Am I just playing with words or is there a real difference in the two descriptives in the title of this post? Well, let’s ask the parents of the man born blind that is recorded for us in John 9 [+/-]John 9
[9:1]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?" [3]Jesus
answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents,
but that the works of God might be displayed in him. [4]We
must work the works of him who sent me while it is day;
night is coming, when no one can work. [5]As long as I am
in the world, I am the light of the world." [6]Having said
these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the
saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud [7]and
said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means
Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
[8]The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a
beggar were saying, "Is this not the man who used to sit
and beg?" [9]Some said, "It is he." Others said, "No, but
he is like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." [10]So
they said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" [11]He
answered, "The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my
eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and
washed and received my sight." [12]They said to him, "Where
is he?" He said, "I do not know."
[13]They brought to the Pharisees the man who had
formerly been blind. [14]Now it was a Sabbath day when
Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. [15]So the
Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight.
And he said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, and I washed,
and I see." [16]Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is
not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others
said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And
there was a division among them. [17]So they said again to
the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has
opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."
[18]The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and
had received his sight, until they called the parents of
the man who had received his sight [19]and asked them, "Is
this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he
now see?" [20]His parents answered, "We know that this is
our son and that he was born blind. [21]But how he now sees
we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask
him; he is of age. He will speak for himself." [22](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.)
[23]Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."
[24]So for the second time they called the man who had
been blind and said to him, "Give glory to God. We know
that this man is a sinner." [25]He answered, "Whether he is
a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I
was blind, now I see." [26]They said to him, "What did he
do to you? How did he open your eyes?" [27]He answered
them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to
become his disciples?" [28]And they reviled him, saying,
"You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
[29]We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this
man, we do not know where he comes from." [30]The man
answered, "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know
where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. [31]We know
that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a
worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.
[32]Never since the world began has it been heard that
anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. [33]If this man
were not from God, he could do nothing." [34]They answered
him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?"
And they cast him out.
[35]Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having
found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
[36]He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in
him?" [37]Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is
he who is speaking to you." [38]He said, "Lord, I believe,"
and he worshiped him. [39]Jesus said, "For judgment I came
into this world, that those who do not see may see, and
those who see may become blind." [40]Some of the Pharisees
near him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also
blind?" [41]Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you
would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your
guilt remains. (ESV)
. Jesus healed this man who was born blind and it created a serious controversy for the religious leaders. They wanted to know who did it and how it was done, and they kept pressing the issue. To read this account in the Gospel of John is to recognize that like most narratives in this Gospel, it is operating at multiple levels all at the same time. It is absolutely rich with irony. One level of course is the theological issue of sin and sickness and how or whether they are connected. Another issue is the way this man is healed and his subsequent emerging awareness of who Jesus really is. But one of the most interesting levels at which this narrative operates is the subtle way in which the parents are seeking to avoid being thrown out of the synagogue (Jn. 9:18-23 [+/-]John 9:18-23
[18]The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and
had received his sight, until they called the parents of
the man who had received his sight [19]and asked them, "Is
this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he
now see?" [20]His parents answered, "We know that this is
our son and that he was born blind. [21]But how he now sees
we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask
him; he is of age. He will speak for himself." [22](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.)
[23]Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."
(ESV)
). The religious leaders find the parents of the blind man and asked them how he came to receive his sight and not only do they not want to answer the question; they do not even want to engage the dialogue because “they feared the Jews for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue,” 9:22. They sold their son down the river to protect their own skin. Why?
The first believers who were primarily Jewish began a pattern of worship and witness that kept them tied to their synagogues and to the Temple. They observed the festivals including the Sabbath. They practiced kosher regulations. They lived as Jews who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah. This way of living was by all indications the way they intended to keep on living. Acts 15 [+/-]Acts 15
[15:1]But some men came down from Judea and were
teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised
according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
[2]And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and
debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others
were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and
the elders about this question. [3]So, being sent on their
way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and
Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the
Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.
[4]When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the
church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared
all that God had done with them. [5]But some believers who
belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said,
"It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to
keep the law of Moses."
[6]The apostles and the elders were gathered together to
consider this matter. [7]And after there had been much
debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you
know that in the early days God made a choice among you,
that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the
gospel and believe. [8]And God, who knows the heart, bore
witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he
did to us, [9]and he made no distinction between us and
them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. [10]Now,
therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a
yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers
nor we have been able to bear? [11]But we believe that we
will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as
they will."
[12]And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened
to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders
God had done through them among the Gentiles. [13]After
they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to
me. [14]Simeon has related how God first visited the
Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. [15]And
with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is
written,
[16]"'After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
[17]that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things [18]known from
of old.'
[19]Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble
those of the Gentiles who turn to God, [20]but should write
to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and
from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled,
and from blood. [21]For from ancient generations Moses has
had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read
every Sabbath in the synagogues."
