In John Chapter 9, we find the disciples asking Jesus whose sin was responsible for a man that had been born blind; was it his sin or his parents’? It was an accepted Judaic belief that those born with a physical disability was the result of sin. Jesus told his disciples that neither party was responsible for this man’s blindness and instead said it “was so that the works of God would be displayed in him”. Jesus proclaimed himself the light of the world before he spat, made a clay, put it on the blind man’s eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man came back seeing. This was a true Messianic Miracle. 

People noticed and before you know it, the man was brought before the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees. Some of the Pharisees were not happy because Jesus had performed this miracle on the Sabbath. It wasn’t just any Sabbath, but the Sabbath of the Feast of Tabernacles making it a High and Holy Sabbath. Some questioned how a man, who was a sinner, could perform such a miracle. There was a division among them.

They went on to question the man’s parents, asking if he had really been born blind. His parents were afraid to answer truthfully as it was known that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Christ would be put out of synagogue. They deferred back to their grown son. The Pharisees, not liking his first answers, asked him the questions again. The man gave Jesus credit again for giving him his eyesight. The Pharisees, not getting the answers they wanted, put the man out of the synagogue. They could not believe that a man who broke the Sabbath, could be working on behalf of God. Jesus had told the Pharisees who He was with His words. The majority did not believe Him. Now Jesus showed them who He was and they could not get over Jesus healing on the Sabbath and instead of rejoicing in the miracle of restored vision, kicked the healed man out of the synagogue. The religious leaders also began working on a way to stop Jesus.

Several points about the Pharisees I want to point out:

*They were the religious leaders of the day, the keepers of the Mosaic Law.

*They believed they were doing the will of God.

*They knew the scriptures.

*They missed the Messianic Miracle.

*They began to plot to kill Jesus, as well as Lazarus, after Jesus brought Lazarus back to life,   (John Chapters 11/12).

With all the religious accolades the Pharisees had, with all the knowledge of the law and the Holy Scripture, they missed Jesus. They missed He was the Christ, the one sent from God. It seems like with all their religious practices, they leaned heavy on tradition and missed the Messiah. In contrast, Jesus over and over displayed compassion and displayed the works of His Father in healing the broken and wounded of His day, even if it happened on the Sabbath.  Pastor Wayne Barber, who has gone home to be with the Lord, said of the Pharisees, “Their traditional religion killed their capacity for compassion”. My prayer is that never happens to us.

* There are 145 occurrences of the word compassion in both the Old and New Testaments.  Here is one of my favorites:

Ephesians 4:32. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you. 

Not surprising, it’s from Paul’s letter on Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ.

Written by Kim Hardin

Mathew 9:18-26 – As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.” So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment. When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. “Get out!” he told “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside.

The trip to the Holy Land that I took in November 2021 with 30+ other pilgrims changed my life and faith. The challenges in getting there were unprecedented due to the global pandemic. The timing of making sure all vaccines and the booster were received, along with having a PCR Covid test in which we had to get the results in a specific window of time, were daunting. We arrived in Israel on November 2; the country opened to tourists just the day before. We returned to the States on November 12, and Israel again closed their borders to tourists only two weeks later. It was a miracle that we even got to go.

There were several locations and opportunities to walk where Jesus walked and each was a blessing. However, one place in particular had an impact on me and several of the women on the trip. We visited Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. A large part of the ministry of Jesus took place in the region of Galilee. In 2009, the ruins of a first century synagogue were discovered in Magdala. Jesus is believed to have taught in this very synagogue.

At the synagogue and the areas around it in Magdala, Jesus taught and performed miracles. Two of these miracles are described in the scripture shared above. Also in this town, Jesus expelled the demons from Mary Magdalene. We don’t know if Mary’s demons were evil spirits or mental illnesses. We don’t know if Mary was a prostitute or one of the courtiers of Herod’s court since she spent time with the wife of Herod’s steward.

Through our faith, He will give us what we need in order to be a productive part of the Body of Christ.

In Magdala next to the location where the first century synagogue was discovered, a building called Duc in Altum, the Latin phrase meaning “put out into deep water”, has been constructed as a place of prayer, teaching and worship for all Christians. In the building is an atrium that honors the women of the Bible and all women of faith. It is a motivating thought to know that the women around Jesus were faith warriors, who often outshined the men through their faith and belief in the Savior of the world.