John 9:24-25-So they again called the man who was blind and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.” He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
When Jesus first began His public ministry, He cautioned those healed and delivered to keep the news to themselves. When Jesus healed the man of leprosy in Matthew 8, He said:
“See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Matthew 8:4 NKJV
After Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Son of God, He told them to keep that news to themselves:
Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
Matthew 16:20 NKJV
And after the experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus slightly changed His warning from “tell no one” to delaying the message:
Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”
Matthew 17:9 NKJV
As a result of this, some people become hesitant to share the blessings of God they experience, believing that Jesus was setting a precedence that we are to keep those things to ourselves. I won’t pretend to understand fully why Jesus asked those individuals to keep silent, but I submit that it had more to do with timing than it did with keeping silent about a blessing.
In Mark 5, Jesus set a demon-possessed man free. The man wanted to follow Jesus because he was extremely grateful to be in his right man and to be free. However, Jesus wouldn’t let the man follow Him. Instead, Jesus gave him an assignment:
However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
Mark 5:19-20 NKJV
In this situation, Jesus told the man to go and tell everybody in his hometown, friends and family alike, how wonderful God had been to him. And the man did what Jesus said!
When John the Baptist was in prison, he asked Jesus to confirm that He was indeed the Messiah. Jesus responded to John’s inquiry:
“Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Luke 7:22 NKJV
What did they see and hear? They saw miracles happening in the lives of the people. They heard the praises of God going forth! They saw God inhabit the situations of the lives of everyday people and that the gospel was accessible to all.
It didn’t matter if Jesus told them to keep silent or to share; the results were the same, people heard the wonderful things that Jesus did.
Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Mark 7:35-37 NKJV
Yes! Jesus does all things well! Even today! As we look forward to the Thanksgiving season in America, it’s typically a time of reflection. We tend to stop and remember the many blessings that we have experienced since the last Thanksgiving season. For some of us, it is the only time we stop and reflect because we soon lose focus on how blessed we truly are. For others, it’s just another wonderful time to thank God for all He has done or is doing in our lives. We know it, and we have no problems proclaiming it!
My wondering today is not so much if we are blessed but if we are able to handle the blessings that happen in the lives of others. Recently, I was speaking with a young lady who is experiencing a tremendous amount of favor. As a result, she has received some backlash from others. She’s being heralded as one who has to tell everyone about everything that is good in her life!
I told her that this is how people talk when they are experiencing envy over what is happening in another person’s life. They just want to rain on her parade! In the book of Proverbs is a wonderful verse:
The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.
Proverbs 10:22 NKJV
When God pours out His blessings upon you, He doesn’t add sorrow to them. But people can add sorrow to your blessings! Or they can try!
When Jacob gave his son Joseph a coat of many colors, he wanted to bless his son. Not looking at all the other things in play, we see that his brothers were unhappy about that. They rained on his parade! It got so bad they sold him into slavery! It was difficult for Joseph to enjoy the blessing with so many haters!
When Abel was told by God that his sacrifice was pleasing, Cain got angry. God told Cain, don’t be angry, do the right thing! Cain chose to rain on Abel’s parade! He killed his brother!
When the man in our key text was healed of his lifelong impairment of blindness, the religious leaders were not happy! They decided to rain on his parade. They badgered him and his parents with questions about whether he was truly blind all his life. They questioned him relentlessly about how he received his sight! They could not or would not feel one ounce of joy or thankfulness for the wonderful thing that happened in his life. And then they kicked him out of the synagogue!
I wish I could tell you that doesn’t happen today! I wish I could tell you that no one would be so hateful, so envious, or so petty that the blessings of God on your life would ever bring out such strong and negative emotions from those who are supposed to rejoice with you! Paul wrote:
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Romans 12:15 NKJV
That is the posture believers are to have with one another. So when another believer struggles with the blessings of God in your life, leave them to Jesus and continue to rejoice over what God has done for you! As for the unbeliever, don’t ever expect them to really rejoice with you! They don’t understand that God’s favor is upon your life. But believers should understand it and rejoice in it!
Is there a right time to share? I believe the timing is important. Is there a correct way to share the blessings of God in your life? I also believe this is a true statement. But remember that no matter how you rejoice over the blessings of God in your life, you can’t predetermine how others will receive them, so there’s no point in allowing them to rain on your parade!!
Go ahead! Rejoice in what God has done and is doing in your life! Give Him glory, praise, and all the honor because it is due Him. Let the rain fall where it may! You once were blind, but now you see! You once were poor, but now you are rich! You once were unemployed, but now you have an amazing job! You once were a high school dropout, but now you have a bachelor’s degree! Rejoice, and again I say rejoice! Wonderful Jesus!
Wonderful Jesus! 