1 Sam 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 / Ephesians 5:8-14 / John 9:1-41
The Bible is a collection of books that tells of the wonderful love of God for us.
Yet, the Bible also contains stories that make us wonder about some strange accounts.
For example, why did the devil appear in the form of a snake to tempt Eve? If the devil had appeared in his ugly and heinous form, then there will be no problems for Eve and the snake.
Because Eve would have ran away from the devil, and the snake wouldn't be discriminated as an evil creature.
Or, how about Naaman, the Syrian army commander who had leprosy. Why did the prophet Elisah tell him to bathe in the river Jordan seven times, and that made Naaman angry.
The prophet Elisah could have just said a prayer and Naaman would be healed and that would have shortened the whole conversion process for Naaman.
Or, how about today's gospel? Look at how Jesus healed the man born blind. He spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put it over the eyes of the blind man, and said to him, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.”
The blind man went off and washed himself and had his sight restored.
We may wonder, why did Jesus did such a strange action to restore the sight of the blind man.
He could have just said a prayer, or placed His hands over the eyes of the blind man, and the end result would still be the same.
But, what is interesting about that blind man who could now see, is that he saw more than what the others could see.
He not only could see, but his eyes were enlightened to see who Jesus really is, that Jesus is God.
So, we have eyes that can see. But are our eyes enlightened by the light of Christ to see deeper and to see the ways of God?
Even in the realm of nature, some fruits have odd appearances, like rambutans, soursop and durians. But rambutans are sweet, soursop is healthy, and some go crazy over durians.
So, when we see something that we can't understand or something that is not pleasing to the eye, let us not refuse or reject it.
Just as soft and tender tissue reside in hard and rough exteriors, God's soft and tender blessings reside in hard looks and strange expressions.
The blind man received his sight, but his eyes also received the light of Christ to see who Jesus really is.
May our eyes also be enlightened by the light of Christ to see God's love and blessings in everyone and in everything.
May our eyes also be opened to see God's strange but wonderful ways.