John 9  What a wonderful story of healing and truth we read in this account by John.  It starts with an innocent question by the disciples, who had been taught a lie.  "Rabbi, who sinned - this man or his parents- to cause him to be born blind?" 

The truth, Jesus says, is " His blindness is due neither to his sin nor to that of his parents; it happened so that God's power might be seen at work in him."  We are not told how old this man is, but he must have been at least a teenager.  Young enough that his parents are called in to answer questions, but old enough that they tell the Pharisees that he can speak for himself.  The family must have been poor, that the young man had to resort to begging.  But, this young man was bright and confident in his answers to the Pharisees.

Jesus repeats His proclamation that He is "the light of the world." In the light, He says, " .. we must keep doing the work of the One who sent me..."   In this healing, Jesus does something different than He did in previous healings... He makes mud out of dirt and spit, puts it on the man's eyes, and then sends him to wash in the pool of  Shiloach - the pool of "sent".   "So he went and washed and came away seeing!" 

The man repeats his testimony to the neighbors and then to the Pharisees and to the Judeans.  Everyone asks the same questions and he gives them the same answer... " I was blind and now I see." 
His answers are straight forth and honest.  But, he does a get a little feisty.. "What a strange thing... that you don't know where He's from - considering that he opened my eyes! We know that God doesn't listen to sinners; but if anyone fears God and does his will, God does listen to him. In all history no one has ever heard of someone's opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn't do a thing!"  Truth!!!!

But, they just threw him out of the synagogue.

Jesus found the man and asked him a question, " Do you trust in the Son of Man?"  The answer is immediate, " Sir.. tell me who he is , so that I can trust in him."  The man was not only healed from physical blindness but now received spiritual sight... "Lord, I trust!" 

Jesus came to judge, He says... "so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind."  What an interesting and challenging statement.  We are all born blind.. spiritually and we must come to the Light and be touched by Him in order to see.. to believe.. to be saved and made new.  But, the Pharisees, who denied that they were blind..  who believed that they saw better than everyone else.. were blinded to the truth of who Jesus really was.

Paul addressed this in II Corinthians 3: 14-16 " But their minds were hardened; for until this very day .. the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.... but whenever a man turns to the Lord , the veil is taken away. "  And 4:3-4 "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."  

The Jews considered themselves a "guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness..." Romans 2:19 But, they were still behind the veil.. still blind theirselves.   In Matthew 15 :14  Jesus said this about the Pharisees, " Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." 

Father in heaven, open the eyes of our hearts, Lord.. we want to see You. High and Lifted up.. Shining like a light in Your glory!  Thank You for giving us eyes to see and hearts to receive Jesus Christ, the True Light of the World.   May we walk in the Light and shine Your glory wherever we go. Amen.