Red Light, Green Light

Think back to childhood and the recess favorite game “Red Light, Green Light”. When the person who is “It” shouts “red light” all the other runners stop in their tracks and anyone who fails to stop is out of the game. When “green light” is called all the players run wild as they listen for the next “red light” to be shouted. The point of the game is for one player to be standing at the end, deemed the best listener in the game, the person with the best reflexes in response to what they hear. This week’s sermon at Pathways was about the story of the man born blind who was healed by Jesus. He was found by Jesus and the disciples to be begging. He had never heard of Jesus and he didn’t ask anyone to heal him. Jesus saw the potential in this man and after creating some spit-mud to apply to the man’s eyes, he instructed the man to wash in a nearby pool. The man followed Jesus’ instructions, even though Jesus was a stranger with a strange request. As the story goes along the man goes from not knowing Jesus at all, to knowing Jesus was a man, to thinking Jesus was a prophet sent by God, to finally believing that Jesus is the Messiah. His faith journey is contrasted with that of the Pharisees in this story. Instead of celebrating this man’s newfound sight, the Pharisees questioned why this Jesus fellow would dare to break the law by healing someone on the sacred Sabbath. They eventually kicked the blind man out of the synagogue or church. Who was left standing in the “Red Light, Green Light” game regarding this event? Who listened and responded the best and quickest?  How that you know the story, you too are a part of this “game”. How will you respond to what you hear?