As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.  “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind?  Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”  “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.  We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us.  The night is coming, and then no one can work.  John 9:1-4

Wow, this passage should hit all of us right between the eyes.  Especially those of us who have been called to lead Christ’s Church.  We must be extremely cautious to not let the ‘learning’ side of leadership guide us.  Don’t get me wrong on that statement.  We should all be life-long learners.  Leaders who stop learning eventually shrivel up and become ineffective!

While we can easily give props to the disciples in this scene for their attentiveness to recognize a teachable moment, the overall setting should also disturb us.  Here’s a guy who’s never had the ability to see…and the disciples are right there having a conversation about what caused his condition.  This is going on right in front of this poor guy!  And while Jesus does give them the knowledge tidbits they are longing for, he also clearly sees the simple & tangible need that is sitting right there in front of him.  There was an opportunity to meet a basic need….and he did!

So what’s the Sick Church connection?  Churches that only discuss the problems and needs of their community are not putting flesh on the Gospel.

What does your church do to reach out to your community?  Comment below and join the discussion.