Day 296: What do you know?

Today's Reading: John 9:1-10:21

When I was in school and had to study for tests, I was always frustrated when the teacher asked questions for which I had no answer. I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be great if the teacher would give a test which simply stated, 'what do you know?'" Then I could demonstrate everything I had learned on a given subject.

Today's story reads like a comedy about a blind man. Everyone is blind to him until he is healed by Jesus. Then suddenly, the paparazzi pounce asking questions...questions the now seeing man cannot answer: Who did this? How did he do it? Is he a sinner?

The healed man answers the best he can. "I don't know a lot about the man. He spat on some mud, put it on my eyes, told me to wash and now I see." After awhile, he gets frustrated with all the wrong questions and says, "All I know is I once was blind but now I see."

I think it is the wrong questions from the world that silence most people of faith. "How do you explain creation, salvation, sanctification, redemption, atonement, suffering, sacrifice, the sacraments?" "Who is saved and who isn't?" "Just how does the trinity work?" "What happens when we die?" "What is heaven like?"

Even though theologians and scholars have been trying for centuries to explain the mysteries of God, there will always be more questions than we have answers, for God is beyond our understanding.

Perhaps the best question of faith is this: What do you know? What DO you know? What do YOU know?

The disciples wanted to know about who was sinning. Jesus wanted God's glory and God's work to be done. The crowd and the enemies of Jesus wanted to argue the law and discount Jesus. Jesus wanted to know whether the man believed.

Perhaps we don't need to study for other people's questions and faith tests. Perhaps the only test of faith we need to prepare for and have an answer to is this one: What do you know? Where has God's work and glory been demonstrated in your life? Do you believe in the Son of Man?

What do you know?