[22]Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders,
with the whole church, to choose men from among them and
send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent
Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the
brothers, [23]with the following letter: "The brothers,
both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are
of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia,
greetings. [24]Since we have heard that some persons have
gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling
your minds, although we gave them no instructions, [25]it
has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose
men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and
Paul, [26]men who have risked their lives for the sake of
our Lord Jesus Christ. [27]We have therefore sent Judas and
Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word
of mouth. [28]For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and
to us to lay on you no greater burden than these
requirements: [29]that you abstain from what has been
sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been
strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep
yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."
[30]So when they were sent off, they went down to
Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together,
they delivered the letter. [31]And when they had read it,
they rejoiced because of its encouragement. [32]And Judas
and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and
strengthened the brothers with many words. [33]And after
they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by
the brothers to those who had sent them. [35]But Paul and
Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the
word of the Lord, with many others also.
[36]And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us
return and visit the brothers in every city where we
proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are."
[37]Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.
[38]But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had
withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them
to the work. [39]And there arose a sharp disagreement, so
that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark
with him and sailed away to Cyprus, [40]but Paul chose
Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers
to the grace of the Lord. [41]And he went through Syria and
Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (ESV)
represents a stage in this development so as to enable the Jewish Christians to accommodate themselves to the Gentile invasion. But by the time we get to the incident recorded in Acts 9 [+/-]Acts 9
[9:1]But Saul, still breathing threats and murder
against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
[2]and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus,
so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women,
he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. [3]Now as he went
on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light
from heaven flashed around him. [4]And falling to the
ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are
you persecuting me?" [5]And he said, "Who are you, Lord?"
And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. [6]But
rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are
to do." [7]The men who were traveling with him stood
speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. [8]Saul
rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he
saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him
into Damascus. [9]And for three days he was without sight,
and neither ate nor drank.
[10]Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias.
The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said,
"Here I am, Lord." [11]And the Lord said to him, "Rise and
go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas
look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is
praying, [12]and he has seen in a vision a man named
Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might
regain his sight." [13]But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have
heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done
to your saints at Jerusalem. [14]And here he has authority
from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name."
[15]But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen
instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and
kings and the children of Israel. [16]For I will show him
how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." [17]So
Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his
hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who
appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me
so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the
Holy Spirit." [18]And immediately something like scales
fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose
and was baptized; [19]and taking food, he was strengthened.
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
[20]And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues,
saying, "He is the Son of God." [21]And all who heard him
were amazed and said, "Is not this the man who made havoc
in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he
not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before
the chief priests?" [22]But Saul increased all the more in
strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by
proving that Jesus was the Christ.
[23]When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill
him, [24]but their plot became known to Saul. They were
watching the gates day and night in order to kill him,
[25]but his disciples took him by night and let him down
through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
[26]And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to
join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for
they did not believe that he was a disciple. [27]But
Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and
declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who
spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in
the name of Jesus. [28]So he went in and out among them at
Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.
[29]And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But
they were seeking to kill him. [30]And when the brothers
learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent
him off to Tarsus.
[31]So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and
Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in
the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit,
it multiplied.
[32]Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he
came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. [33]There
he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who
was paralyzed. [34]And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus
Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately
he rose. [35]And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw
him, and they turned to the Lord.
[36]Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha,
which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works
and acts of charity. [37]In those days she became ill and
died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an
upper room. [38]Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples,
hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging
him, "Please come to us without delay." [39]So Peter rose
and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to
the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and
showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while
she was with them. [40]But Peter put them all outside, and
knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said,
"Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw
Peter she sat up. [41]And he gave her his hand and raised
her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented
her alive. [42]And it became known throughout all Joppa,
and many believed in the Lord. [43]And he stayed in Joppa
for many days with one Simon, a tanner. (ESV)
, the issue has become much more complex. The Jewish leaders have now forced the hand of Jewish Christians: you will not be able to continue in the Synagogue if you continue to confess that Jesus is the Messiah. Now be assured that this was far more than a crisis over a confession. This reached to the heart of every day life because the center of life for the Jewish family was the Synagogue. Remove them from the Synagogue and the Jewish man is robbed of work and the Jewish family is robbed of their way of life. This is big. And it all boiled down to this choice: You will be either a Jew or a Christian or to put it more plainly you will either be a Jewish believer or a believer who is Jewish; and they had to choose.
Do you see the connection? If I say that I am an American believer then I am saying that my relationship to Jesus is defined first and foremost by my being an American. I have placed something as wonderful as it is in front of my devotion to the Lordship of Jesus. It happens. It happens more than we know. There are far too many professing beleievers who do not understand that the cross stands over and dominates the flag so taht the flag and the cross do not occupy the same system. The flag as wonderful as it is, is the ensign of one nation on the earth; the cross stands over all the world as the only way to salvation. The flag represents a society of cititizens; the cross represents the people of God in every land who are seeking to serve the One who died for them that we might live for Him. The right way to understand who I am is that I am a beleiver in the Lord Jesus Christ who has been given through providence the good grace of living in America. I am grateful to live in this land but as a believer I am not locked into this land. I will wave the red, white and blue and do so with emotion but at the end of the day I wll stand at the foot of the cross and lift up His Glory because it is His grace that gives me my identity. I am a believer who lives in America; I am not an American Believer.