The Plumbline

19 "And that's not all. You will have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven." (Matthew 16:19) In this passage, Jesus is finishing a discussion with his disciples that began with the question, "Who do you really think I am?"  One of the most revealing questions we can ask is for someone to really begin to openly testify to who they think we really are.  We open the door to allowing others to be honest with us about what we have revealed about ourself in both our words and our actions.  Peter gives Jesus an answer that is just exactly what he hoped for - you are the Christ.  In other words, you are the Messiah.  Jesus had revealed enough of himself that Peter really "got" who Jesus was - or at least he had a glimpse of the truth. Jesus' response to Peter is revealing - it shows us that...

  39 Jesus then said, "I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind." (John 9:39) The ninth chapter of John is the story of a man born blind.  He was forced to spend each day begging for something to fill his belly - something to provide for his welfare.  The day he met Jesus was a day just like all the rest.  He was in his usual spot for begging - awaiting a passerby with a tender heart who might put a mite or two in his cup.  This day, as Jesus was passing by, his disciples pose a question to Jesus about the man's blindness.  Their question centered on who had sinned - the man himself, or his parents.     They equated his blindness to sin.  A physical ailment in Old Testament times was often equated with sin.  It was either the sin of his parents, or his o...