Pondering John 9:17-41.
“I can see! I can see smiles. I can see sunsets and sunrises. I can see colors. I can see where I am walking. I can see!”
Jesus healed the blind beggar and for the first time, he could see. He would be forever changed. Can you imagine his awe, wonder and joy? But, as did this man, we all have annoying people in our lives who cannot rejoice and celebrate with us in our victories. And too often, we can’t avoid them. The Pharisees were those kind of people.
John 9:13 reports that it began when the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
Simple as that. A testimony was born. A life redefined.
The Pharisees didn’t believe the man so they intimidated and interrogated his parents, only to have the facts confirmed. Yes, he is our son. Yes, he was born blind. They added, ”But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age, he will speak for himself.”
So the Pharisees summoned the man for a second time. His story remained consistent. “I was blind but now I see.” When the man stood strong in his testimony, the Pharisees hurled insults and threw him out of the synagogue.
One minute, he was on top of the world. The next minute, he was rejected and disparaged. So Jesus found the man and revealed His identity as the Son of Man. Aha! Spiritual blindness became spiritual sight. The man responded, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshipped Him.
I may not be skilled in defending my faith against the arguments of brilliant critics, partly because I’m not as smart but mostly because there are things I don’t understand myself. I have wrestled with tensions discovered in Scripture and settled on faith. But of this I am confident: I know who I was before encountering Christ. I know where my affections were devoted. And I know who I am now. I know the radical change of my heart. I know! I’m a totally different woman, a new creation. I have a new heart with new desires. My life has been redefined. I can only describe the transformation as miraculous. Such a radical change can only be attributed to God and His grace.
The gospel changed my life. Christ changed my life. And yes, there are scoffers but they can ridicule me all they want and they can reject me. What they cannot do is debate my testimony of God’s power to do the impossible. I know that I know.
I identify with the blind beggar because I was once blind to spiritual truths but now I see. I was___________ and now I’m___________. (I know my answers for those blanks.) I was ____________ but I’m learning to be ____________. (I also know my answers for these blanks.)
And like the blind man, my gratitude is expressed through faith and worship.
Questions to ponder:
Am I keeping my eyes opened to matters of eternal importance?
Is my testimony used for God’s fame?
debponders 