Great magicians are able to perform feats that astound us and seem to defy all of what we know about reality. “It’s simply impossible,” we gasp, and yet it happened right before our eyes. Magicians are very reluctant to disclose how their tricks are done and once we discover how the illusion is accomplished, the trick doesn’t seem amazing after all. “Oh,” we say to ourselves, “we should have seen that.” The fact is the magician worked his magic in plain sight of us, yet we did not see; we were blind, until our eyes were opened.
It’s so easy to read history with a proud eye passing harsh judgment. “How could they have not seen the consequences of their actions? How could they have been so unaware of what was going on around them?” we demand. “The obvious was there, why did they not notice?”
It takes some maturity to understand that such questions are usually the wrong questions to pursue if all we want to do is pass judgment. For we, too, are deceived; we, too, are seduced by illusions; we are just like them of long age who did not see. There is wisdom in admitting that we have our blind spots and that we need our eyes opened. Then we can begin to ask more helpful questions. What is it that we may not be noticing? What are we ignoring or discounting? What if we are putting so much faith in something that a much larger reality reveals the sureness of our truth to be empty?
The Gospels indicate a certain nervousness on the part of Jesus in the way his miracles would be reported and interpreted. The acts, designated as miracles, were intended to be signs from God, of grace and goodwill to humanity, and as signs showing us the possibilities open to us here and now. They were not meant to be tricks meant to confound or mystify us. For example, the feeding of the multitude is not really about the magic of multiplying a few loaves and fishes. There was no hidden compartment or false bottom hiding dozens of fish underneath the basket that Jesus opened by sight of hand. The sign is about the almost unlimited potential that generous and unselfish sharing produces. The more humanity cooperates, collaborates and shares, the more the wellbeing of humanity will grow exponentially. Sharing little pieces of fish and bread on a hillside, having all the little individual parts working together simultaneously was Jesus showing us how super computers work. (You heard it here first, Jesus was really the father of super computing, and it just took a long time for the computer geeks to catch on.)
There is some irony in the story of the healing of the blind man because it’s so easy to become blind to the real importance of the story. The story doesn’t revolve around how Jesus did it. It isn’t really about how one deals with Jesus’ critics. The center of the story is about the transformation of the formerly blind beggar into becoming a full member of society. He no longer defines himself as a victim, helpless to change his unfortunate lot. He no longer feels sorry for himself or resentful that he isn’t like other people. The man’s response was an honest and wholesome one. He replied, “I don’t know how he did it and I don’t know why he chose me, but look how a gift of his has been such an agent of good in my life. I am so thankful that I have been touched by a gift I neither deserved nor expected.”
This story reminds us that recognizing and accepting a great gift from God is never the easiest road to take; that even with Good News there will be some difficult times. God’s gifts that are unused evaporate like the winter snow under the spring sun. A life profoundly changed by God is like a rollercoaster. As we get going, we feel exhilarated, and then there is that unexpected turn and a sudden dip. We get an awful ache in our stomach, and we wonder why we ever chose to get on this thing. It's nothing new: people of faith, from the tribes of ancient Israel delivered from slavery in Egypt onwards, all have been through moments of perplexity and adversity.
Very quickly the man born blind learned he could handle the challenge of living with and witnessing to God’s presence in the world. Even in the midst of skeptics and detractors, he retained his sense of humor and got off some of the best one-liners in the whole New Testament. We might ask why Jesus did not remain by his side to defend him. Yet Jesus didn’t really leave the man high and dry, as much as Jesus got out of the way so to let him go for it. The man never would have been an effective witness if Jesus had done all the speaking for him. Perhaps Jesus was among the crowd all the time, in the back row and out of sight to be sure, but holding his sides, laughing, and proudly cheering on his new disciple. For people who grow in faith learn that Jesus is no magician. The Good News is not an illusion. It’s for real, an authentic gift, now and always.
