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'The penny drops' means understanding has
come. Realisation has dawned and the picture has become clearer. The
reference is to a coin taking a long time to operate the machinery of
a slot machine. Have you ever tried explaining something to someone
only to be frustrated because they just don't get it? You might tease
them by saying that you can almost 'see the machinery of their brain
working, the cogs slowly moving, the pulleys taking the strain'.
In this chapter understanding has slowly dawned on the disciples.
Previously they had seen thousands miraculously fed, demons cast out,
the deaf and mute made to hear and speak, the blind made to see, Jesus
power over nature as he walked on water. They had received thrilling
personal instruction and had witnessed first hand Jesus challenge the
traditions that had obscured God's commands. Finally they witness a
most curious miracle. A blind man is healed but not all at once as before.
He first sees, 'people, they look like trees walking around.'
Finally, after a second touch from Jesus, his sight is restored fully
and 'he saw everything clearly'.
This is a picture of the slow dawning of the disciples. It is a picture
of so many who come to Jesus and simply don't 'get it'. The penny hasn't
dropped and they only see part of the picture. They will say he is a
good man, 'the greatest man who ever lived.' They will confess
that he is admirable and say, 'if only we could all live like this
man the world would be a better place.' There will be some who will
strive to follow his example, although they will never succeed. But
they reason, 'if we do the best we can what more could anyone expect?'
For some the penny finally drops and they realise they can't possibly put this man in a category with others. They see that he is more than simply a moral teacher, a fine example, a tragic martyr to an impossible ideal. While some may dismiss him and others strive to follow his example, those for whom the penny has dropped bow down and worship him, as did Thomas in that upper room (John 20).
Today the life of Jesus still challenges every person on the planet. The challenge is met with indifference in some. Others dismiss him as an impossible ideal from a simpler age. Some follow him around asking questions but still puzzled by the answers. They go to church for years, alternately enchanted and puzzled by what they see and hear. There are those in this world today who actively strive to be rid of him. Jesus and his followers are a real threat to their personal ambitions and humanistic philosophies. In Scripture people meet the same Jesus today and their reactions are as varied as when he walked the earth. Has the penny dropped for you?
Even as Christians there is always so much more we can learn. There is always more to Jesus and the father's plan for people than we currently grasp. We must seek that dawning experience in our pilgrimage every day of our lives. I pray the Lord will show us more of himself this week as we bow before him and seek to know more of his grace, more of his love, more of Jesus.
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