Spiritual Blindness Is Real

I love the story about the man born blind in John 9. First, Jesus expressly rejects the automatic link between sin and suffering. The Pharisees assumed that the man was blind because he had been ‘steeped in sin at birth (v.34). Jesus’s disciples proposed similar questions. Who sinned, this man or his parents?  Why was he born blind? Jesus tells them that they are asking the wrong questions, He says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (v.3). We see the danger of getting caught up and missing the whole point. When the blind man gave his testimony of the healing, some responded, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” What I love most is how the blind man responds after getting frustrated by all the Pharisees questions. He tells them he does not know, “But one thing I do know, that whereas I was blind before, now I see”. As his eyes are opened, so too are his heart and his mind. He begins by knowing, “The man they called Jesus”. Secondly, He sees him as the “prophet” from God. Finally, he believes Jesus is the “Son of Man” and worships him.  

While reading this chapter, I often notice my own spiritual blindness.  A few weeks ago I woke up extremely early on a fall morning, the room was cold and dark. I was barely awake and my eyes were begging me to stay closed and go back to sleep. I know that I need to get up and seek God’s wisdom so I turned the light on. The light suddenly flooded my eyes, I felt temporarily blinded, I felt as if my eyes couldn't adjust. I know we all can relate. You and I have a choice, either we get up and read his word or go back to sleep. The study says the eyes take approximately 20-30 mins to fully adapt from bright sunlight to complete darkness and becomes 10,000 to 1,000,000 times more sensitive than at full daylight. Imagine how the man born blind would feel when his eyes were open after being blind for so many years. It probably took Him more than 20-30 minutes to adjust to the sunlight. 

There is an interesting comparison between physical and spiritual blindness in today’s passage. A blind man who believed in Jesus as the Son of God and was forgiven vs. men/ Pharisees with sight. The later of the two had vision, but could not see what the blind man saw and so remained blind in their sin. Spiritual blindness is real. Much like the Pharisees, I often struggle to see these blessings and recognize that they are a sign of God’s presence in my life. I focus on what I don’t have. I easily get caught within the trap of the worldly standard, but God offers us his unique light so that we can see truth and receive the healing He provides. When we accept Jesus with our eyes, ears and heart we finally are able to see. We have countless amazing freedoms in the light. If we look at today’s society, where seeing is believing. People say If they don’t see it, they don’t believe it, but God isn’t a person. We can’t see him, but he gives us people, situations, or other symbols in our everyday lives that represent his presence in our lives. Whether we see or not, we do not have all the answers and we need to have the attitude of the blind man who Jesus healed to see, physically and spiritually. Today I want to encourage us to meditate on the moment when God opened the eyes of the heart,  we are given a sweet account of how Jesus opens the eyes of our hearts so that we can see Him more clearly.