It's Just Dirt
But it was just dirt!
How many times as a parent, have we yelled at our little ones - "Stay off the floor, I just mopped!"
And how many times has the logical child retorted back - "It's just dirt, mom."
We live in a sterile environment nowadays, and dirt is the last thing we want to see anywhere, on any surface. We spend so much time, dollars, and energy, ridding our lives of dirt. Filth. Germs. Crumbs. Sticky little hands. And yet it always comes back.
Remember when you were little, and perhaps made "mudpies"? Or built a sandcastle? Or even just splashed in the mud puddles for fun?
I'm not asking you to go out and wriggle your toes in the slimy green cesspool, but hear me out… dirt isn't so bad.
Come to think of it, dirt is pretty special in God's eyes. Where do you come from, after all? (see Genesis 2:7 if you need a little help here)
Jesus, himself, uses dirt in a few of His miracles, too!
Remember how He stooped to the ground and scribbled in the sand when the town leaders accused the woman of adultery?
He told the people that if anyone was absolutely sinless, they could start stoning her.
Funny thing is, they all slowly dropped their deadly weapons, slinking away without another word.
(read John 8)
What did Jesus do on the ground? What was he writing?
Perhaps he started listing specific things that the leaders had done in secret. Perhaps He just started writing various wrongdoings and their consciences bothered them. Or maybe He was just doodling, and spoke to each man in his mind about their own actions?
Who knows? The point is, a miracle happened in the dirt, right in front of the woman's eyes. She was free. She was forgiven. She was truly loved by Jesus.
The other dirty miracle is one that as a clean freak, has been hard to appreciate. I mean, "Gross!,"
right? Oh, sorry, just thinking about it makes me squirm a little bit.
This story takes place after Jesus had been teaching the people how He is the light of the world, and if those listening will believe in God, the truth will set them free. This irritated the Jewish leaders and Pharisees who were standing in the crowd.
So they already have their dander ruffled and yet Jesus continues to teach. As any good teacher knows, the best time for learning is when you already have the audience's attention.
Jesus is walking along the road, talking to His followers, when they meet a young man who is blind. He has been blind since birth, and the popular opinion of the day was that either the man had sinned before he was born, or his parents had committed some heinous crimes, and so this was his punishment.
The people ask Jesus - "what did his family do to make this man blind?"
Jesus replied - "neither he nor his parents have sinned to cause his blindness. That's not the case at all. This happened so that my Father in heaven can be given glory."
By now, the people are confused and the officials are sputtering.
But wait… there's more!!!
Jesus promptly stops on the trail, causing a few in the crowd to squash some of the shorter travelers, as the momentum has been interrupted.
He bends down, swipes his finger into the spittle now dangling from his lower lip, and makes a mini mudpie on the dirt road.
Ewwww.
And then…
He takes the mudball and smears it over the blind man's eyes!
Now, I don't know about you, but,
can you just hear the gasps, muttering, and revulsion of the crowd? (I never liked when my mother used a handkerchief of spit on my sticky little face!)
EWwwwwwwww.
Now, you might expect that the deed was done. But Jesus knew that it needed more to the story. He told the man who now had a wet and crumbly mess on his face, to go to a certain pool to wash his face. Who knows how clean that was?
But he goes to the pool of Siloam, washes his face, and a new life began! He could SEE!
This causes a stir in the neighborhood, everyone hears about it. Soon he is overwhelmed with nosy people demanding to know what happened.
The formerly blind man can now see, he does not know who helped him, he doesn't know how it became so, but all he knows is that "Once I was blind, but now I see!"
The people continue to swamp him with questions and all he knows is the truth.
The religious leaders think it's a trick, a spell cast by a follower of satan. It is just one more reason to be angry at this man called Jesus.
But those who see who Jesus is, stick around for more miracles. This man may be who He says He is!
Jesus IS the light of the world!
To God be the glory!
(Story taken from the book of John chapter 9)
Now, I don't know about you, but I can relate to this story, once I get past the dirt.
I have things in my past that are neither from my sins nor family sins.
I also have things in my life that directly result from sin, whether it's my own or just human nature, as humanity does.
I struggle with many things, but God does not want us to be loaded with guilt forever. He is waiting for us to walk on the road with Him, where He can cleanse us from all stains, forgiveness freely offered, and redemption within grasp.
It may be a dirty path, not laden with roses and lovely scented petals, but it is the path to become a conduit of God's glory.
What can you do to make your eyes see?
Let Jesus clean up your messiness, and follow His instructions on this journey,
and give God all the glory for every single victory.
What if the victory is simply getting up today? It is still good.
What if I fail again tomorrow? God's mercies are new every day.
What if….
Hush, now. It's just dirt.
It will clean right up.
Let God do His thing.
You just let everyone know that you can see!
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