We all need to open our eyes and see who Jesus is and the life he offers. Only he can restore and reveal our vision.
Blind. This word has one main definition that we are all familiar with: a physical sense or lack thereof. I looked up this word in the dictionary, and of course, the main definition was:
1. Unable to see because of injury, disease, or a congenital condition.
We all know that definition of blindness. Often times, I believe this is the definition that comes to mind. But there is another definition that falls right behind it:
2. Lacking perception, awareness, or discernment.
Let’s turn our attention to John 9:1-41. This story is one that implies both of these definitions. We start off with a man that is blind from birth. Jesus’ disciples assumed that because of his physical impairment, someone must’ve sinned along the way-maybe his parents or he himself. Jesus then corrects them by saying that no one has sinned for this to happen, but that it has happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. It isn’t until a bit later in the chapter that you realize what Jesus does so that the works of God are displayed in him.
Jesus meets the blind man where he’s at, spits in the dirt to form mud and rubs it on the man’s eyes. He tells him then to go and wash. Upon doing this, the man is healed of the only dark world that he knows. People start approaching him, asking him how it is that he can now see. This poor man has to repeat himself over and over again to his neighbors and even to the Pharisees, about how Jesus healed him with mud and washing.
The Pharisees, lacking discernment, immediately begin questioning what the man knows about this Jesus. They believe he’s a sinner for performing a miracle on the Sabbath. I think they’re just turned off to the idea that this Jesus is the Messiah and Healer, and they’re doing everything they can to refute the (once) blind man. After drawing to their own conclusions, they throw the (once) blind man out of the synagogue.
We learn as we keep reading that Jesus visits the man, after being thrown out. The man wants to know who the Son of God is and Jesus reveals himself. John 9:37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” The man believes and starts worshipping. You see, Jesus does a miraculous physical healing within the man, but the even more miraculous thing is that not only does the man see with his eyes, but with his heart. He opened the eyes of the blind man, he can open anyone’s eyes to seeing who he truly is.
John 9:39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Jesus restored the blind man’s eyes and he saw. The Pharisees were already capable of physically seeing, but became spiritually blind because they couldn’t acknowledge who Jesus was-they lacked perception, awareness, and discernment. We all need to open our eyes and see who Jesus is and the life he offers. Only he can restore and reveal our vision.
