One of my favorite passages in the book of John is about a blind man that Jesus healed (John 9:1–41). Jesus had just left the temple after teaching the Pharisees this hard truth: unless they believed in Him, they would die in their sin. In saying this, Jesus is plainly saying that they are on their way to hell. So—Jesus walked out of the temple and encountered a man that had been born blind. The man didn’t ask to be healed of his blindness. He might not have even realized Jesus was nearby. Anyway, Jesus spits in the dirt, makes some mud and puts it on the man’s eyes. Seems a little weird, right? But the man simply let Jesus do this to him. Jesus told him to go wash his eyes in the Pool of Siloam. And the man did. It’s remarkable to me how submissive and obedient the man was to Jesus’s instructions. At Jesus’s command, the man gets up, makes his way to the pool, washes his eyes, and instantly he can see. An amazing miracle. Here’s my question: what would you have done in response to Jesus? What would I have done? Would I believe that going and washing my mud-covered eyes would give me sight? I hope so. What we see in this man is faith. He had faith that Jesus knew exactly what He was doing. All the man had to do was respond in obedience. And he did.
Another thing about this miracle is that this blind man was well-known in these parts—people knew who he was. He may have spent his entire adult life near the temple entrance because that would be a high-traffic place—the best place for someone to beg for help from his neighbors. Yet even though the people had seen this man over the years, once he could see many of them doubted that he was the same man. The man even said, “I am the man” (John 9:9)—and still the people didn’t believe he was who he said he was. This is amazing to me. How would you have responded to this? Would you say, “No way,” and refuse to believe a miracle had just been worked in this man? It would be hard to deny a miracle standing right in front of your eyes, don’t you think? But a bunch of them did.
Back to the situation…now the leaders got in on the action. They actually do understand that Jesus worked a miracle in giving the man sight—obviously, the man could see. There he was, right there in front of them. But they also refused to believe it was Jesus who healed him…they rejected the truth that God’s power was on display right in front of them. The leaders asked the man again and again how it was that he could see. They even hauled the man’s parents into the temple to question them about their son’s sight. How was it that their son could now see? All they could think about was “How?” How did this happen? They completely ignored the fact that the man had been healed, and got stuck on the wrong question: “how?” We always want an answers. Why? How? God has given us much to know about Him in His Word, but not all can be understood. God does things His way, in His timing, according to His purposes, for His glory.
Do you realize Jesus worked more than one miracle that day? Obviously, He healed that man of his physical blindness. But Jesus also worked a miracle in that man’s heart. He granted the man faith, a gift from God the Son. And the man responded rightly: he obeyed Jesus, he believed in Jesus, and he worshipped Him (John 9:38). And that, my friends, is what I’m so thankful for this Thanksgiving…I’m thankful that Jesus loved me enough to have mercy on me, grant me the gift of repentance and faith…and that Jesus forgave my sin. Like the blind man, I have been transferred from the road to hell to the way to heaven. That way is only Jesus, the Son of God. If you’d like to learn more, need prayer, or need a Bible, please let one of the Feed Your Soul team members know.
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