Thursday, April 22, 2010

Blind Leading Blind Bartimaeus

Mike Huckabee offended an acquaintance of mine. She sent out a mass email, and thus I learned about the offense. Huckabee reiterated his stand against same-sex marriage. Huckabee said when we decide which lifestyles should be accepted by society, we create a slippery slope. "Why do you get to choose that two men are OK but one man and three women aren't OK?" By moving to a greater inclusiveness, we open the doors to acts we consider more reprehensible. If one man and three women are okay, why not a woman and a dog? A man and a child?

My two examples repulse nearly everyone right now, just as homosexuality and polygamy once repulsed our society. However, we do have groups who believe men and young boys as well as bestiality.

Liberals strike out to silence Christians who say, with Huckabee, that it is "crucial" we don't "legitimize immorality." We sound like prigs when we state marriage is between a man and a woman and when we agree with Huckabee that '(marriage) has never meant two men, two women, a man and his pet, or a man and a whole herd of pets."

In Luke 18:35-43, we read about blind Bartimaeus. He knows Jesus is in the area and he cries out to Him."Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet..."

How many "leaders" tell us to be quiet? If I say a lesbian relationship is immoral, I'm branded as a close minded, cruel person--not one with morals. We need to be like Bartimaeus, when told to be quiet, this blind man "...shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

What was the end result of Bartimaeus' cries? "Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord, I want to see," he replied. Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God."

If we refuse to be quiet about truth, others, too, may receive sight and like the multitude surrounding the blind man, praise God for the truth.