Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?" Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do (John 9:1-3).

We are exploring what it means that Jesus is Immanuel, "God with us." In the Old Testament, light is an image that gets attached to Immanuel. In John's gospel, this image explodes onto the page like a light bulb given power in a dark room. Our text is one of those detonations. The disciple's understanding of the world is turned on its head.

The disciples ask, "Why is this man blind? Who sinned causing this blindness?" They are trying to understand the condition, meaning, and purpose of this man's life. If he is blind, if he is disabled, isn't it because he or someone has sinned? Why would he be this way if no one had sinned?

In their way of looking at the world, a problem like blindness was always the direct effect of someone's sin. Today, we think such ideas are old fashioned. We are too educated for such simplicity. But just hold on. What is our gut reaction when someone is homeless or a refugee? For many of us, our first response is to ask why. To step back and analyze the situation. And isn't that exactly what the disciples were doing? Analyzing the situation, making it fit into their worldview.

They don't see a man in need of healing, do they? They're blind to his pain. They want an answer to a theological question. Likewise, we try to explain what we see as unfortunate, lamentable, regrettable. But in doing this we place ourselves at the centre of our questions; God is put on the sidelines.

In our text, Jesus flips the disciples' thinking on its head, as he so often does. In responding to their question, Jesus shifts their focus from the blind man to God and to Himself as the Light of the World. He says to them, "Don't look for someone to blame. Look instead for what God can do. This man needs light and I am the light of the world."

Jesus intends to point us beyond the problem to the possibilities it presents. When we see an afflicted individual, we should not start with blame, but rather how can peace, comfort, and healing for this person show the glory of the God. We should be about the business of bringing wholeness to them.

Jesus continues to rebuke his disciples when he says, "While it is still day, we must do the works of the one who sent me. Night is coming. Then no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." In other words, don't let your opinions deflect you from the task that God has put you here to do. How often do we analyse and dissect rather than act to bring God's light into the world? How often do we apply our theological minds to working out why something is the way it is, rather than doing what we can to right the wrongs we see? In being the hands and feet of Jesus, others discover through us that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.

To paraphrase Jesus, "Whoever has eyes to see, let them see!"

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me" (John 5:6-7).

Jesus loved to ask questions. Some were innocent enough, like "Will you get me some water?" (4:7). Some were asked to encourage people to leave him alone, like the time he asked the Jewish establishment, "Where did John get his authority, from man or from God?" (Matthew 21). Others helped a listener probe deeper into Jesus' identity, like when he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" Still others, like the one in our text, are a set up.

The question does seem a bit strange, but the setting helps us get a handle on it. Jesus went up to Jerusalem, the city of peace. He went to celebrate one of the Jewish feasts, a joyful event praising God for his work of deliverance. The scene is the pool named Bethesda, which means 'house of mercy.' So, the location is peace, joy, mercy.

We are expecting a happy story.

Instead, we are told that this pool is surrounded by a great number of disabled people, but we focus on one person. He has been lying there for 38 years. That's a long time by anyone's reckoning. We might want to know about the magical nature of this pool. How is it that only the first person who touches the pool after it is stirred gets healed? Was it really an angel of the Lord who stirred the pool?

But Jesus does not oblige our curiosity. He wants us to focus on this person lying here for 38 years. How many times has he seen the water stirred and he has not been able to touch it because someone else was always faster? Has he given up hope? Has he given in to his condition and expects to live out his life begging for scraps from passing feast goers?

Jesus asks, "Do you want to get well?"

Some suggest that Jesus wanted to know if the man had any hope left; it being a requirement for healing. Others suggest that Jesus was exposing that the man had become comfortable in his paralysis and did not want to get better. He needed to start taking responsibility for himself. These issues are not part of this story. The man doesn't answer Jesus' question. He just says, "Hey man, what I want doesn't really matter. I can't get to the pool. I won't get healed."

The man's got nothing. Jesus heals him.

His mercy is free. He comes to bring it to those who are without hope. He comes to bring it to those who don't expect it anymore. He comes in mercy to bring peace and joy.

Are you looking for God's mercy? Are you trying to figure out how to answer Jesus' question? The answer is not important; Jesus brings mercy wherever he goes. You don't need to look elsewhere. Look to Jesus.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him (John 2:11).

This Advent, we are focussing on Immanuel, God with us. Let's head deeper into the gospels to see what there is regarding this theme in the life of Jesus. Today, a wedding in Cana.

There is significant mystery in this story. There is no mention of who the happy couple are or why Jesus and his disciples and his mother are even there. There is no explanation as to why Jesus tells his mother it's not his time but then does a miracle anyway. Everything focuses on the problem and its solution.

The problem is that the wine has run out. This was simply not allowed. Hospitality was paramount in Jewish culture and a wedding with out wine…that was the worst of the worst. It would be the story of the town for generations.

But Jesus intervenes and provides an abundance of excellent wine. And I do mean an abundance. The six stone jars that are suddenly filled with wine have a combined capacity of over 700 litres.

John tells us why he included this story in his gospel. It was the first of the signs through which Jesus revealed his glory. The glory of God's kingdom revealed in an abundance of wine. "Is that wise?" you might ask.

Well yes, it is. It says two things about God's kingdom. First, it is a kingdom of plenty. Many Christians in North America wonder, if we ought to feel guilty about the abundance of wealth we possess, compared to most of the residents of this globe.

It's good to ask such a question. But the answer is that we do not need to feel guilty. Everywhere in the Bible, God's kingdom is shown to be a kingdom of plenty. Guilt should not be our reaction to our wealth. Rather, a true understanding of God's kingdom causes us to become generous. If God has plenty, then we can share what we have because God can replenish our bank accounts. That, I think, is, at least in part, what Paul communicates in 2 Corinthians 8 & 9. It's worth the read.

The second thing this story tells us about God's kingdom is that it is characterized by joy. Years ago, I was walking alongside some colleagues who were struggling with their churches. They just couldn't get on the same page as the leadership. It was painful to watch. I remember wondering if it was alright for me to be enjoying ministry so much, because I really was.

Then a retired pastor told me that it was permitted to enjoy ministry. He reminded me that the kingdom of God is one of joy. Jesus brought joy with him. The angels said as much to the shepherds. So, when you receive a gift this Christmas, receive it with joy, recognizing that God is inviting you to enjoy a taste of his kingdom.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.