Todays reading is John 9
So we all read John 9 today and got the chance first hand to see Jesus working in our world. A man born blind gets his eyes covered with a mixture of Jesus’ spit and dirt and then is told to go wash in the pool of Siloam. After following Jesus instructions he can see. For the first time in his life, he is not in total darkness. He is not forced to feel his way around the world or be lead by another person. His life is changed drastically by the opportunity to earn a living instead of sit at the city gate and beg for coins or food to keep himself alive each day. This turn of events moves him in society from an outcast to a functioning part of a community. It is also possible that he could now be found worthy by some family, worthy enough for them to consider giving their daughter to him in marriage. Everything has changed.
As people around him realize what has happened to him, they start questioning him to find out how this has happened. People do not lose their blindness. Everyone knows that being born blind is a lifelong ailment. So what happened? He tells his story. It doesn’t really add up to people so they take him to their leaders. Surely the people’s leaders are smart enough to be able to make sense of this craziness. When the leaders hear the story they start to argue amongst themselves because they can’t really make heads or tails of what has happened either. As they are trying to come up with a feasible answer, they ask the man to tell his story to them again and then ask him, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?” He answers that Jesus must be a prophet.” This doesn’t clear up any of the question that the leaders have so they bring in the blind man’s parents for questioning and go through the entire story again with them. A person born blind, being wiped with spit and mud, and washed in a pool of water does not equal a seeing person. What are they missing here?
The leaders decide to question the man himself a bit more thoroughly. By now, the man is fed up with the questions. Why do you want to hear the story AGAIN? Are you guys wanting to become his disciples, too? This question honked the leaders off royally! They cursed the formerly blind man and basically made fun of him for placing his trust in Jesus. The man replies, “Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” Simple, pure faith! He didn’t require logic or explanation. (There isn’t any to be had here.) He was changed, healed and he knew that Jesus was responsible for his miracle. He didn’t have to understand how or why, it was enough for him to know that it was from God or it wouldn’t have happened.
In vs 35-39 Jesus meets back up with the man and asks him a few questions to see where the mans heart is after all he has experienced. The man simply and purely professes his belief in Jesus and worships Him.(I can’t stop wondering what that looked like.) So Jesus continues to visit with him and tells him. “I entered this world to render judgment-to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind”. The leaders are standing close enough to hear Jesus comments and are offended…Are you saying we are blind? Jesus responds, “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty. But you remain guilty because you claim you can see”.
I want Jesus to see simple, pure belief in my heart. I don’t want to be lying to myself about the things in my life I am trying to cover and hide from God. I don’t want my motives to be elevating me and my agenda. I want to worship and honor the One who deserves the credit. I want my first thought to be, it was from God or it wouldn’t have happened. Can we be brave enough today to simply believe that faith in our “making the blind see”-God is exactly what we need to meet what we will face today?