Days like today remind of me of that song that Nat King Cole made popular years ago - yes, I know I am showing my age - "Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer."  It was days like today that caused my grandfather to say that he could almost hear the corn growing in the fields.  Marlys and I are going to enjoy days like today because, here in Minnesota, colder weather will come too soon. 

Highlight in the news department this week was the announcement by Prime Minister Olmert that he would be resigning his leadership role in Israel's government following the Kadima party primary elections on September 17.  His resignation was long expected.  The man has evaded one political crisis after another, but now he is under investigation for criminal fraud.  His quick resignation indicates that there is some truth to what the investigators have been uncovering.  So, now what happens?  The Kadima party has two strong candidates that will vie for the top party position.  Shaul Mofaz is the present Minister of Transportation.  He is rather hawkish.  The other is Tzipi Livni, the present Foreign Minister.  She is more dovish in her approach.  Polls show them running "neck and neck."  Following those elections, the new Kadima leader will have 52 days in which to form a coalition government.  If he or she is unable to do so, then the Knesset will be dissolved and new national elections will be held.  If that were to happen, and there are strong indications that a new coalition will be difficult to put together, then there is a great possibility that Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, will become the new Prime Minister.  In fact, he has already called for national elections.  Prime Minister Olmert stated that he would continue his negotiations with the Palestinian Authority President Abbas and hope to reach some type of agreement before he officially resigns.  And, I don't know if you are aware or not, but Olmert's administration has been conducting secret agreements with the Syrians through a Turkish intermediary.  At stake are the Golan Heights and the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee.  So, a lot is riding on what happens during these next six weeks.  It is important that we keep praying for Israel.  I will keep you posted as developments occur.

I want to finish the discussion we began last week in John 9 - the familiar story of the healing of the man born blind.  Last week we examined the blindness of the Pharisees - a spiritual blindness that kept them from seeing what God was doing in their midst.  Oh there are so many people today who have a similar blindness.  They simply refuse to see God.  They will give credit to circumstances, coincidences, etc.  They will argue and argue some more.  They will rationalize and explain.  But they will never admit to the working of God. 

Now we turn our attention to a second group in this chapter who also exhibited a blindness.  I am talking about the parents of the man who had been born blind.  You can read their story in verses 18-23.  This Mom and Dad were governed by their fears of being tossed out of the synagogue.  Now excommunication has always been a powerful weapon used to shut out a person from the congregation.  Many held that to be shut out of the synagogue was to be shut out of the presence of God.  As you might recall from your study of Church History, excommunication was a powerful tool used by the Church of the Middle Ages to keep people in line with church policies.  Now I believe that these parents represent those people who inwardly profess Christ but whose outward testimony is nothing.  I am sure that we have all met people whom we thought were Christians but who never confessed publicly that Jesus was their Savior.  The world is full of these people who seemingly drift along with the tide.  As Christians we are to be steadfast, immovable (1 Corinthians 15:58).  We are to be courageous (Joshua 1:9).  We are to be bold (Acts 4:31).  We are to be aggressive (Acts 1:8).  As Christians we can experience the power of God in us (Philippians 4:13).  Let us not be blinded by our fears.

The final person who had a type of blindness was the blind man himself.  Although he had been physically blind, he had spiritual insight into what Jesus had done.  We read, in verse 25, He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know.  One thing I do know.  I was blind but now I see!"  It is a simple fact of Christian experience that we may not be able to express in correct theological language what we believe, but we can not deny what Jesus has done for us.  The blind man said, "Say what you like, I don't know anything about him except that he made me able to see."  As one person said, "It is better to love Jesus than to love theologies about Jesus.

This man was a simple soul who was prepared to do what he was told.  He made no appeal to Jesus to do anything, but he was prepared to do anything.  What a lesson for me.  I need to come to God, not with my list of wishes, but simply to come and be prepared to do what Jesus tells me to do.  Then I notice the immediate obedience of this man.  There was something in the voice of Jesus which encouraged him to do what Jesus had said.  And, he was an honest soul.  He refused to be deflected form the facts.  His story never wavered even though the pressure was intense.  And, what a spiritual journey this man experienced.  He began by calling Jesus merely a man (verse 11).  Then he describes Jesus as a prophet (verse 17).  Now a prophet was a man who brought God's message to men.  A prophet was a man who lived close to God, and Jesus' voice echoed the voice of God - at least to the blind man.  Finally, he confesses that Jesus is the Son of God (verse 38).  He came to see that human categories were not adequate to describe Jesus.  The more we know Jesus, the more wonderful He becomes.

Friends, let me close with this profound thought from the lips of this unnamed blind man.  It may have been one of the most important witnesses for Jesus ever uttered.  "One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see."