Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
(Part One)
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”
“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
John 9:1-5, 15-16, 25 New Living Translation (NLT)
Blindness is an affliction experienced in several ways. Physical blindness is one way. Spiritual blindness is another. I want to break this into two parts to speak to these two types of blindness. In this case, Jesus came upon a man blind from birth. His disciples wanted to know whose fault it was. That's human nature. We have a need to make sure we're safe from what could be contagious! We have a need for someone else to be less deserving than we are when they don't have enough and we have much more. Jesus explained that this man was born blind to give God an opportunity to show up and show out because He is able and we need to see a miracle sometimes to believe it. Sometimes it is seen but still not believed, even by those who claim to love God.
The Pharisees were pretty caught up in religious tradition. Yet, they missed the point. Jesus came to point it out. Eventually, Christ would die for helping them battle their sins and to provide for the forgiveness of sin once and for everyone who would believe in Him. During this time and place of Scripture, Jesus was simply glorifying God and healing a man born blind. And the Pharisees had a problem with the day of the week Jesus did it. Healing a blind man on the Sabbath made Christ a "sinner."
We have personalities in our world today that think just like the Pharisees. There are many people who know of Jesus Christ but don't have His heart and who don't love according to His commands. When Jesus returns, He will point them out too. In the meantime, just like He did for the man born blind, Jesus is Jehovah Rapha and He can and does heal. You don't need to believe me, believe Him and see for yourself.
“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”