Now I See

The blind man that Jesus healed was born blind. In biblical times, Jews assumed that sin caused a person to be born without sight. But Jesus dismissed the Jews’ belief. He saw the man’s helplessness and poverty. He took the initiative to reach out to him. He used mud and saliva to restore his sight.

This provoked the Pharisees who saw the mud-making as an activity forbidden on the Sabbath. The biggest cause of disturbance, however, was not the method of healing, but the healing itself. Jesus created sight where there was none. It was so unbelievable that the Pharisees interrogated the blind man and his parents.

The blind man, vexed by their line of interrogation, showed his exasperation at the Pharisees’ inability to see the truth of the matter—Jesus was no sinner; He was of God, because only God could have performed such a miracle. The Pharisees wrestled with logic, reality, and unbelief. Unable to accept the truth, they excommunicated the man from the synagogue.

But the story does not end there. When Jesus confronted the man and revealed Himself to him, the man believed in Him, and worshipped Him as Lord. The unschooled beggar saw with eyes of faith what the learned Pharisees had failed to see: Jesus was greater than the teachers or prophets. Jesus was the Son of God.

We too were blind once because we lived in sin. Jesus came to earth to remove darkness from our hearts and to illuminate our minds with the truth. Only when we know Jesus and surrender to His Lordship, are our eyes truly opened and our lives truly free.

Respond

• How can you express your gratitude to Jesus today for bringing you out of darkness and into the light?
• Have you faced ridicule or persecution for believing in Jesus? How did it strengthen your faith?