Enlightened

It’s interesting that the blind man’s first experience is not a doctrinal one–it’s a physical one. We tend to think, these days, that salvation comes first to the mind, and then to the lifestyle. You go through a course, and once you’ve got your doctrine straight, you’re ready to become a Christian. But that isn’t always the way it works. The early church expected a complete transformation in lifestyle from new Christians–theology came later. Up to now the man has experienced a transformation in his life, and he’s been defending his healer, but with very little idea of who Jesus is. Is he a believer or isn’t he? We tend to think that victims of persecution are heroes of their faith who have their theology all worked out, but that isn’t necessarily true. Many Christians in places like Pakistan, for example, can’t read and don’t have a church nearby, so their understanding of the Bible can be very sketchy, just fragments of teaching from their families. And yet, they are “expelled” from society and pay dearly for defending Jesus. When the healed man meets Jesus again he sees clearly what he had begun to sense–that Jesus is to be worshiped, not just thanked.