John 9
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
Amazing Grace. I knew the words of this song before I was able to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. I’m sure as a child the thought of being blind and then being able to see was – well, pretty amazing.
Also amazing is this story in John 9 of how Jesus heals a man blind from birth. Jesus and his disciples had gone to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, and on the Sabbath, Jesus saw a blind beggar and they stopped. The disciples then asked Jesus – “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” It was common then for people to assume that this man’s blindness was the direct result of sin – either that of the man himself or of his parents. But Jesus answered neither sinned, but that he was “born blind so that God’s work might be revealed in him.” Jesus then spat on dirt and placed the mud on the man’s eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The blind man obediently did as Jesus requested and then miraculously was physically able to see.
Two things really struck me. First of all, that the man Jesus chose to heal had been blind from birth. This is someone unaccustomed to light and dark, to the faces of his parents and friends and to all of his physical surroundings. Can you imagine going from that darkness to sight? And second, that they stopped for a blind beggar. How often was it for this man not to be noticed by all those who would pass by? How easy is it for us to be blind to those in need? So many metaphors here.
Those who had known him as a blind man struggle to believe this is the same man, so they bring him to the Pharisees to get answers. He tells the Pharisees how Jesus rubbed the mud on his eyes and then told him to wash and then he could see. Not at all convinced, the Pharisees ask for the blind man’s parents to testify that this is truly their son and to confirm that he was born blind which they do. However, the parents will not answer how it is that he can see or who healed him. They lacked the courage to answer these questions as they were afraid of being rejected from the church, which in those days would have meant isolation.
At this point the Pharisees ask the same questions again. They simply cannot accept that Jesus healed this once blind man. The Pharisees only see that the Sabbath rules have been broken reinforcing their disapproval of Jesus’ healing. And the Pharisees cannot accept that this Jesus is from God, “as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man is upset and basically says to them, you are missing the point! I can see!!! I am right here before you, no longer blind and yet you can’t accept that. Believe what your eyes are telling you! Even though the proof is right in front of them, they will not see. The healed man is then driven out of the temple.
Lucky for this man, Jesus finds him and asks him if he believes in him. He responds he does believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Not only did Jesus open the eyes of a blind man physically but spiritually too.
Pretending to see is spiritual blindness. The juxtaposition of the blindness of the Pharisees and a blind man who sees what the religious leaders do not is everything here.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do you find yourself requiring physical proof that God is still at work in our world?
- Are you able to see God’s work when it presents itself?
- Do you know people who consider themselves Christians but appear to be spiritually blind? Does this happen to you at times?
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you so much for your Word. Rich with metaphors, it is so applicable to our modern world. Please open our eyes to your love and to your works. We never want to be spiritually blind. Thank you for a savior who always sees us. In today’s vernacular, we are seen.
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