The Man Born Blind, and You

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” John 9: 24-25

Those who are blind live by the truths of this world. They believe that wealth can satisfy and that they can save themselves. They put their trust in only what they can see with their eyes and physically touch with their hands. They believe that this is all there is. Maybe they hope for something more, but what? When all truth is relative, the world turns into shifting sands and sinking islands. They get swallowed up in their own ideas and their own agendas. I’ve been a Christian for as long as I can remember, and I still fight against the temptation to trust in these worldly things. I see what’s around me and can’t get past it–I get stuck in those seemingly endless tasks of motherhood and scary news cycles. Then I remind myself that I live by the hope of the gospel instead of the truths of this world. Sometimes I live like a spiritually blind person–until I remember that I can see!

Those who are blind also worship the things of this world. If something will make them feel happy, they’d like that as fast as they can get it. They devote themselves to the teaching of whichever political party or social media personality they think will bring them the maximum amount of self-fulfillment. They spend their time thinking about how they can make themselves appear more wonderful than everyone else. I’ve heard this phrase from so many wise Christian leaders: “Everybody worships something.” I think more often than not if we don’t worship God, we end up worshiping ourselves. This leads to a host of other sins and ultimately hurts the people we love and grieves the God who loves us. Worshiping the things of this world doesn’t lead to happiness or self-fulfillment. When I topple these worldly idols in my life as they set themselves up, my sight returns along with my happiness and fulfillment in Jesus.

When Jesus opens our eyes to the truth of the gospel, we strive to put our complete trust in him and worship him alone, just like the man born blind did all those years ago in Judah. Jesus gives us the ability to live by his truth and to find joy in doing so. He gives us spiritual sight, whereas before we lived in spiritual darkness. We lived according the prince of the power of the air, but now we live according to the grace we received in Jesus. [1]

The abilities of the man born blind changed in an instant. One moment darkness occupied his world; the next moment, light broke through the black and the darkness fled like shadows in the noonday sun. Sometimes our conversions to Christ follow the same pattern. We can pinpoint the exact day, hour, and maybe even minute that Jesus broke down the walls of our heart and made us new creations. I don’t remember the day or hour I began to trust Christ, but I do remember the gradual work Jesus did in my heart over time. I had many small ‘a-ha!’ moments instead of one gigantic ‘a-ha!’ moment. Both testimonies speak to Jesus’ power to save sinners, and one type of testimony is not better than the other. John 3:8 reminds us, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

I like the simplicity of the phrase, “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25). I think we can sum up the testimonies of every Christian and how they came to know Christ by that phrase alone. We all live blindly, bumbling around in the darkness, until Jesus comes and gives us sight. Suddenly the world becomes bright and we can see all the marvelous things and good gifts from God around us. They felt so close to us before, almost within our reach, but now we can fully experience them in all their joy and wonder. We see God’s blessings everywhere whereas before we only saw shadows. God opens our eyes to his goodness and glory displayed all around us.

Those who trust and worship God live in the beauty of Jesus that permeates every area of their lives. Jesus shines like the sun, first and foremost in their lives, and makes everything brighter by his presence. No passing cloud can diminish the sun’s beauty and power; no passing trial or darkness can diminish Jesus’ beauty and power. He remains the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever. I was blind, but now I see, by an eternal, indelible light because of an eternal, indelible love.

Because of God’s kindness and grace through Jesus, I can say with the man born blind, “Lord, I believe!” [2] I hope and pray that you can too, dear reader!

[1] Ephesians 2:1-7
[2] John 9:38

Photo: Aaron Burden on Unsplash