A Case of Gender & Identity Confusion

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. — John 9:1-3

So here we see that Jesus had some pronouns. He, his, and him. Because, gentlemen, God imparts identity. That's the way it works. The Creator creates, and he determines the design of creation. This includes the gender of his Son, Jesus.

And because Jesus is clear about his identity, he can see through what appears to be a case of identity confusion for the disciples. During a casual conversation, they wonder about the theological implications of the blind man's blindness. You see, Jews believed that every disease and disability was due to an instigating sin. So, in this case, the man's blindness was attributed to a sin he or his parents had committed.

But Jesus clarifies this isn't the case.

But Jesus is not saying this man was born sinless. Nor that his parents were sinless. He only states that this man's blindness did not stem from a specific sin he or his parents committed. And Jesus can see this. Jesus can see this because he can see the nature and effects of all sin. But these men cannot. Therefore they have made an incorrect assumption, leading to a wrong conclusion. And Jesus is correcting their theological conclusions from centuries of incorrect assumptions about diseased and disabled people.

What we read here is a warning to us as believers. We need to be cautious about our thoughts and the implications that our thoughts may have on other people. In this situation, theological ideas have socialized among believers for hundreds of years. This has led them to draw wrong assumptions about people that were projected onto them, resulting in them making wrong conclusions about their identity.

We see a similar thing happening in our world right now, don't we?

On one side of the gender identity debate, some groups want Christians to celebrate gender on a theoretical spectrum. This is impossible for me to do. I can't celebrate this because, according to the Bible, God determines gender and instructs me not to celebrate sin. But I should also check myself and ensure that I don't make wrong theological assumptions about groups of people that I apply to every person. Because sometimes those assumptions might be wrong and result in wrong conclusions. I should never want my theology to become a prison that shackles people to untrue beliefs about their situation and about God.

And I don't want to do this because I, too, have been held captive by the incorrect assumptions and conclusions of others. And no one likes this. Not the blind man in Jesus's time nor the gender-confused person in our time.

In our time, we need godly men who hold to biblical views on identity. But these biblical views were designed to both convict and free men. So take a stand for godly beliefs, but in each situation, give pause to your assumptions. You might meet someone today who is blinded to the truth about God. And you might be the person God has assigned to heal them from their blindness so that they can discover their identity in Christ.

ASK THIS: Is someone around you confused about their identity? What assumption have you made about them? Have you told them the truth about Jesus? Why or why not?

DO THIS: Lay down your assumptions and tell them the truth about Jesus.

PRAY THIS: God, I lay down my assumptions and my hatred. Help me to see men the way you do. Allow me to stand for my beliefs and love those who are blind. Give me the courage to speak the truth in love.

PLAY THIS: I Am Not Alone.