This story starts out with a faith stretching question and answer in verses 1-3.
1As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
The Jewish people were taught that major health issues were caused by sin. The disciples assumed this was true. Jesus’ answer tells us God allows people to go through hardships “so that the works of God might be displayed” in their lives. I believe that is another faith-splitting statement. People will say, “God won’t make a person blind for years just so the works of God might be displayed”. Scripture clearly says He did. All Scripture is God-breathed. This passage clearly said He did.
This is a story of a man who is at least in his twenties because his parents make the comment later, “he is of age”. For all his life he has not been able to see anything. He is setting along the way begging as he does every day and then this man puts mud in his eyes. Verses 6-7 tell the story.
6 After saying this, He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” He told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So, the man went and washed and came home seeing.” (God’s hand)
Let’s get into this man’s shoes. You are sitting there like any other day, and some guy puts mud in your eyes and tells you to go wash your face. Remember you are blind. There is no comment about dialog between Jesus and the man before the mud was in his eyes. Then you just get up and walk to a pool. Remember you can’t see. You then wash the mud off your eyes, and you can see! What are you thinking? What gave you the faith to go and wash in the first place? Without God’s guiding hand, I can’t believe it would have happened as it did.
When the people around him were debating if it was the man that had been blind, he says, “I am the man”. Then they ask him what I think is a silly question and I love his answer in verses 11-12.
11 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.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
He was blind when he went to wash. When he came back Jesus was gone. He didn’t even know what Jesus looked like. When asked, “where is this man”, I love his answer, “I don’t know”. How could he know.
Then the Pharisees get involved because the healing happened on a Sabbath. They question the man in verses 13-17.
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So, they were divided.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about Him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
Remember, “ this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” When asked the man declares He is a Prophet, a man of God. I love his response when the Pharisees question him a second time in verses 24-25.
24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this Man is a sinner.”
25 He replied, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
They could not argue with that. All the Pharisees could do was throw him out and turn blind eyes to God’s works displayed.
The man totally nailed the whole issue down in verses 30-33.
30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does His will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
This story is an example of how Jesus mixes the physical world with the spiritual world. The man was obviously physically healed, but the Pharisees were spiritually blind to God’s work displayed. In reality we are all “born blind”. It is a warning to us not to turn a blind eye to what God is doing around us.
Christian Life Coach 