The Unseen and Unheard Man Born Blind
John 9 & Matthew 25
The man who was born blind and cannot see
Others treated him as one who would stay blind
His neighbors and others who have seen him around
Expected that he would never gain sight
Evidently they also were unable to hear his voice
After Jesus gave him sight
Those who knew him talked amongst themselves
In his presence
As if he was not there
They debated whether he was who he was
They thought he only looked like the blind man they saw around town
He had to say to them
I am the man
But they did not believe him
He not only did not have sight
He also did not have a voice
Even after he gained sight
Even after the Pharisees questioned him about his sight
They did not believe what he said
They went to this man’s parents and asked them about his sight
After his parents shirked the question
The Pharisees asked the man who had been blind
Again
How did he gain his sight
He replied
I have told you already and you did not listen
Do we see
Do we have sight
Do we hear
Are we able to hear
Could we
See and
Hear
The disenfranchised
The poor
The down-trodden
The beggars
Those suffering from scarcity of
Resources
Finances
Health
Sobriety
Soundness of mind
Family
Friendships
Community
Human contact
The lowest of the low in our society
Do we see them
Do we hear their voices
Those who do not have social capital
Do we realize that
They are God’s creation
God’s Masterpiece
God’s Workmanship
Just as we are
God’s Beloved
Might that be why Jesus said
At the End of Time
The Son of Man will separate
The sheep from the goat
Those who
Attended to people in need
Those who
Fed the hungry
Gave drink to the thirsty
Invited in strangers
Clothed the naked
Visited the sick
Visited those in prison
Those who
See
Hear
Attend to in action
The blind
The voiceless
The weak
The needy
In our neighborhood
Who live among us
Now
Now while it’s still day
While we have breath
While we have resources
Financially
Timewise
Physically
Share with those in need
In practical ways
Now
Even
Right now
