Week 35 Daily Dose of Love
#239 (8/27)
Jesus Heals
the Man Born Blind
John 9:6-7
When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud
on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and
washed and came back able to see.
We need to see from our hearts to be able to love. “The basic meaning of the
word love (as it evolves from the Latin word caritas) is to value” - to see value in another. Love involves recognizing the
inherent value in each other and being committed to bringing it to full fruition. Mud is a symbol of earthly
existence where there is a strong pull to focus on our own needs and wants, often at the expense of others. Jesus
puts mud on the eyes of the man born blind and tells him to wash in the pool of Siloam, which was a place of purification.
Purifying our heart washes away worldly wants and opens us to God’s love. The living water of Christ also clears the mud from our eyes whenever we recognize the true value of another
and open our hearts to him or her.
Reflection/Discussion:
What is the mud that needs to be washed from our eyes?
Principles
of Love:
Vision
Pray Through the Day:
Open our eyes
To deepen our love
#240 (8/28)
The Pharisees Investigate
John 9:8-23
The
neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”
Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept
saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”
He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’
Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said,
“I do not know.”
They brought to the Pharisees the man
who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes.
Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he
does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And
they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes
he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”
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 and asked them,
“Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered,
“We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we
know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this
because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would
be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
The Pharisees do
not see who Jesus is because they are stuck in worldly vision. They value their position and authority
and see Jesus as a threat rather than the loving presence of God. Jesus violated four of the thirty-nine
rules of what was forbidden on the Sabbath by kneading mud, putting spit on the eyes, anointing the eyes, and healing. The Pharisees placed more value on their earthly rules
than on the compassionate act of our savior.
They try to use logic to clear
up the confusion about who Jesus is, but logic based on muddy vision leads to false conclusions. Since
their hearts are clogged by earthly desires, they cannot see Jesus clearly and fail to understand or appreciate the loving
act he has performed.
Reflection/Discussion:
Do any of the rules of our religion interfere with seeing Jesus clearly?
Principles of Love:
Vision
Pray Through the Day:
Open our eyes
To deepen our love
#241
(8/29)
The Man Testifies
John 9:24-38
So for the second time they called the man who had been blind,
and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered,
“I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They
said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 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?”
Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The
man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will.
Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If
this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely
in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.
Jesus heard that they had driven him
out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And
who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him,
and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him.
The
vision of the Pharisees becomes harsher and more limited as they continue to investigate. In contrast,
the man who received sight from Jesus sees more and more clearly until he fully realizes who Jesus is. The description
of the Pharisees reaction is a good example of how prejudice based on righteousness limits our vision and closes our hearts.
When we fail to see the value in another person, it becomes easy to reject them. Throughout history,
and even in current times, slavery, discrimination, and torture have been viewed as acceptable means to worthy ends by disregarding
the basic value and humanity of those who suffer from these actions. When we value each other we appreciate
the essential worth that was created in each of us and recognize the love of God that resides in our hearts. Mahatma Gandhi said,
“We are all tarred with the same brush, and we are children of one and the same Creator, and, as such the divine powers
within us are infinite. To slight a single human being is to slight those divine powers, and thus to harm
not only that being but with him the whole world.”
Reflection/Discussion:
How does prejudice limit our vision and
close our hearts?
Principles of Love:
Vision
Pray Through the Day:
Open our eyes
To deepen our love
#242 (8/30)
Spiritual Blindness
John 9:39-41
Jesus
said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.”
Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?”
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your
sin remains.
We are blind to the extent that we think we see clearly when we view life from a worldly perspective.
Sin is an act of turning away from God. It involves choosing to value what is not from God. Focusing
on our own security, esteem, and pleasure at the expense of others can easily dominate our field of vision and blind us to
the love of our creator.
Acknowledging our blindness makes it possible
to continue to open our eyes and hearts to God’s loving presence. But believing that we see clearly
when we are only looking at ourselves in a mirror creates the illusion of sight which blinds us to God’s love.
Reflection/Discussion:
What are some blind spots that can lead
to sin?
Principles of Love:
Vision
Pray Through the Day:
Open our eyes
To deepen our love
#243 (8/31)
Enter by the Door of the Sheepfold
John 10:1-10
“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter
the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd
of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep
by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they
know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the
voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what
he was saying to them.
So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I
am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen
to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
The gate of the
sheepfold is the heart of Jesus. The heart of Jesus is the essence of God’s love from which we are
all created. Our hearts are the sheep. If our hearts are open, we recognize the voice of Jesus and
follow him and find “pasture,” which is the fullness of eternal life. Jesus calls us so he can give us life through his love. In this world,
there are other callers enticing us to follow them. We must be cautious of those who seek us to serve their
own self-interest, those whom Jesus calls “thieves and bandits.”
Reflection/Discussion:
How do we distinguish the call of “thieves
and bandits” from the call of Jesus?
Principles of Love:
Nature
Pray Through the Day:
We were created
From God’s love
#244 (9/1)
The Good Shepherd
John 10:11-15
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs
away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand
does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father
knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Sheep are unique among herd animals because they don’t struggle when they are caught. They
let go, surrender, and relax into the arms of the captor - which is exactly what we need to do when captured by the love of
God. This makes sheep (and us) particularly vulnerable to those who have their own agenda
and call from their own self-interest. Jesus is the good shepherd because he calls from love in order to
lead us to love. Jesus shows us that he has absolutely no self-interest by laying down his life for us.
There is no self-serving agenda and no perks or benefits. Jesus is willing to sacrifice himself
so that we may have the fullness of life.
That’s what love is all about.
Reflection/Discussion:
How does it feel to have a shepherd who
will lay down his life for our benefit?
Principles of Love:
Commitment
Pray Through the Day:
Help us to love
When our will is weak
#245 (9/2)
One Flock, One Shepherd
John 10:14-18
“I have other sheep that do not belong to this
fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For
this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes
it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have
received this command from my Father.”
A fold is a fenced in area that keep sheep from wandering but Jesus tells us that there
are no boundaries on God’s love. We like fences and secure boundaries. They provide protection and
clearly define what is ours. But the concepts of safety and ownership contradict the true meaning of love. Jesus promised
to lead us to pasture (John 10:9 read on 8/31). In Jesus’ time, pastures had no fences.
It was the job of the shepherd to watch over the sheep, keep them safe, and lead them to fields that nourished and
sustained them. When we trust in Jesus as the good shepherd, we trust
in the nature and power of love. Boundaries that separate and define us limit our capacity to love.
Jesus tells us that he has other sheep that do not live within our boundaries. If we are to join
the one flock we must reach beyond our definitions and defenses so that we may all respond to his voice in harmony.
Reflection/Discussion:
How do we feel about other sheep who do
not belong to our fold?
Principles of Love:
Unity; Commitment
Pray Through the Day:
Bring us together
In your love
