John 9:1-39 (NKJV)
I’m not certain which came first, the chicken or the egg? I believe could make a convincing argument either way. The same is true about the man born blind. I’m not certain if Jesus walking along the path where the blind man sat that day was by chance or if He saw and knew the man the man would be there. Scripture doesn’t say. There are other passages that indicate Jesus had a specific plan, but no clear indication is given here.
We do know from John 9:1-5, “Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”
This scripture would lead us to believe that the question the disciples asked Jesus was one Jesus knew He needed to answer. We see other examples of ‘stinky thinking’ in that culture that lead us to believe at the time they believed in cause and effect reasoning. In this passage, the disciples believed that someone had sinned and the effect of that sin was that this man was blind. The truth is that analogy does not really make sense in this particular case.
First, since the man was born blind, how could he have sinned causing him to be blind? That would indicate a fetus could sin and that is not the case, or that the disciples were suggesting that in a previous life he had sinned and he was now paying for that sin. Jesus clearly rejected the possibility that the man’s sin did not cause him to be born blind.
Again, using cause and effect thinking as our backdrop would lead us to conclude that the man’s parents had sinned which caused their son to be born blind.
Thankfully, Jesus stopped the disciples dead in their tracks. Jesus told them...NEITHER caused the sin.
What Jesus said next was the REAL miracle in the story.
Jesus told them, the man had been born blind so he would be blessed by the work God was about to do. Further, Jesus would have been able to see the result of the man being healed. When the man could see, He would know God reveres and loves him.
“So that the works of God should be revealed in him” (John 9:3).
The reason mattered. The reason was a miracle.
Then Jesus did a second miracle.
In John 9:5-7 we learn, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.”
Jesus healed the blind man. This man had never seen the light and when he opened his eyes for the first time, he saw ‘the light of the world’. What a blessing that was!
Jesus knew in addition to the man’s sight being restored, the story would spread throughout the region that Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth. Others would then come to Jesus to be healed and restored. I believe that Jesus wanted others who heard about the man’s sight being restored would also hear what Jesus said about the cause. Clearly, John was one of the disciples present that day, and he passed on the story of the healing as well as the REASON Jesus gave for the man being born blind.
The story of Jesus and the man born blind did spread and as a result there was a THIRD miracle. The man’s neighbors did hear about the healing (and reason Jesus said it happened). The Pharisees also heard about the healing and they renounced Jesus because he healed on the Sabbath (verses 13-34).
When Jesus heard the Pharisees had renounced the man, Jesus reconnected with him and as a result Jesus told the man WHO he is. In verses 35-39 of John 9 Jesus revealed He is the Son of God and the man born blind believed Him.
Three glorious miracles occurred all because the man was born blind!
Once again, when I was young and I would pray for a miracle, I often didn’t see the miracle God gave me. Today, I watch and listen for miracles...and they are everywhere.
Today’s Spiritual Practice is: LOOK and SEE what God has for you today.
Ask God for a miracle...watch, listen, and see what God sends you.
In Jesus, Deborah
acrazyjourney.com
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