Thesis 02: Breaking Our Blindness
Imagine being blind from birth, a servant to a begging bowl and hearing the taunts of those around you in the marketplace, “Who sinned that he has come to this?” “Who sinned?” “Who sinned?” The buzz of the crowd at this point does not have any effect upon you from the ceasing dreams of ever seeing.
Then all of the sudden… You feel hands upon your face. A gentle touch that is not rude or bumping. Even a word that is not a taunt: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned.” The voice then utters gently, “Go and wash in the pool of Siloam (Outflow).” You go and wash the spit and clay from your eyes. As liquid streams fall from your face, there is a spark of light with each drop and a flash of light. You, the one who was born blind now sees.
Now that you see, you gaze upon fellow beings, a whole generation of stones, stumbling in the dark, blind to the one who sees.
This is my summary of a man who was born blind. (Refer to John 9:1-41)
Whether our blindness is physical or spiritual, it isn’t a result of our sin or someone else’s sin connected to us. According to the Pharisees, they wondered, “How can a sinner like this man be associated with Jesus?” “How can Jesus, who is also considered a sinner according to their standards perform such miracles?”
Such a stunning miracle led them to doubt whether or not the man was born blind at all, so they had to address his parents. They confirmed that he was indeed blind at birth and differed to their son saying, “Let him speak for himself!”
Now, let’s refer to how Jesus healed this man:
“Then Jesus spat on the ground and made some clay with his saliva. Then he anointed the blind man’s eyes with the clay. And he said to the blind man, “Now go and wash the clay from your eyes in the ritual pool of Siloam.” “So he went and washed his face and as he came back, he could see for the first time in his life!” John 9:6-7 The Passion Translation
Sometimes in this life, the way Abba heals us is directly through what hurts us. And we can see that Jesus uses spit, which represents the taunts from the religious who he had been oppressed by. As a sign of pure disgust, people would spit on him because they believed his blindness was caused by a curse. But, not only was his spiritual sight recovered, the trauma from those who mocked him was also. He was made entirely whole. His identity was restored back to him.
Religion will define sin as a behaviour problem. Now, the root word for sin is hamartia, which also means bankrupt or distorted identity. What is the overall problem of sin? It’s an identity issue. I personally believe that all of which we struggle with is nothing but an identity problem.
C. Baxter Kruger eloquently describes the issue of sin in his book The Mediation of Christ like this:
Sin involves the will in refusing to believe in this Jesus, and what became of us in him, a willful resistance to the Holy Spirit’s revelation of Jesus in us and everyone else.
If we go all the way back to the Garden of Eden, we can see that Adam did not have a behavior issue. It was an identity issue. Adam fell into the lie that his current status with Yahweh was in question and that He was holding out on him. He thought that if he ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge then he could be more like God. But God already declared, “Let us make man in our image (The image of the Trinity).” Truly, the most tragic result of the fall of humanity was the loss of their assurance of their true identity.
In Adam, mankind fell into the entanglement of a confused identity. As Francois du Toit effortlessly puts it, “They fell from I am into, I am not.” We are blind not because of what we have done in action, but what we have believed about God and about ourselves. Sin itself is the cause of our not knowing. Sin is about being so wrong-headed that we cannot see the Father correctly and that is the consequence of our blindness, but Jesus is the Father’s answer to our blindness and he’s come to break it!
At the very heart of sin is unbelief. It is our willful ‘no’ to the revelation of Jesus in us. Jesus came to judge our blindness, not our sin. For unbelief, our refusal to truly see him as he is, is the greatest sin. The moment that we admit that we see Jesus incorrectly is the moment that we can fully see what has become of us in Christ. If we don’t see what’s become of us in the Son, we become desensitized to Jesus’ union with us and his creation.
“Jesus said, “I have come to judge those who think they see and make them blind. And for those who are blind, I have come to make them see.” Some of the Pharisees were standing nearby and overheard these words. They interrupted Jesus and said, “You mean to tell us that we are blind?” Jesus told them, “If you would acknowledge your blindness, then your sin would be removed. But now that you claim to see, your sin remains with you!”
John 9:39-41 The Passion Translation
As I have mentioned previously, Jesus came to judge the world’s blindness, not our sin. In our blindness, we reject Jesus and everything that has to do with him and his Father. But if we let Jesus come and reveal who his Father is, the unbelief will turn into the assurance of the goodness of Yahweh. It will turn into a life lived in complete abundance (John 10:10). And that life is Jesus himself. Not some life we draw up for ourselves.
God isn’t asking us to acknowledge our sin. He’s asking us to acknowledge our blindness (unbelief). He’s mainly speaking to the Pharisees here. They have created God in their own image and have lived a life full of rules and regulations. They have created something in their own imagination that they cannot see what is. When we are convinced of something, we will stop at nothing to defend it and that is what’s happening here with the Pharisees.
They are convinced that God is one way, when Jesus is standing right in front of them shouting, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father!” Perhaps we’ve created our own image of Yahweh and what He is like and what He’s come to do with us. But I want to challenge you with this:
What if even in your best notions and experiences of God aren’t even scratching the surface? What if there is more? What if Jesus is still wanting to rub the clay mixed with saliva over our eyes so that we can truly see what has become of us in him? What if the very things that hold you back from your next encounter with the Trinity are our uncertainties?
Ask Jesus to take the blinders off and ask him to show you where you’ve had inferior beliefs about who his Father is.
Remember what Jesus said concerning his Father? “No one fully and intimately knows the Son except the Father. And no one fully and intimately knows that Father except the Son. But the Son is able to unveil the Father to anyone he chooses.” (Matt. 11:27 TPT)
Do you hear the good news!? Jesus says, “no one knows the Father the way I do and I’m not keeping it to myself!” “I’m ready to share it with anyone who is willing to participate!” Jesus has come to share not just knowledge or revelation of who his Father is, but he’s come to invite us into that conversation. Stopping at pure knowledge would be a disgrace to the incarnation!
Is this not what the incarnation is all about? Isn't it about Jesus coming to take the blinders off so that we can see what this life is all about?
This life is about Christ in us:
“Living within you is the Christ who floods you with the expectation of glory! This mystery of Christ, embedded within us, becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know it!”
Colossians 1:27 The Passion Translation
Paul’s message was simple, yet profound: Christ lives in you.
God desires everyone to understand that Jesus lives within them. While this idea might seem radical or controversial to those who emphasize separation, it captures the essence of the gospel: Jesus Christ dwells within each of us—even in those who seem the least likely or who don't live as though He is present within them. He is there, waiting to be revealed!
Because we have settled for an inferior gospel, we have so many people walking around with and in so much glory that they are completely unaware of it. They are breathing in christological air for goodness sake! We do not exist without Jesus! If you need further proof of that, read here:
The Logos is the source; everything commences in him. He remains the exclusive Parent reference to their existence. There is nothing original, except the Word. The Logic of God defines the only possible place where mankind can trace their origin. (All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. KJV See Colossians 1:16.) His life is the light that defines our lives. (In his life we discover the light of life.)
John 1:3-4 Mirror Bible
Everything that Christ is defines you and I. Everything he’s done as a human being, not only represents us, but he’s done it as us. If in Christ was life, then what's inside of you and I? Life. Not just life, but Zoe Life. You are probably asking yourself, “what is this zoe life that Jason is speaking of?” Let me share some of what I’ve gathered in my Trinitarian journey:
Zoe life refers to the concept of eternal, divine, and abundant life, often associated with the life that comes from God. The term "zoe" is a Greek word that appears frequently in the New Testament, and it typically signifies life in its fullest sense—beyond mere biological existence (which is often represented by the Greek word bios).
Here are what I believe to be the key aspects of zoe life:
Divine Source:
Zoe life is the life that originates from God. It is not just physical or temporal but eternal and spiritual.
In John 1:4, it says, "In Him was life (zoe), and that life was the light of all mankind."
Eternal Life:
Zoe life is often linked with eternal life offered through Jesus Christ.
In John 3:16, it states, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (zoe)."
This eternal life is not about some afterlife that we hear being preached from pulpits on Sunday mornings. This is the abundant life given through Jesus being on the inside.
Abundant Life:
Zoe life includes fullness, joy, and purpose, transcending physical existence.
Jesus says in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life (zoe), and have it to the full."
Spiritual Union with God:
Zoe life is about living in union with God, filled with His Spirit, and reflecting His nature.
As we journey through this Advent season, let us reflect on the profound message of the gospel: Jesus entered our darkness to reveal the Father to us. It’s the glorious announcement that Jesus came so we might experience zoe life in its fullness, embracing the intimate love and union we share with the Trinity.
