“He replied, ‘The man they call Jesus…put mud on my eyes…and I washed, and now I see’… Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath’… Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him. Jesus said, ‘…the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’” John 9:11-39.
If you have never read this passage you will truly be blessed if you read through it. It is full of spiritual principles that each one of us can apply to our lives. First of all, this was a man in dire need of healing as he had been blind from birth. His life had been a string of years of begging since that was the only way he received provision. He looked to others to provide for Him in his lack. Jesus stopped one Sabbath and provided a way of healing. No one can heal us except for Jesus. Our second principle is that Jesus may heal us in a manner that seems unorthodox and illogical. Thankfully, this man was desperate and followed the suggestion of Jesus. We must be desperate for Him instead of desperate for any other thing or person. He became a follower of Jesus and gave Him the complete glory for the healing. Lastly, the Pharisees refused to believe that Jesus was the prophesied Christ. They were bold enough to challenge Jesus, His position and His power to heal. We must trust Him if we are going to approach Him. How ironic is it that the beggar who could not see gained sight, and the ones who could see became blind to Jesus?
Aren’t we just like these people in this story? We are so blind to things in our lives that need the healing of Jesus such as bitterness, unforgiveness, selfishness or doubt. We beg and beg for release from our unloveliness, but will we follow the instructions God gives us to be healed? Will we forgive...show grace ...believe? Will we trust Him enough to courageously walk out the journey He places before us? Or are we like the Pharisees who go around judging others to avoid their own walk? We use what little spiritual sight we have when dealing with others who are hurting. We are so focused on our own things that we miss the miracles that are happening right before us. We challenge Jesus sometimes because we see His work and power in the lives of other people, but not our own. When we don’t see the Savior saving us, we tend to demote Him and become blind to His presence. Just like the Pharisees, Jesus can be standing right in front of us and yet we miss Him. ‘It is possible for Jesus to be in our midst, and for us to still have a Pharisee heart.’ Finding I Am, Lysa TerKeurst, p. 62.
John Newton, who penned Amazing Grace turned from his faith as a young adult. Life’s challenges and painful circumstances led him back to God and his testimony is in the beautiful words of this hymn...'was blind but now I see.' Shortly before his death he proclaimed, ‘My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior!’
“‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash’…So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” John 9:7.
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