Scripture: So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
John 9:24-41 ESV
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Observation: Recapping yesterday’s Daily Focus, neighbors, acquaintances, and religious leaders all question whether the man born blind is the same man who can now see. Astonished, they ask how he gained his sight. Giving credit to Jesus, the man shares all the details of the healing process. Additionally, the religious leaders argue whether God has anointed Jesus to do such work, given that he healed on the Sabbath. With no consensus, they ask this man what he thinks of Jesus. Unhesitantly, the man says Jesus is a prophet. Still, these supposed guardians of the faith do not believe him. So they interrogate his parents to confirm his identity and inquire how he sees now. Fearful of excommunication for confessing that Jesus is the Christ, they claim their ignorance and ask the religious leaders to talk to their son directly since he is an adult.
Today’s devotion concludes the story and begins with the religious leaders again interrogating the once-blind man. Irritated and thin on patience, they demand that he give God glory and contend that Jesus is a sinner. Unimpressed, the man declares: “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (v.25). Losing patience, these chief priests again ask the man how Jesus opened his eyes. Remaining composed, the man quips that he has already told them and sarcastically asks if they want to become one of Jesus’ disciples. Indignant, they fire back that they are disciples of Moses and that Moses comes from God, but they do not know of Jesus’ origin.
But the man presses harder. Noting their ignorance of this man who opened his eyes, he shares his knowledge of a basic tenet of their faith: God does not listen to (unrepentant) sinners but will listen to all who worship him and do his will. Concluding his testimony, the once-blind man notes this is the first time that any human being has healed a man born blind and contends that if Jesus were not from God, he could do nothing. Taking umbrage, these proud, erudite leaders accuse the man of being born in utter sin and question how he dares to apprise them.
Finally, when Jesus hears all that transpired, he approaches the man and asks if he believes in the Son of Man. Unhesitantly, the man asks Jesus to reveal this person to him so that he might worship him. Jesus affirms he is the Son of Man. So, the man confesses his faith and worships Jesus. Accordingly, Jesus explains that his mission is to establish justice so that those seeking the truth will find it (see) while those who think they know it all will become spiritually blind. Meanwhile, some nearby Pharisees overhear their conversation and question whether Jesus thinks they are blind. Jesus cryptically responds that their guilt remains because they see (possess the messianic revelations of Scripture) and are unrepentant.
Takeaway: A couple of themes thread throughout the second half of the story of the man born blind:
- Seeing is not necessarily believing.
- Those who genuinely “see” worship God and align with his will.
Regarding the first point, the pride and arrogance of the religious leaders clouded their discernment and rational thinking. Rather than remain open-minded to the evidence staring them in the face, they sought to suppress the truth with threats (excommunication) and insults (against Jesus and the blind man). Undoubtedly, their blasphemous remarks miss the mark, for they accuse the sinless Savior of the world of being a sinner. Still, they are partly correct in charging the man born blind of being steeped in sin. Inherited sin has saturated all our souls. And outside of the atoning work of Christ, we will never sufficiently cleanse ourselves of our selfish ways to enter God’s holy presence. But these proud chief priests have spoken out of turn. They wrongfully judged the man born blind based on his prior congenital disability and lower social status. Their actions are treacherous, for unlike their touted patriarch, Moses, they incriminate themselves as unrepentant sinners and deny their only means of forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life.
As for the second theme, if we genuinely see and believe, we will yearn to worship God and desire to please him by doing his will. Set in their ways, the religious leaders pretentiously observed the laws, offered sacrifices, and prayed aloud in public for show. But Jesus saw through them and called them out as hypocrites whose hearts were far from God (Matthew 15:7-9). Indeed, their well-constructed interpretations and observance of the Mosaic laws served their egos and promoted self-worship. In contrast, this formerly blind man, who challenged the religious leader to consider that God listens to those who worship and obey him, backed up his words by seeing, believing, worshipping, and seeking to do Christ’s will.
Our takeaway and part? It is no different for us. First, to see the Spirit of Jesus moving in and around us, we must look beyond the obvious and mundane to the subtle and supernatural ways our Lord works. In other words, we must walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Sometimes, to do so, we have to move beyond majority opinion (as did the once-blind man).
Secondly, to hone our spiritual vision, we must continually direct our thoughts and feelings toward the Father and Son and worship them in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). Indeed, like the once-blind man, if we are genuinely grateful for gaining our spiritual sight, we will sincerely offer our praise and adoration and yearn to please the One who gave his all for us by obeying him. And his grace abounds when we come up short.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who, through his incarnate ministry, revealed you to us so that we might see, worship, and obey the two of you. And we thank you for your Holy Spirit, who points us to your Son, guides us in all truth, and provokes us to do your will. Still, we confess that even though your Son has covered our sins, its lingering presence tempts us to drift away and lose sight of what’s most important. So, please help focus on you and your Son so that we may regularly worship the two of you and submit to your Holy Spirit’s guidance to align with your will. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling