Wednesday, Aug 10 2011

You remember the episode about “blind” Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), don’t you? We are not told the cause of this brother’s blindness; but his condition might give us some clue to his social/economic/political plight. There were quite a number of blind people in Palestine in that day not because there was some extraordinary disease in that time and space. There were a number of blind people because there were a number of poor people. The climate in Palestine at that time was arid/dry, sandy, and windy. Therefore the sand and the trash had a habit of flying into people’s eyes. Because the sand and trash flew into people’s eyes many people’s eyes became infected. Because they were poor they could not necessarily afford the salves or medicine that would have alleviated the infection. Eventually, their problem only grew worse and eventually resulted in blindness.

 

THIS WAS A PREVENTABLE PROBLEM. If those who had the means to provide the solution to the problem would have had enough compassion and exercised some sympathy than this problem could have been prevented. If those who could have would have intervened many people could have kept their sight. But instead we find a society with many people who are blind who don’t have to be.

 

Stretch your concept of blindness beyond physical eyesight and you will recognize that there are many instances of blindness that could have and should have been prevented.

• When people can’t see beyond their present situation – that’s blindness.
• When people can only see themselves according to the perverted perceptions of those who don’t know them – that’s blindness.
• When our children can’t see themselves living past nineteen years of age…or spending time in prison to prove their manhood…or having babies in order to feel needed and love – that’s blindness
• When people are deceived into believing that which is not true – that’s blindness

And it could all be avoided…

• If those who know better would speak up and those who don’t know better would be quiet and listen
• If those who are in the category of the have(s) would stop being so greedy and selfish and stop teaching their children to do so
• If those who take oaths and pledges would care more about the people than the corporations who are bank rolling their political careers
• If those who are threatened by blindness would do what they can to avoid blindness – taking the necessary precautions and avoiding unnecessary risky behavior…taking both formal education and the wisdom of the elders more seriously (too many parents are allowing their children to go blind because they don’t take education seriously enough)…looking beyond you and yours in order to recognize that you’re a part of a greater whole

I suppose what I’m trying to get you to see is that you don’t have to suffer blindness if don’t want to…

 

 

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Immersed in the Promise… Tuesday, Aug 2 2011

You should go back and read Genesis 26. It tells of the life of the patriarch that most of us tend to forget, Isaac. It’s worth reading and accepting because it reminds us that Isaac’s life is immersed in the promise of God. As a matter of fact, he is a child of promise (God promised his parents that they would have a child even in an old age). Genesis 26 shows us that in the midst of a famine, Isaac has an experience with God and God tells him that he should not go down to Egypt…stay in this land, Gerar. It is at that moment that God transfers the promise of his family to him. The Lord promised Isaac the same thing HE promised Abraham – that HE would be with him…HE would bless him…that HE would give him land…that HE would use him to bless others. Isaac is immersed in the promised.

Because Isaac is immersed in the promises of God, he continues to grow and prosper in the middle of a famine. If we parallel contemporary situations: when the unemployment rate is high, Isaac is hiring (he’s making his own money). When there is a financial depression in the land, Isaac is growing. While the politicians haggle about who’s going to be in charge and whose going to have popular public opinion at the well; God expanded Isaac’s enterprise.

Because Isaac is immersed in the promises of God, his shortcomings and failures don’t lead to his disaster. In the story, Isaac lied, denied his “good thing,” put his wife, his family, and the whole community in danger; and God blessed him, in spite of himself. If Isaac had reaped what he sowed he would have had a debacle/crushing defeat on his hands. But God shoed him favor.

Because Isaac is immersed in the promises of God, he was able to overcome no matter what challenges he faced. Isaac was able to adapt, transcend, and transform the absurdities that are part and parcel with living in this flesh. He was given the ability to overcome those situations and circumstances that attacked his faith and did violence to his self-awareness and self-esteem. Here are the lessons we learn…

• Isaac was able to make the necessary changes in attitude, behavior, and mode of operation so that he could successful navigate the his environment
• Isaac was able to climb over obstacles that were meant to obstruct his progression in life. Please note that one cannot climb anything unless one clings to the object in order to scale its height. In other words, he/she/it must be engaged
• Isaac was able to change the environment in which he is forced to operate with his presence. He prospered (found peace and purpose) in a famine

That’s relevant for us because the Apostle Paul teaches us that we are the spiritual descendants of Abraham (Romans 4:13-17). And since we are descendants the same promises are transferred to us. In case you didn’t know, favor is the result of HIS promise. You will grow, the charges won’t stick, and you will overcome because you’re immersed in the promise.

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