Reason #508

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing." - John 9:1-7

 

Who is responsible for this?

 

It’s human nature to place blame isn’t it? To find who did this, who caused this problem. Point a finger, find a subject so that we can justify why things happen. That way, it will make better sense. Surely there is a reason behind it all.

 

This man was born blind. Born blind because he was born blind. That’s it. He didn’t do anything to cause it or to deserve it. No, he was born broken like the rest of us. Brought into a world that is affected by sin and so although he, too, was fearfully and wonderfully made, he was still imperfect. This man was probably an outcast. I’m sure people looked at him and felt sorry for him. I bet they also looked and him and were grateful they didn’t have the same problems he did. I mean really, could you imagine what it would be like to live in the dark? To never see the sun rise or set? To never enjoy the beauty of creation or know what you really look like? I’m pretty sure that would be more than frustrating, especially since he couldn’t do anything about it.

 

But Jesus noticed him. Maybe someone pointed him out. Maybe someone said, “Hey, look at that blind guy over there.” We all do that, don’t we? There’s that lady with the _________, that man who is a _________, that girl that did ____________, that guy who has ___________. I don’t know what drew Jesus’ attention to this man, but either way, He saw this man in his helpless state and he felt compassion for him. And so Jesus did one of the strangest things he could have done in that moment. He spit in the dirt and rubbed it in that man’s eyes.

 

What?! Don’t you know that man was thinking the same thing, too? And I wonder if he even knew what was coming. Notice that Jesus did not give him a play by play and double check with him that he was okay with this method before carrying it out. No, He just did what He needed to do and then told the man to walk to the pool of Siloam and wash his eyes. Do you think this man was a bit skeptical and maybe a little irritated? After all, this was Jesus, the great physician. Why couldn’t He have just spoken and the man received his eye sight back? Seems like that would have been the easiest and fastest way to go about it. Plus, this man now had to walk to the pool with dirt smeared all over his eyes. Not that he knew what he looked like, but I have to believe he was a bit embarrassed as he took one blind step after another towards his healing.

 

Well, he made it to the pool, washed the dirt off of his eyes, and he could see. It worked! And I bet you had he thought that Jesus didn’t know what He was doing before, he now changed his mind. Jesus knew exactly what He was doing, and He knew it would work. At this point, it didn’t matter if it made sense or not. All that mattered was that He was healed. He was a new man, and his life was forever changed.

 

Have you been this man before? Standing alone in your shame and sorrow and Jesus comes along. You’ve been hoping and praying for help, for healing, for freedom. Asking to be made better. And now, your opportunity has come. But wait, this isn’t what you expected. Spit and dirt in your eyes? Gross! That’s uncomfortable and messy. But who ever said healing was neat and clean? Who ever said healing has to come in a form that you approve at the time you desire it? I don’t know about you, but I hate getting dirty. Yet now, you’re not only dirty, you have to let everyone see it, too, as if you weren’t already ashamed enough in the first place. Insult to injury. Because this was supposed to be easy. It was supposed to be quick and painless. Jesus was supposed to do something miraculous, not show up and rub dirt on your face and then make you blindly walk around before washing it off. So why would He do that when He could do it so many other ways?

 

What if Jesus just did everything for us upon request? What if He acted the way we wanted, when we wanted? What if He did it for us rather than letting us take part it in it, too? Would we ever learn anything? Would our faith really grow? Because truth be told, friends, I think Jesus is much more concerned about perfecting our faith than our bodies. And so although He desires good things for us, He also desires unwavering faith and blind obedience. This is what this man had. As far as we can see, he never questioned Jesus. He never refused this method of healing. Rather, He obeyed the Savior. Putting one foot in front of the other, He did exactly what Jesus commanded of him and He allowed Jesus the freedom to act and heal him in the best way. He never limited Jesus’ healing powers to just one or two methods. And I think we can clearly see that although it may not make sense, the methods Jesus uses always work.

 

Maybe it hurts. Maybe healing is a little messy at times. Maybe we have to be uncomfortable and do things we’d rather not. But it’s worth it. And that’s what Jesus came to do. He came to remove the veil from the eyes of people who were blind. People like you and me who walked around in their sin and could do nothing about it except fall victim to it. And so out of compassion, Jesus decided to do something about it. He was spat upon for us. He was hurt and made uncomfortable as His body, beaten to a bloody mess, was nailed to a cross. And He did this so that we didn’t have to walk around blind anymore. We could be made perfect and righteous in His sight. Healed, complete, and new.

 

So let Him do it. If He wants to rub dirt and spit in your eyes, let Him. If He asks you to walk around with it that way and head to the pool to wash it off, do it. And while you walk, pray that He would not only open your human eyes but that He would open the eyes of your heart so you can understand. And remember that in everything Jesus does, He does it for His glory. He is using you for His glory. Because even though those people may have laughed at the blind guy wandering around with dirt on his face, imagine what they thought when they saw him clean and healed. Speaks volumes. So it’s okay if people see your healing process. It’s okay if it’s not easy and glamorous. The end result is all that really matters. And I’m thankful to serve a God of compassion, a God of healing, and a God who unveils blind eyes.

 

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I am found

Was blind, but now I see…

 

 

#508 - Because He came to unveil blind eyes.

 

“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.  He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” - John 9:10-11