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This is a series of lectures given by Mr. Edward Rabel, member of the faculty of S.M.R.S.
Winter semester 1976 - 2nd. Yr. Class. Part of Lecture 29 given on March 18, 1976
9:1And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. 9:2And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? 9:3Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 9:4We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 9:5When I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 9:6When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay, 9:7and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing. 9:8The neighbors therefore, and they that saw him aforetime, that he was a beggar, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? 9:9Others said, It is he: others said, No, but he is like him. He said, I am he. 9:10They said therefore unto him, How then were thine eyes opened? 9:11He answered, The man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to Siloam, and wash: so I went away and washed, and I received sight. 9:12And they said unto him, Where is he? He saith, I know not.
Let's look at this very wonderful incident which is one of the metaphysical highlights in Jesus' Ministry. (Read the whole passage.) Notice the punctuation on verses 3, "... but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. We must work.." Ed regards this last period as a mistake in punctuation, according to his interpretation it must read, "...but that the works of God should be made manifest in him, we must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day."
"Who did sin, this man or his parents that he should be born blind?" The clue to the futility of this question and all questions like this could be found in these words, "that he should be born blind." This is what makes the question futile. If the question was simply, "who did sin?" The answer would be, "everybody did sin." You would not be in a three dimensional dimension in a primate body if you hadn't sinned. So, let's get that straight once and for all: all have sin, there is no room for discussion on a thing like that but the thing that makes this question useless, futile is "that he should be born blind." To imply that the sin was committed to provide a reason for explaining why this man was born blind is an example of malicious thinking. We have one fact, all men have sinned; we have another fact, this man was born blind but to try to use this fact to justify or explain that fact in a situation like this is maliciousness, the very opposite of helpfulness.
Jesus obviously saw the question in this light because of his dismissal of this question with an abrupt "neither." Yet, as far as sin is concerned he knew that all have sinned. With this answer he is dismissing the maliciousness of the question that the sin can be used now as an excuse or a justification for the condition of the man and that is the totally wrong way to approach the work of God, any of the works of God. To use the mistake making, the erroneous tendencies in human nature to build an excuse or a justification for the fact of an illness. Even a congenital illness, starts the mind on a wrong trend of thought; a wrong kind of approach rather than the right trend of thought, the right tone of approach in any spiritual endeavor which Jesus so beautifully provides as an antidote to the malicious question of the disciples. The answer "... that the works of God should be manifest in him” is in no way talking about finding an excuse for the existing condition. It gets to the heart of the matter: the works of God are needed here, not an analysis of how it came about but what is needed here is the works of God. In order that the works of God should manifest in him, who has to do it, his parents have to go back in time and not sin again? Or the man has to return to his mother's womb and not sin again? We do, we who are aware of this need, we who are at least conscious of the Source of health regardless of cause. I mean secondary cause, not first cause. Then he goes about doing his work.
No matter where you are, or how you are, or who you are at the moment, NOW is always your point of contact with all Power. Because of this truth, there is no need for you or for me ever to try to go back into your past and find a point of wrongdoing, and there is no need for you to ever project yourself into the future in order to find a hopeful point of contact with all Power because you won't find it. But keeping your awareness in the now on the eternal now and in that eternal now you and the Father are one. Your point of contact with any power you need for any purpose is in the Now. Because of this a question such as who did sin or when was the sin committed is futile. It is not our job to justify an illness or to make an excuse for a fact that already is here, that is not our work anymore, our work is to find out what is God's work in this situation. Jesus is giving us truth in the place of misguided good intentions. Jesus knew that the only time that ever counted when one is involved in any healing effort is NOW. In the Now we are one with all the power of the Father and we know that our work is to bring the full power of whatever help we are capable of bringing in any situation.
Student participation: Ed, how do you relate counseling where you try to find out the cause of the problem and the truth of this passage?
Ed: Counseling is not the same thing as healing. Counseling means "talking about". I'll make a statement strictly from the personal. I have never been sold on what we call, "spiritual counseling." To me the word spiritual counseling is euphemism. Counseling to me is very limiting, it can consist on helpfully talking something over and that is about it. The real help that results from counseling is not from the counseling. What brings the help that can result from a counseling is something called realization in consciousness, if the counseling helps the counselee or counselor attain this then counseling has achieved its purpose but if counseling doesn't result in that being attained. Counseling is just some more hot air blown into race consciousness.
Don't overrate counseling, everybody does it. They assign to counseling the credit that belongs to realization. If we deviate from this awareness we are functioning within this illusion of time and all the various handicaps it engenders in our unfoldment of consciousness and while it is not possible for us to reject time in our functioning. Of course, we can do it though when we are dealing completely with the spiritual life. You can't do it with your job, with the family life, etc. In these cases you can't just dismiss time, but there is one area where it is now possible for us to overcome the time, demands and that is in spiritual realization. Here you can transcend the time concept and function perfectly and it is so simple, just knowing that NOW is our point of contact with all Power.
In verse 25 the man is asked once more about Jesus in these words, "we know that this man is a sinner. He therefore answered, Whether he be a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." Now, these appear as ironic words from the man that was healed but there is much more than irony. These words illustrate another kind of futile time wasting in connection with spiritual healing. We already covered the first type of futile time wasting, the trying to justify the fact or pinpoint the blame on a past occurrence.
The other kind of futility is illustrated here, the belief that the healing itself also needs to be justified. You see? We spent so much time justifying the things that don't need to be justified. The need for healing doesn't need justification, nor does the healing itself, especially after it had occurred. But all these Scribes and Pharisees and neighbors and friends were looking for a justification from the man and his parents or they wanted to make it unjustified. Healing does not need to be justified but accepted and utilized to help others; it needs to be accepted and thanks to be given for it. How simple, how logical, but human nature does retain its fondness for justifying and complicating.
Student participation: Speaking about the many healings seen in Katherine Kuhlman's healing meetings I observed that some of the people who had been healed had a positive attitude toward their own healing; they rejoiced and left without questions. Others would ask themselves, "Now, I wonder how much this is going to last or whether I am really healed." They formed a completely different atmosphere and a beginning of returning of symptoms almost immediately whereas the other group results were lasting.
Ed: We can say that the second group did not realize their point of contact with all Power.
Text of the original transcript of p.173-175.
Transcribed by Margaret Garvin on 04-05-2014
