This is an epic miracle!
Jesus is walking with His disciples and they come across a blind man. His disciples, which should already know a thing or three, asks Jesus: who sinned? This man or his parents. And Jesus replied. Neither… he is blind so that you can see a man experience miracle. (John 9)
What I missed was that the miracle probably wasn’t that the man could see again…
We are looking for miracles, but it seems Jesus did miracles as discussion starters, as starting points for changed lives, as talking points… as testimony. The healing wasn’t the miracle. It was just the start of a life changed. And then a lot of discussion!
Everybody in the area knew the blind man, but nobody _knew_ the blind man. They were asking each other if the man walking around is really the man they saw begging every day. This is a sad analogy: As a country that grew up in churches, would we recognize Jesus? Do we recognize His footprint, His actions? “It looks a lot like an act of God, it looks like something God would do… but is it God?” – Imagine how much more the consternation. No, Jesus heals by touch and by prayer, not with mud!
And with a bit of irony (and some humour, I suppose) all the people who could see, asked the blind man for directions… “where did this man go?” Can you imagine the expression on this guy’s face? Are you kidding? I don’t know! I was blind until a few moments ago!
But just like the people who knew the blind man, didn’t really know the blind man, the pharisees also got stuck. This MUST BE God! Oh no, wait… its a Sabbath, God is resting, no healing shall take place on the sabbath. Can’t be God… must be a demon possessed man that healed him then!
From this point on, its just a circus. The man is insulted and called a liar, then his parents are called in, and they are attacked, then back at the man, to the point that they throw him out into the street. Talk about being blind!
How sad is it that these men were so busy with the things of God, that they missed God?
How sad is it that I am too… I cannot “earn” my ticket to heaven, but I still try. Jesus says climb on the bus, but I will wash the bus, not because I want the Jesus bus to shine, but so that I can feel I earned my seat…
There are four groups in this story:
1. The blind man who experienced God first hand and couldn’t be touched by doubt.
2. The parents, that just wanted the noise to stop.
3. The pharisees, fervent to serve God and lead others to serve God, that couldn’t (or wouldn’t) see the forest for the trees… and is completely missing God.
4. The disciples, experiencing the full effect of the miracle, from start to finish. From the healing, to the man devoting himself to Jesus.
But, and here is my hope, in that third group, was a few that was seeking.
After the Pharisees threw out the blind man, Jesus found him again, and made him His own. And while talking, there were a group of pharisees listening… not chasing Jesus, not calling for His arrest, not trying to stone Him. Just listening.
Some of the Pharisees were standing nearby and overheard these words. They interrupted Jesus and said, “You mean to tell us that we are blind?”
Jesus told them, “If you would acknowledge your blindness, then your sin would be removed. But now that you claim to see, your sin remains with you!”
John 9:40-41
I wonder if Nicodemus was among this group? Trying to give up what he knew to be true and just accept Jesus…
