He never saw trees, birds, or people. Color wasn’t in his world. Read about him in your Bible in John chapter 9.
Was he a teen? Was he a twenty-something? Was he forty when Jesus helped him? What’s his name?
Details in the Bible include these: He was born blind; the disciples of Jesus believed his blindness was punishment for sin (so did the Jews, but Jesus doesn’t condone man’s opinions); the blind man was a beggar. Was the healing power in Jesus’ saliva, the mud, the pool -- or was the healing power in his faith to obey Jesus? Jesus said the man’s blindness was not caused by sin, but was to glorify God!
What would life be like if you were blind? One man gives his personal perspective: “My eye disease is untreatable and inoperable. The retina specialists all told me upfront, ‘You did nothing to cause this, and you could do nothing to prevent it.’ Stargardt Disease is rare and hereditary. My younger sister also has it. Vision slowly deteriorates. Large dead zones, black areas, in the center of the vision will continue to grow. It affects both eyes, preventing me from seeing details such as facial features. My wife tells me who people are at church and in stores. After driving across America and through many foreign countries for over 50 years, I gave up driving. It would endanger too many lives to continue. That was an overwhelming loss of freedom! Quick trips to stores require a driver. My wife has exclusively driven for the past ten years.”
“I can’t read to my grandkids anymore. That really hurts!”
“Plugging electric cords into sockets usually takes several attempts because I can’t see the slots for inserting cord prongs. Simple jobs are impossible to accomplish.”
“Reading menus, even if lighted (think Braum’s), requires help. At buffets, I ask total strangers in line to identify food items.”
He then added, “There are several more unsettling symptoms, but I am blest.”
“Here’s the blessing! Stargardt Disease typically affects a person’s sight at eight years old.” He said, “I was 61 years old! I’ve seen so much in those 53 gifted years. That IS a great blessing!”
The man says he prayed for healing, as the apostle Paul did (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). He also never blamed or questioned God. Nor did he “curse God and die,” as Job’s wife suggested for him ( Job 2:9). This blind man instead rejoices (Philippians 4:4-8).
The Lord is always in his life, he said. He may have lost his sight, but he hasn’t lost sight of God! He knows that the blood of Jesus continually cleanses him of sin (1 John 1:7-10). He’d tell you, “That’s more valuable than sight!” It is!