Pharisees and Pharaohs

This week I preached on John chapter 9. In this story we see what happens every time God reveals himself to humans. There are one of two options: "See" God like you've never seen him before or go from blind to worse.

In John chapter 9, the blind man goes from vaguely knowing about "the man called Jesus" to saying "Lord I believe" and laying flat faced in the dirt. The Pharisees go from being slightly annoyed by their latest competition to conspiring for the purpose of committing the murder of God himself. These extremes are seen throughout the Bible - both Old Testament and New.

This morning, my family and I were looking at the story of the ten plagues from the book of Exodus. God reveals himself to the Egyptians and specifically to Pharaoh in an amazing way. He starts with minor annoyances like the Nile turning to blood and frogs popping up everywhere. It's not without purpose though. For the Egyptians, the Nile was divine as was the sun (remember the plague of darkness?). One of their gods even resembled a frog.

God was sending a specially designed revelation of himself to the Egyptians and to Pharaoh. The result? Some see and some go from blind to worse. Pharaoh goes from blind to worse. Think of what he would have to do to believe in the one true God of the Hebrews. He'd have to completely dismantle the Egyptian religious system. A system that actually declares him divine. Then he has to kiss off most of his labor force and completely tank his economy.

He's not much different than the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They both stand to loose a great deal. Others are impacted by God's revelation. Even from a distance. Miles away in a town called Jericho, stories are flying through the streets about the God of the Hebrews. How that God delivered them from the hands of the most powerful military force on the planet. A prostitute named Rahab hears these stories and when she meets up with a few Hebrew spies on a fact finding mission, she says this to them:

"I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. ¹⁰ We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. ¹² Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death." Joshua 2:8-13

Something tells me she would have been a better Pharoah. She has been impacted by the way that God has revealed himself through the exodus. Instead of seeing what she could loose for trusting in God, she sees what she can gain. Life and protection for her and her family. The blind man is in much the same situation. Nothing to loose and everything to gain.

The truth is that this is all of our predicaments. The control that we think we have over our lives is only an illusion. The only thing that we can know for sure is the character of God. That He is the "Lord God in heaven above and on the earth below" and can be trusted with our lives. So as God reveals himself to you this week (ultimately through Christ) think not of what you will loose if you believe - and therefore harden yourself to him. Remember the Pharisees and the Pharaoh and realize that in comparison to what you will be gaining, you have nothing to loose.