Here's Mud in Your Eye!

When I was a child, we didn't have TV or video games. Most of my days were spent playing outside with my friends. We built houses out of cardboard boxes, played baseball in a vacant lot, and climbed trees. When the day was over, I must admit that I was covered with dirt from head to toe, but I sure had a lot of fun.

A company in England which makes laundry detergent was concerned that many children today are missing out on the simple pleasures of childhood because their mothers don't want them to get dirty. They began a campaign called "Dirt is good!" and they came up with a list of "The 33 things you must do before you are 10." Some of the things that made their list might surprise you. Number one on the list was to roll on your side down a grassy bank. Number two on the list was to make a mud pie!

Have you ever made a mud pie? All you need is some dirt, water, and a pie pan. I have all of those things right here. Why don't we make a mud pie? First, I will add some water to the dirt in this mixing bowl. Then I'll stir it up until it is smooth and creamy -- just like a chocolate pie. Now I will pour it into this pie pan and smooth it out. If you like, you can add some small rocks, leaves, and dried flowers for decoration. When you have finished, the mud pie is put out in the hot sun to bake. One thing I should tell you is that you never eat your mud pie. They are just fun to make!

Making mud pies is one great thing you can do with mud, but in our Bible story today, Jesus does something even more wonderful with a little mud. Listen, and I think you will agree.

Jesus was walking with his disciples when they saw a man who had been blind since birth. The disciples thought that man was blind because he or his parents had sinned, but Jesus told them, "It is not because of his sins or his parents' sins. This happened so that the power of God could be seen in his life." Then Jesus knelt down, spit on the ground, and stirred up some mud. He took the mud and put it on the blind man's eyes. He told him, "Now, go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam." The man went and washed the mud from his eyes and when he came back, he could see!

Now, you would think that everyone would think that it was wonderful that the blind man could see, but the Pharisees weren't. Do you know why? It was because Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath. The Pharisees thought that was a sin to do anything on the Sabbath -- even if it was to help someone in need. You see, they were more concerned with keeping their religious laws than they were with helping people. When the pharisees asked the man how he had been healed, he told them that Jesus had healed him. They became angry and said to him, "God should get the glory for this -- we know this man Jesus is a sinner."

"I don’t know whether he is a sinner," the man replied. "But I do know this: I was blind, and now I can see!"

I don't know what problems you may be facing in your life, but I know that if Jesus can heal a blind man with a little bit of mud, he can help you with anything you might be facing.

Heavenly Father, we are here today in need of the touch of Jesus. We pray that lives will be changed so that your name will be glorified. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.