December 1, 2024 Recap

Our Scripture yesterday was from John 9 and Jesus' healing of a blind man on the Sabbath.  Verse one says that Jesus passed by and saw him.  The man could not see Jesus but Jesus saw him!!  So many times I have found myself in situations that felt dark, hopeless, or impossible (sometimes all three) but this single statement reminds me that Jesus sees me!!  He is El Roi, the God who sees.  Like Hagar who saw no options for her and her young son, she discovered the GOD who sees!  Jesus saw this man that was blind from birth.  His disciples then asked what they thought was a very important question, "Who sinned that this man is blind?".  We want to know who to blame, why, and how to avoid the same outcome.  Jesus' answer is very satisfying, "It's for God's glory!"  This is one of the primary reasons that we see suffering and bad things happening to good people, it's for His glory!  He can receive honor no matter what the circumstance.  And when we are facing the challenges of life, we can intentionally give Him glory.  

Jesus then approaches the blind man, spits on the ground, and makes clay to apply to the man's eyes.  While studying these verses earlier, I asked, "why spit?"  There is nothing more degrading or offensive than to spit on someone.  Jesus chose spit and dirt as a physical sign to bring about healing.  He didn't have to do that.  He could have touched him or just spoken a word.  Yesterday, Vickie Wade said it worked because it was His spit.  Because it was His, it was holy. What a revelation!  He took the nastiest, most vile thing you can do, spit in someone's face, and receive glory from it.  Isn't that what He does?  The sin that entangles us, those horrible things that we have said or done, when He frees us, He receives the glory!  Praise God!!  Then after touching the man, He sends him to the Pool of Siloam.  This may be because Jesus was traveling near Jerusalem and His time had not yet come and wanted the man to wash in the ceremonial pool.  Similar to the man He healed of leprosy.  He told him in Mark 1:44 “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”   Or Jesus may have wanted the man to be seen traveling around, showing people that he had been healed so they would ask and God would be glorified.  Either way, we know that it was not the clear water from the Pool of Siloam that healed him.  It was the spit in the eye from Jesus!

The man's neighbors then start with the doubting questions.   Is this really him?  Isn't he the one who used to beg?  How can he now see?  Where is the Man who you say anointed your eyes?  All those questions amount to one thing, they doubted that he had gained his sight from supernatural healing.  When Jesus performed the miracle of sight, He testified of Himself that He is the Light of the world. He is the Light of Genesis 1:3.   And John 1:4 tells us that in Him is life and His life was the Light of men.  He is the Light in the darkness.  This physical truth is the picture of an even greater, more wonderful spiritual truth that He taught the Pharisees who presented to Him the woman caught in adultery in John 8:12, when we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.  Physical darkness is temporary and confined to this world, but spiritual darkness holds true in this life and the life to come.  

The Pharisees are then brought to the man and their questions begin.  And their questions were not only for this man but his parents as well. Not only do they doubt the miracle of sight but they are accusing Jesus of being a sinner because this miracle occurred on the Sabbath.  They are more concerned with the rule of law than the love for man.  Their hearts are hardened to the needs of the people and want to earn their righteousness by checking the boxes.  The dos and the don'ts that seem so important are the very things that keep us from loving or helping our neighbor.  They then bombarded him with the same questions he had answered earlier.  However, they went farther by saying a sinner could not perform such signs. 

All of the questions finally lead to the man giving Jesus the glory for his sight. He was being pressured to change his testimony and recount what happened to him because they adamantly believed that Jesus was a sinner.  He then answers these powerful men,  “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”   and  said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.  Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

And just like that, just as Jesus said, this man was blind so that God would be glorified.  Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”   May you walk in the Light as He is in the Light,Sonya