this family? Is it those who do good works or those who follow the law?

Paul tells us that it is not by works or by following the law that we are justified in the eyes of God. No, it is through faith. And who better to illustrate this than our ancestor, Abraham?

Abraham believed God before he could see what would happen. He believed in the promise of God, even when it seemed impossible. And it was this faith that made him righteous in the eyes of God.

After we jump into a Faith-150 and trust Christ to be our Savior, we make every effort to support God's work in the world. As Luther himself said, "Good works do not make a [person] good, but a good [person] does good works." Good works will naturally flow out of a person saved through their faith in Jesus, and having faith in Jesus does not allow anyone to sit back and refrain from doing good.

Think of the Ford Lightning truck. Yes, its electric engine makes it a truly innovative vehicle that can power a house during blackouts. But even though it is based on a world-changing idea, the Ford Lightning still has to carry tools, building supplies, mulch, and manure. It wouldn't be a pickup truck if it didn't tow heavy cargo up hills.

Same for a Christian whose "faith is credited as righteousness" (4:5). Yes, our faith in Jesus makes us right with God, but we are still challenged to show each other compassion, justice, and mercy. The heavy lifting of the Christian life involves feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, welcoming strangers, and visiting people in prison. If we didn't do these good works, we wouldn't be recognizable as followers of Christ.

We can put our faith in the promises of God, and we can trust that even when things seem impossible, God is still at work. We can have faith that God's promises are true and that we are a part of God's family of faith.

So let us not be deceived into thinking that our good works or adherence to the law make us right with God. Let us instead put our faith in the promise of God, just as our ancestor Abraham did. And let us rejoice in the knowledge that we are a part of the family of faith, not because of anything we have done, but because of our faith in God.

Everyone should, of course, feel free to choose the pickup truck brand that is best for them. But when following Jesus, you cannot beat a Faith-150.