Who told you...?
Again this morning, I am amazed at the spiritual blindness of some. In the Gospel of John, Chapter 5, Jesus has just healed a man who has been an invalid for 38 years. Now that he is healed, Jesus tells him to pick up his mat (he used it to regularly lie in wait by the pool at Bethesda) and go home. This man has not been able to do such a thing in 38 years. It is a miracle.
However, there is a problem. The day all this happened is a Sabbath and people are not supposed to work on the Sabbath -- this man is breaking the law by carrying his mat. The religious leaders of the day scold the man for his actions and he tells them, "The man who healed me told me to pick up my mat and go home."
The leaders respond, "Who told you to pick it up and walk?" They completely overlook the healing. They skip over the miracle -- this man has not been able to walk for 38 years and today he is walking!! These religious leaders are so offended by the man's actions that they don't ask, "Who healed you?" but "Who told you...?"
How often do we miss what God is doing in our lives because we can't see. Our "knowledge" of how God works can get in the way of our seeing God work. He works in ways we do not understand. "His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts." "As far as the heavens are from the earth, so are our thoughts from His thoughts."
However, there is a problem. The day all this happened is a Sabbath and people are not supposed to work on the Sabbath -- this man is breaking the law by carrying his mat. The religious leaders of the day scold the man for his actions and he tells them, "The man who healed me told me to pick up my mat and go home."
The leaders respond, "Who told you to pick it up and walk?" They completely overlook the healing. They skip over the miracle -- this man has not been able to walk for 38 years and today he is walking!! These religious leaders are so offended by the man's actions that they don't ask, "Who healed you?" but "Who told you...?"
How often do we miss what God is doing in our lives because we can't see. Our "knowledge" of how God works can get in the way of our seeing God work. He works in ways we do not understand. "His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts." "As far as the heavens are from the earth, so are our thoughts from His thoughts."