“I once was blind, but now I see!”
In John 9:1-7 (NIV), there is a story about a man in need. Speaking of Jesus, it says: “1As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind (lookup verses 3- 7)?”
People who are born without sight can’t know what they are missing, so how could you ever tell them or describe something? People who are born with sight and then lose it, can never understand the utter darkness of being born blind. Even if you lose your sight, you still have memories. So, this blind man sits there without hope that he will ever see. There are three things in this passage we can relate to: First, the way others saw the blind man; Second, was the way the man saw Jesus; and Third is the way we should see others.
First, how did the disciples and others see the blind man? The disciples saw the same man as Jesus, and immediately they classified him as a sinner. The religious leaders of Jesus’ time had the erroneous notion that if you were in dire straits or down on your luck, it was because you had sinned. They believed it was God’s judgment upon them for your sin, or your parent’s sin.
Second, how did the blind man see Jesus? Before the blind man could see, Jesus rubs mud on the man’s eyes, and told him: “7Go,” He told him, “Wash in the Pool of Siloam.” So, the man went.” Notice he didn’t ask questions, look over Jesus’ qualifications, or even require references.
Third, how did Jesus see him? Like us, when Jesus saw this man, He saw a blind man that needed His help. Remember, the blind, the lame, the leprous, and the poor people were looked down on by society as sinners, as wicked people—they were sinners to be shunned. But Jesus neither saw them as wicked people or as sinners. He as persons with integrity and worth and. He loved them and embraced them, and He healed them.
This is another one of those beautiful stories of Jesus healing someone. This time, it was a man born blind; a man that had never seen anything. A man who could say, “I once was blind, but now I see!” Then, as now . . . Jesus takes an everyday situation and uses it for a spiritual lesson: a lesson about spiritual blindness. It is a story about Christian maturity in a blind man. Has it happened to you?
Like us, blind at birth, the man went from totally blind to seeing Jesus as a man, then as a prophet, then finally as the Son of God and his Lord. How is your sight? Are you seeing Jesus clearly? Are you still blind OR has your sight been restored? Jesus gave sight to the blind! Many can see with their eyes, but their hearts are spiritually blind.
Always in His Service,
Pastor Ron
Fellowship Church of the Nazarene