The Obedience of Faith

Part of being a disciple is to ask questions of your teacher. And that makes a lot of sense when you remember that a disciple is someone learning how to become like his teacher. The Twelve asked Jesus questions. Last week we took a look at their question about whose sin caused the man's blindness. That was a question about the problem. This past week I was the one asking the question. My question was about the solution to that problem, the miracle Jesus performed. Listen to how John describes what Jesus did and the results.

Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

So, here's my question: 'Jesus, why did You do the miracle in this way?' I asked this because I knew that Jesus didn't have to go through all of that with the spit and mud and all the rest. I knew that because of what a centurion had said to Jesus.

Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.

And if you remember, Jesus didn't even 'say the word'. He simply informed that man that his servant was healed. So, why did Jesus go through all those steps in this miracle with the blind man? It's clear that He didn't have to. But He did. Why? Jesus is not a helter-skelter kind of guy. He chose to do it this way. There must be a reason for that. Asking for that reason will result in hearing some wisdom.

Then, there's this. Jesus has come to reveal the Father to us. He does that not only by His words but also by His actions. Jesus acts as He does so that His disciples - and that includes you - will get to know the Father. And getting to know the Father is so good. As you get to know Him you not only get to know yourselves but you also get to know how life is supposed to work. To be sure, there are many things that are quite mysterious about the Father. But there is so much that can be clearly known. Jesus has come so that we can know those things. And one way to get to know the Father is to ask Jesus questions, questions like, 'Lord, why did You do it that way?'

I asked that question, and here's the answer that I received. He did it that way for the man's benefit. He did it that way to give the man an opportunity.

Consider what happened with Abraham. God tells him to kill Isaac, his son. And Abraham submits and just about does it. But God stops him. He says to Abraham,

Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.

That whole situation was an opportunity for Abraham. God could have just asked him, 'So, Abraham, whom do you love more, your boy or Me?' But talk is cheap. It's actions that can show what's really going on. And Abraham showed, by his actions, what he really thought. He showed that his God came before his boy. And that resulted in good for Abraham. Jesus is giving our blind friend an opportunity. It's an opportunity for him to show what's really going on. It's an opportunity for him to show what he’s really thinking.

Now, let’s take the next step. What is Jesus looking for? What does He want the man to show by his actions? Paul provides a good label. He calls it 'the obedience of faith'. I think that you'll agree with me that anyone can say, 'I believe in Jesus'. It's not hard. Lots of people have said it. Now, whether it reflects reality is quite another matter. Talk is cheap. Actions, however, can show what's really going on. So, instead of asking the man if he believed, Jesus gave him the opportunity to show that he did. And the man came through. He displayed the obedience of faith. That is, he did what Jesus told him to do because he believed Him.

This is not a given. Our blind friend could have responded in the same way others have. So, consider the rich young ruler. Impressive young man. Asks the right question. 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?' And he comes to the right person to ask that question. He comes to Jesus. And Jesus gives him an opportunity.

And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

An opportunity was offered, but the response was not the obedience of faith. The man wanted his money more than he wanted eternal life.  Reality was revealed.

So, picture the situation. There you are, begging as usual, and you overhear this conversation. It's about you and your blindness. And then, some guy puts mud on your eyes and basically tells you, 'Trust me on this. Go and wash the mud off and you'll see.' How would you respond? But the man gets up and washes his eyes. He believed Jesus, and it showed in his actions. Jesus gave the man an opportunity, and reality was revealed. The obedience of faith.

So, there’s an answer to my question. 'Jesus, why did you do it this way?' He was offering an opportunity.

That’s good, but we're not done. I asked Him another question. 'Lord, what is that supposed to teach us?' Here are some answers that I received.

This first set of answers has to do with faith and obedience, both real and worthless. Real faith does stuff. It acts. It obeys. The kind of faith that professes to believe in Jesus but does not obey Him is not the kind of faith that the Father is interested in. He will not accept it. As far as He is concerned, it is a worthless faith. Real faith hears Jesus' call to do this or that, and obeys Him. That's the kind of faith that the Father wants to see. That's the kind of faith that He responds to and blesses. And that's the kind of faith that saves.

