To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out. – John 9:34

Today's Scripture Reading (January 14, 2024): John 9

Once in a while, I have had people around me who seem to think they are better than everyone else. In everything, their opinion is the only one that matters, and their way of life is correct. They looked at other people and thanked God that they were different. And these people exist even inside the church.

I still remember seeing the pictures of socialite Paris Hilton being released from jail. As Hilton emerges from her short prison stay, the camera starts snapping, and there is a moment in the video where Paris gets her superiority back. She changes before our eyes, and the path between the jailhouse and the car picking her up becomes a fashion catwalk.   

Sometimes, it seems that there is an undefendable snobbery that goes beyond the reality of the situation. And this was true of the Pharisees and the experts in the law. The Pharisees could have made a case based on education while examining the formerly blind man. The healed blind man was not educated like the elite, so they could argue that he shouldn't be lecturing them. But there was no argument based on birth. Was the blind man born in sin? Of course. It has been the curse of all of us since the fall of Adam and Eve. Each of us has been born with a knowledge and desire to do what is wrong in the sight of God. We are all equal in our birth, and even the Pharisees were born in sin. It was the reason that they advanced the need for sacrifice.

You and I are equal; we are sinners. We don't like to think about it, but it is true. There is nothing inside of me that places me on a higher plain than you. Elitism in the church is simply undefendable. We are not more important because of what we have, what we donate, what we know, or even what we believe. None of that makes me more valuable than you. There is no difference in position; in fact, Jesus said leaders should serve, putting the needs of others ahead of our own.

Even if equality is present nowhere else in society, it is the standard inside of the church. No one is present in any sanctuary, nor has there ever been and nor will there ever be, who is qualified to do the work of God. Our own actions disqualify us.

The Paradox of all this is that it is only when we as the church realize that we are disqualified that we become people that God can use to accomplish his mission. But, as long as there is something inside of us that we think sets us apart from the rest, something that makes us better, we are useless to God.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: John 10