Resolving Disagreements John 7:50-51

Nicholemus spoke up …Is it legal to convict a man before he is even tried? …
Nicodemus,the Pharisee became a secret believer of Jesus Nicodemus risked his reputation and high position when he spoke for Jesus.

We need to practice Nicodemus ‘s skill. Faced with hot tempers and a delicate issue ,he posed a thoughtful question that got to the heart of the problem and challenged the crowd without provoking a fight. They still got angry but he didn’t fan the flames.

In quarrels, questions like verbal missiles are asked. Avoid words that light the overheated tempers.

Cynthia Sathiaraj
Chennai

Sight and Sin

“Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ’We see’. Therefore your sin remains“. John 9:41

Jesus healed a man who was blind from birth. No other event has generated so much debate, questions and counter questions, faith declarations, and accusations as this story. The lengthy 9th chapter containing 41 verses is entirely devoted to this single episode.

The healing process itself was something new. The man’s eyes were anointed with the clay made with Jesus’ saliva and he had to grope his way to the pool of Siloam to get his sight.

His neighbours and those knew him took him to the Pharisees not out of joy but to find out whether there was something fishy.

The Pharisees fail to find anything to nail Jesus with, despite cross-examining the man and his parents repeatedly. Here, Jesus appears and proves to the Pharisees that they are sinners.

Your sin is related to your sight. Sight means, all what you have seen, heard, known and understood. Despite having sight, if you do not bother to see the way you are expected to see, that is Sin. The sin of one who has a better sight is more serious than that of one with lesser sight. And if you are blind you would have no sin.

In the North Sentinel isle of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, there live around 100 natives without any contact with the civilized world. They live like animals. They are so sensitive to the outside world that even the sneezing of an outsider may cause infection and the entire tribe would be wiped out. Therefore, the Government has strictly prohibited entry into this habitat. Not only that, the natives would kill any intruders. It is to this protected place that John Allen Chau, the young American evangelist tried to make an entry in 2018 to preach Jesus Christ and got killed.

Would it have been better to leave the Sentinelese alone, based on the assurance of Jesus, “ If you were blind, you would have no sin”, or are we to adventurously reach them on the basis of Jesus’ command to go and preach His gospel all over the world?

Our Bible study should empower us to ask questions, think deeply and face challenges.

George Joseph Trivandrum