THE BLIND SEE
John 9: One day Jesus and his disciples were walking and came upon a man who was blind from birth, and they asked Him who was to blame for his condition, because in those days people related infirmities with sin in one's life or a relative. Jesus told them in John 9:3, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." Jesus covered the man's eyes with clay and told him to go to the pool of Siloam and wash his eyes, which he did and his sight was restored. The manner in which this was performed by Jesus was a test of the man's faith. He believed in Jesus and his faith made him well. Even though the people saw this miracle with their own eyes some of them refused to believe that it was the same person.
They brought the formerly blind man to the Pharisees to show them the man on whom the miracle was performed. It was on a Sabbath day and the Pharisees didn't particularly appreciate Jesus 'working' on that day. Of course they didn't believe what happened and began to question the man repeatedly and asked him the same questions over and over again. They even queried his parents, thinking that it was not the man, and his parents also confirmed the man's story. The man finally became agitated and began to tell the Pharisees a thing or two. This man was no dummy. His words pierced the minds of the Pharisees and they threw him out of the Temple, accusing him of trying to teach them some things. Apparently he challenged the Pharisees, finding it difficult to believe they didn't know where Jesus came from considering all the miracles He was performing. He also told them that God hears people who are willing to serve Him. He placed emphasis on his position when he reminded them that no one who had been born blind was ever made able to see, since the beginning of time. The final blow to the Pharisees came when he told them that Jesus could do nothing unless it was of God; John 9:33, "If this man were not from God he could do nothing." They called him a sinner and threw him out.
Jesus came upon the man and asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" John 9:35. He asked Jesus who that was. Jesus told him in John 9:37, "You have now seen him; in fact he is the one speaking with you." The man confessed his belief in Jesus. Jesus then explained the reason He came on earth was to show those people who thought they could 'see' and couldn't, (these were the so called religious people of that day) and for those people who were 'blind', but now had the opportunity to see the truth, see John 9:39. The effect of His presence and teaching caused a division among the people. The Pharisees said to Him, "What, are we blind too?" Jesus replied in John 9:41, "If you were blind you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."
Meaning to me: the compassion and power of Jesus never ceases. We see this when He felt sorry for the blind man and made him see; his faith made him well. This is a further demonstration that nothing is impossible for God. The fact that there was disagreement among the witnesses to this miracle as to the identity of the man tells me to be very careful to whom you listen. Here we see two people seeing the same event with their own opinion as to what took place. Not even the Pharisees could agree, some believed, others didn't. Situations like these prove to me that man is not dependable in his appraisal of things and should not be relied upon in all circumstances. We don't have to be subjected to one's opinion about spiritual things when we have the final word from God, i.e. the Bible. Verses 35-38 clearly show the reason for the man's healing, his faith in God, he believed. Verse 39 demonstrates the effect of Jesus' presence in the world at that time, the blind see and those who thought they could see couldn't (religious people). The people who didn't know God, when given the chance, did believe in faith. It is always faith first; revelation follows. The religiously righteous, if you will allow me a liberty of words, didn't really know after all, because they had (have) hardened hearts and never knew (know) who the true God was, and the same thing applies today as it always has since the beginning of time.
What I plan to do with what I have learned from this chapter is to rely more on the Bible and less on what man says. It's interesting to remember that Judaism was the 'religion' of the day at that time, for the Jews who were and are God's chosen people, and yet they didn't know the true God, according to Jesus, and I am not going to doubt Him. This makes me think, as it might you, as to what we listen to and what path we are on for eternity. The Bible, in its entirety, is my choice.
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