Now, let's look at obedience. Just as the Father isn't interested in just any sort of faith, He isn't interested in just any sort of obedience. What He calls for is the kind of obedience that comes from real faith. It's the kind of obedience that says, 'Lord, I'm doing this because I believe You.' So, consider. There are plenty of people who are tempted by adultery, and they go for it. But there are also plenty of people who, when tempted in that way, don't give in to it. Is that the kind of obedience that the Father is looking for? Well, it depends. Many who don't follow through on that temptation turn away from it not for any other reason than the fear of getting caught. Is that the obedience of faith? No, it's not. This person can't say, 'See, I'm obeying God. I'm not giving in to that temptation.' It's the wrong kind of obedience.  The right kind of obedience comes from faith, the right kind of faith. It comes from believing what Jesus says about life.

So, what Jesus wants from you is a faith that obeys and an obedience that believes.

But that presents a problem. As you look at your life with those things in mind you’re going to see something that you won’t like. You're going to see that there is a large gap between what you want to find and what you actually will find. Or to say it differently, you're going to find sin. Oh, you will find some true obedience of a real faith. But you're also going to find some obedience that isn't true and some faith that isn't real. Do not be crushed by that. You should expect it. It's part of your reality. But you know what to do whenever the Spirit points out that gap. Repent and believe. Repent of faith and obedience that aren't what they should be. Come again to Jesus first to be forgiven and then to be changed so that there will be His kind of obedience of faith. And then, get up and return to the battle. There are victories to be won.

That was one set of answers to the question, 'What is that supposed to teach us?' This next set of answers is different. Understanding what Jesus is doing with the blind man will help you to understand the Father. When He brings difficult things into your life, it's a good idea to ask a question. 'Father, why is this happening? I need to understand so that I can respond well.' Once you ask, listen for the answer. And it may well be that the Father will tell you that He is giving you an opportunity. That difficulty is intended to reveal what's really going on. And that can be so very good. What a powerful statement of the power of Jesus when one of His disciples responds to a crisis with a real faith that says, 'Father, I trust You. I don't understand what's going on, but I trust You'. And then, what follows is some obedience. It may be just a little obedience offered haltingly, but it's the kind of obedience that the Father is looking for. The heart has been revealed and those watching see. Other saints are encouraged, and those who aren't believers are challenged. And even that particular disciple is encouraged. He can see that true faith resides in his heart. Assurance grows. The Father created an opportunity and much good resulted.

And that leads to this. The Father creates opportunities, and you respond to Him. And then, He responds to you. When you respond well to one of the Father's opportunities He responds to you by doing you good. The blind man responded with the obedience of faith, and he was blessed with sight. Would he have been blessed if he just sat there? On the other hand, the rich, young ruler refused and was not blessed. I am sure that you have met disciples who are really flourishing. There is something very attractive and engaging about their walk with Jesus. And then, you have met disciples for whom that is not the case. And why is that? Why the difference? Here is one possibility: the Father has time and again blessed those who have worked at responding to opportunities with the obedience of faith. He has done them good by giving them their flourishing walk with Jesus. Others have not responded so well to those opportunities and, as a result, have not been as blessed. Some of the differences that you have noticed are because of the choices of those disciples. The Father blesses the obedience of faith.

So, what do you do now? It always comes back to this. You need to pray. Prayer is being honest with the Father. It's telling Him that you need Him. It’s admitting that, left to yourself, you'll blow it every time. Prayer is the recognition of reality. And what do you pray for? Here's my suggestion. First, pray that He would make you aware of opportunities. It's easy to blow right past them. Then, pray that you would respond well to those opportunities, that you would respond with the obedience of faith. And then pray that when you do blow it, when you sin, that you would quickly repent so that you can get back on the right track. And as you do that keep clearly in mind what is at stake: your joy, your assurance and your witness.