From the Why to the What
John 9:1-41
Introduction
I want to talk to you about someone. This person lived approximately two thousand years ago. It was prophesied that he would suffer. He was betrayed by those closest to him. He was cruelly pierced and executed by the Romans. Even in death, he changed the trajectory of the world. His initials are J.C. Do you know who I am talking about?
I am referring to Julius Caesar, who died on this day in 44 BC. William Shakespeare, in his play Julius Caesar has a seer warn Caesar,”Beware the Ides of March.” While that wording was a creation of Caesar, there is a tradition that Caesar was warned about his impending death. Why was Caesar killed in the senate by a mob of elites with knives? A strong argument could be made that it was his actions five years earlier when he brought his army, illegally, into Italy when he crossed the river Rubicon. Even today, people will use the phrase “crossing the Rubicon” to describe taking an action that will have serious consequences and that there is no turning back. Caesar crossed the Rubicon and the result was that Rome saw him as aspiring to be a king and so he was killed. On the Ides of March.
Why do I bring this up? Aside from my own interest in history, there is a logic to the events that I have described. Julius Caesar did something serious, something he should have known was dangerous, and five years later he paid the price for it. His death in the senate was not an accident or some random incident.
This mirrors how many people see suffering. There has to be a reason for suffering. People tend to guess that the reason must either be God is teaching them some spiritual lesson or God is punishing them for some bad sin. As a pastor in the civilian world, I have had people ask me “Why is God doing this to me?” or “What have I done wrong?” We can poke holes in the theology but for some people, they would rather take the blame than live in a world in which bad things can just randomly happen at any time.
As people in the military, we can understand this. What happens when something bad happens within the CAF, whether that is an accident or some other serious incident? There is an investigation and a report that seeks to explain how this happened and how it can be prevented in the future. The assumption is that bad things should be both explainable and preventable. Let us keep that in mind as we turn to our Gospel passage.
The Healing of the Blind Man
The healing of the blind man is one of the most extensive healing narratives that we have, giving us a picture before, during, and especially after the healing. This chapter offers us plenty to consider. We can look at this as an example of Jesus’ mighty power to even heal a man born blind. It also invites us to consider the contrast between the blind man who could see enough to trust Jesus and Jesus’ opponents who technically could see but were blind in understanding who Jesus was.
However, the conversation with the disciples at the beginning of the account provides the opportunity for another reflection. The story begins with the disciples asking the question of why the man was born blind. It is interesting that this was included as the story works without that. But it is included and I would suggest it is necessary for us to wrestle with their question and the thinking behind it. The question they ask Jesus is about who sinned, the man or the parents, that he was born blind. It is strange that they would ask how the man could have sinned before he was born that he would be born blind but there were active conversations on in utero sin. The main point is that they “knew” that this disability was because of sin, it was just a matter of identifying the sinner.
This should draw us back to the story of Job and his friends in the Old Testament. Job’s friends are convinced that Job’s suffering is because of sin, even though it was well known how righteous he was, and they beg him to repent so he can be healed. Despite the fact that God rebukes these friends for they unhelpful advice, the belief that suffering and disability were caused by sin remained within popular belief.
I am not suggesting that it is wrong to wonder why things happen. Those are natural questions. Most likely, the man had ask something similar numerous times. But notice carefully the setting of this conversation. The passage gives the impression that they are physically near the man when the disciples consider the causes of his blindness. Where is the compassion? Where is the consideration of the man’s feelings?
Suffering Today
We have the advantage today of having the full Bible, two thousand years of church history, and advanced theological education, so we can assume that such weaponization of blame would never take place today. And yet it does all the time.
Bad things happen. People often believe that there must have been a crossing of the Rubicon event, something happened from which we can draw a straight line to the bad thing that has happened. Somebody must have done something for this to happen. For some, it is not so much how it first happened but why God has not fixed it yet. We must be doing something wrong to cause God to withhold his healing. We experienced this. Our two oldest children are significantly impacted by autism. More than one person close to us has blamed us for not believing for their healing. They would see our crossing of the Rubicon as the refusal to claim their healing that is available to them.
People today, as two thousand years ago, are eager to play the blame game. They ask why, which is a normal question, and then try to shame others for their suffering. This can be found in the areas of disability, mental illness, and even poverty.
But let’s go back to our Gospel passage. How much time does Jesus spend on exploring the why question? Jesus gives the short answer of “so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” That does not tell us a lot. But Jesus goes on the heal the man and he shares the testimony of his healing, pointing to Christ. What is important is that Jesus shifts from the why to the what.
The what does not have to be synonymous with physical healing. I was a pastor of a church and we had a woman who had been born blind. She thanked me for making her feel welcome, and by that she explained that she was grateful I had never imposed a prayer for healing on her unlike other church experiences she had. For us, the what was recognizing the gifts she had and including her in leadership and in participation of Sunday services, such as reading of Scripture from her braille Bible. God’s work was revealed through her even though she has never been healed from blindness.
The Lent Connection
We are currently in Lent, an important season for the church. I hate to spoil the story, but Jesus ends up dying on the cross. I want to ask if there was a crossing of the Rubicon event for Jesus like Julius Caesar had that naturally led to his death. Technically, Jesus could have at least postponed his death by not coming to Jerusalem. But unlike Julius Caesar who illegally brought a Roman army across the Rubicon in defiance of Roman law, Jesus never actually did anything wrong, certainly nothing deserving of death. Even the Roman authorities recognized that. There are some who have tried to blame the Jews, using this as a basis for antisemitic beliefs. That does not hold up either. When we consider the death of Jesus, we can see that there is a way in which it does not make sense. There is no fairness or justice. But instead of focusing on the why, Jesus focused on the what, which in his case was obedience even unto the cross. For us as Christians, Lent invites us to go beyond the why and into the what. More than abstract contemplation, Christianity is a faith of the what. Knowing what we know about what Jesus has done for us, what are we going to do? Christianity is faith in action.
Conclusion
The Roman Julius Caesar committed the illegal act of bringing an army across the Rubicon and into Italy. It could be argued that crossing that river was a direct cause of his murder in the Roman senate just a few years later. While we might want to see that sort of logic in our own suffering, being able to see the cause and being able to blame either ourselves or someone else, that is often not the case. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the why of something bad happening. What is worse is when we try to impose our own theories on why someone else is suffering. When you feel tempted to do that, just stop. Instead move to the what. This is has now happened and what are we going to do about it. Christian author John Swinton has written a book on this very topic. Instead of trying to explain away evil and suffering, he challenges us to rage with compassion. Imagine a community that rages with compassion. That is the journey from why to what. Are we prepared to complete that journey?
