Handicaps

In the time Jesus lived, there was great attention given to physical impurity. A man who had various imperfections due to illness or damage in accidents, battle, or mutilation were unacceptable to God and prevented from entering the temple. Any personal defect or malady was attributed to great sin in the life of the one affected. As Jesus’ interaction with the men who brought the woman caught in adultery, many of the Jews had a very accurate understanding that they were sinful, and they depended on their actions at Pentecost to push those sins away and make themselves once again acceptable to God. There were evidently sins that were so serious, they could not be pushed forward and the person must continually endure those sins. There was great confusion over what kinds of sin caused which kinds of imperfections. This belief was brought forward to those in this day who believe the implications of very poor decisions was caused by some inherent sin. The way to resolve these issues is to correct sinful behavior and avoid further sin; this belief has been the basis of Neuthetic counseling. One passage that has been very confusing to people of many ages is Jesus description of the reason for some people’s struggles. In one instance when His disciple wanted to know whose sin caused a man’s situation, “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” - Jn. 9:1-2 (ESV). In this case Jesus provide an answer that would have astounded their present understanding of life events.
Jesus gently addressed their confusion and challenged their assumptions about life when he said, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him,” - Jn. 9:3 (ESV). Have you ever wondered if something you did or didn’t do or even something someone did to you caused one of your present struggles? Was, or is, God allowing you to experience suffering? Or maybe you have questioned if your past experiences or mistakes prevent you from living a life of purpose that glorifies God? However, when you became a Christian any spiritual incompleteness vanished. Your life now is united with God; He has claimed you and left within you a seal of ownership, the indwelling Holy Spirit. He is with you every step of the way to lead you on a journey toward your eternal home. As one person said, “the work is God's work. The deliverance is God's salvation. The triumph is God's victory. The fulfillment is God's faithfulness. The dawn is here, and darkness is being driven away by a holy light,” (Phil Ware). That this was a proper decision, is indicated when the man, still blind, immediately did what Jesus instructed and went to the well and washed.
The blind man’s sight was completely healed, but notice that his healing was not immediate. He wasn’t healed when Jesus spat on the mud and smeared it on his eyes, but only after he had obeyed what Jesus instructed him to do. When we follow the instructions of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we also will experience rejuvenation in whatever way He desires, though we may not immediately or fully understand what has happened. When this man followed these instructions, his whole life changed. Not only could he now visualize mental pictures, but it is implied he knew the meaning of those necessary for him to function in life. He left behind the suffering of unexplained physical and emotional imperfections of his life before he encountered Jesus. Due to this handicap, he had likely felt rejected, inferior, unloved and excluded from being close to God’s people. He now had the ability to develop a purpose for his life among other Jewish people because his peers would not consider him useless. In addition to learning that God uses all kinds of people, the disciples found out that they needed to be ready to follow instructions without hesitation and that God can use a person no matter what their background has been. For those we consider different or handicapped in some way, when we and they push aside our doubts and fears, and then follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we may be surprised at the outcome.