Those Left Out Can Fit Right In

There are particular episodes of scripture that retain a massive interest from me.

The healing of the man born blind as recorded in the gospel according to John is one of those episodes.

There are many elements of the episode to appreciate as you come to it. There’s the question of the disciples wondering who was to blame for the man’s condition. There is the method Jesus uses to restore sight to the blind. There is the conversation the man proceeds to have with the religious rulers of the day.

In John’s account of the life of Jesus, by the time this healing takes place, Jesus’ reputation with those rulers was reaching its nadir.

His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. (John 9:22)

Here was a man who had received his sight but if it really was done by Jesus then his claims would be verified and their opposition and authority undermined. This could not be allowed to happen.

The threat of being kicked out of the synagogue was a serious one. It was the equivalent of being kicked out of acceptable society. You were an outcast. The shame attached to that. Being ostracised from the heart of the community was not something anyone wanted. Much as they may have loved their son, his parents did not want to jeopardise their position in the society by being in any way complicit of anything that could possibly suggest that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

It makes the actions of their son, all the more remarkable and a testament to what it is to have a life-changing experience. He was blind from birth and as a result was already marginalised in society. People associated him with begging and they were poorly seen in the community. Yet he was, able to see for the first time in his life. The experience is something that he could not downplay whatever had been done to bring it about.

His insistence on the miracle and what that suggested about the man who did it, infuriated the guardians of the community. They soon made him aware that his act of defiance would not be tolerated. So just when he thought he could be brought back into the community, he was left out.

There are guardians of various cultural and social groups today. Some in religious authority, some in political authority and some who are influential in other spheres like the media, education, medicine, etc. The claims of Christ and subsequent testimonies that people can have about His acts, can be seen as a threat to their authority. Whether it’s in the workplace or at school, whether it’s going out shopping or enjoying a fine meal at a restaurant, just one innocuous comment made can be seriously unsettling.

Being left out can be a lot more subtle these days than how our former blind man was kicked out of the synagogue. You know how it is. Conversations dry up. You enter a room that was bubbling with chatter and all of a sudden the hum lowers. The invites you used to get for lunch are no longer being made and people are suddenly not available for you.

Workplaces don’t have to sack you. They can make the working environment a stiflingly hostile one. Messages you read and hear can subtly and not so subtly make it clear that you are no longer wanted.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”  Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”  He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. (John 9:35-39)

Being left out for righteousness’ sake means that you fit right in with the Jesus community. Here is Jesus – a man persecuted – inviting a man being ostracised to connect with the one who helped him to see. The realisation of that is a beautiful scene to picture – people may have rejected you, but Jesus is happy to embrace him.

It makes me wonder if we’re as willing to embrace those who are persecuted and rejected from society, especially for taking a stance for righteousness.

It makes me wonder that, and it also makes me marvel again that when society says we’re left out, the Father and Son by the Spirit say that we fit right in.

(Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash)

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden