CONTACT: Rev. Dr. Jerry Black jblack@fccedmond.org
I like to think of myself as a moderate—politically, socially, ethically, morally, and theologically. So, I have difficulty understanding those on the radically left or right. Radical in their politics. Radical in their sense of justice. Radical (and exclusive) in their theology, demanding others see things as they see them; understand them and apply them as they do.
And yet, I never cease to be amazed at how “radical” (though no flaming maniac), Jesus was. And this Sunday’s Gospel lesson from John 9:1-12 is another case in point. Throughout the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), and especially amongst the prophets, there echoed a common theological conclusion—one deeply rooted in cause and effect. The people sinned, so, they found themselves in slavery. The people sinned, so they wandered around in the wilderness for 39 years. The people sinned, so the Assyrians came. The people sinned, so the Babylonians came, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the people lived in exile.
This then, was the dominant understanding of God’s justice in ancient Judaism—and prominent in the conversation of Job’s “consoling” friends. But the author of that text is having difficulty believing God intentionally orchestrates devastation and punishment, especially on the innocent.
So, in Jesus we find a theology and understanding of justice that is radically different. Join us as we explore this Sunday, Jesus’ response to a very important question posed by the disciples and couched in the context of human suffering.