"As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?"
John 9:1-2
How many times have we been here? We see someone with trials and difficulties and we wonder, "What did they do to cause such travesty?" We see a child misstep and wonder, "What in the world did their parents do?" How many times have we uttered the words, "Well, the Lord must be teaching them a lesson"?
The Lord does teach us through trials and circumstance. When life takes hold of us and tosses us like limbs thrown from a big oak and we are left with the sight of a tornado disaster, we should go to God with a humble heart. "Lord, show me. Teach me. Use me. Fill me. If there is any unclean, impure way in me, show me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Lift me up through this, so that you may shine. Give me Your strength, Your wisdom, and Your grace as I travel this journey."
We often make the mistake of just assuming it is something we have done. We look at our own life and make excuses, but we look at the life of others and that's where the assumption comes in like a twister. We look at them with wonder instead of grace. With that said, I too have thrown my own pity party and said, "God why? What did I do?" Instead I should be looking to Him and asking, "Okay God, what are You doing here and how can I be used of you to bring glory to the Father?"
As the disciples are standing in assumption, Jesus speaks gently to them. He is reminding them, it isn't about the circumstance, it's all about Him and how He can move and work through it to allow glory to shine. After all, He is bigger than any circumstance!
"Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of this world."
John 9:3-5
Jesus wasn't saying that when night came His worked stopped, but the very opposite. He was saying that as long as He was on earth His work would go on and continue. His work is never done. He is always at work, even when all we see is circumstance. Jesus can not only see in the circumstance, but long past it. He sees those whose lives we will touch and those who will step in and touch us. He sees beyond earth and sees the heavenly gain. But that is the message here. We must look beyond the circumstance so that we can have sight that takes us from this world into the next.
This entire chapter can teach us so very much about having sight. I can be honest and say that I have been so blinded by circumstance. So blinded by the thoughts of, "I'm right and your wrong".
This young man was born blind. Jesus clearly states that this young man didn't do anything to cause this. Jesus doesn't create junk and He doesn't create mistakes. Why do we always look to our lives as if perfection is not in sight something must be wrong? Might we really consider what perfection is? I think we are way off on our vision of perfection. The only thing wrong here, was this young man couldn't visually see like those around him. But even before Jesus placed clay upon his eyes, there was something very special about this young man. Jesus knew this day would come. He knew they would meet and He knew sight would come to the blind. Even with our eyes wide open we can be so blind and miss so very much.
"Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you." And he said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshipped Him."
John 9:35-38
This young man is healed. His sight is made new and those who surround him now question him. They with their intelligence and all their stored knowledge can't bring themselves to believe. They are looking so hard for proof and the science of it all, they miss the miracle of belief. The Pharisees looked upon this young man as if he were ignorant. In just a few sentences this young man proves he is not ignorant or lacking in common sense, but it is these very men around him in need of sight.
If we are not careful we too can become like the Pharisees. Spiritual darkness is a blindness that can touch our lives and take over before we know it. Jesus was here to bring healing to this young man. He was here to bring sight and to be the Light of the world. He wasn't here to condemn him, nor place blame over his circumstance. With one touch He brought sight to a blind man.
"And Jesus said, "For judgement I came into this world, so that those who do not see many see, and that those who see may become blind." Those Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, "We are not blind too, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, 'We see,' your sins remain."
John 9:39-41
Jesus came to save. He came to give sight to the blind. He gave sight to this girl who lived in blindness for years. Praise Jesus! I am still learning to see. Here Jesus is speaking of the sin of unbelief. When we have sight we can see our sin, but many times we are blinded by our own sin. In our lack of recognizing that we are sinners we can't understand we are in need a Savior. These Pharisees were filled with pride. They were tripping over their own knowledge. As my mom would say, "They were just a bit too big for their britches". Here we have the high and mighty. They thinking how much better and smarter they were. But next to them we have our humble Savior. We have the King of kings, teaching them through another humble young man, what having sight really is. It's seeing beyond yourself. It's believing when you can't see past today. It's being able to see past this world's idea of perfection and focus on the One who is perfect, who makes all things complete and works to create in us and through us miracles that leave the fingerprints of God.
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
Hebrews 11:1
