Deliberately Missing The Point

The man replied... "All I know is that I used to be blind, but now I can see!...I have already told you once, and you refused to listen. Why do you want me to tell you again?" (John 9.25b & 27a NRSV)

Just before the current COVID-19 lockdown all of us had been asked to make only essential journeys. That begs the question, when is a journey really essential? We decided, after some hesitation, that taking some food to Helen's father and making sure he was all right was an essential journey.

Driving along the highway network was a surreal experience. It was like travelling in a time machine back to the 1960s. Everywhere the volume of traffic was what people giving travel bulletins on the radio sometimes call 'light'.

Occasionally, when there was scarcely a car in sight on both sides of the dual carriageway, we would say to one another, 'Look! The road is virtually empty.'

It was clear that a lot of people are heeding the official advice. Perhaps they are like the man who - on meeting the one who is 'the light for the world' (verse 5) - found he could see.

But some people remained in the dark. Feeling exasperated at their persistent questioning, the man who had regained his sight accused them of refusing to listen. There was no point in continually repeating the same message if they didn't choose to hear it.

Does this explain the 'Skegness Effect'? At a loose end on the first day of Spring, thousands of people descended on Skegness, and there was a similar mass migration to Bridlington, Brighton and other seaside resorts. Others have taken themselves off to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Were these journeys essential?

Where they trying to outrun the virus or just enjoy themselves after a week of bad news? There has never been a more important time for us all to listen and make sure we are seeing clearly what needs to be done. Refusing to listen to the experts is not a viable option.

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