Day 1013: One thing I know - John 9 vs 15 - 25

13-14 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18-19 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20-22 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 23 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 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.” 25 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 9:15-25 English Standard Version

Following the miracle of giving sight to a man who'd been born blind, there was a buzz of conversation taking place in Jerusalem as to who Jesus was. The writer of this gospel, John, gives us an insight to what was being said, especially among the Pharisees. Some said, “This man is not from God, for he doesn't keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And so it led to them calling the man's parents to verify that he had indeed been blind all his life.

So even in Jesus' days, those in power used fear to censor what people were allowed to say. The man's parents were cagey as to how they answered questions because the Jews had agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. Sadly, that type of thing still happens in countries today. If a man or woman states that Jesus is the Messiah whom God sent to save sinners, they can be disowned by family and cast out of homes. And just as the Pharisees were upset that, in their eyes, Jesus was breaking the law of the Sabbath day, so some religious groups today accuse Christians of 'blasphemy' if they contradict the beliefs of that religion.

Some others today scoff at the idea of miracles having happened, and of Jesus being someone who came from God, and who rose from the grave. I'm thinking of those who say that 'the science' tells us that the momentous and miraculous events of the Bible are all myths. Intellectual authors and program presenters, as well as many University Professors, scoff at ‘those simple Christians' who believe the Bible. And many Christians, like the blind man's parents, will shy away from answering powerful septics. They may feel they don't have the knowledge to answer people who are more clever than they are. But what was the one indisputable fact that the blind man stood firm on as he answered the Pharisees? (vs 25)

His life had been dramatically changed! His blindness had been replaced by sight. Oh let us take heart from this. We may not have had a startling physical transformation such as he did. We may not have been miraculously cured of some terrible disease. But if the eyes of our heart have been opened to see who Jesus is, and if our lives took a new direction when we realized our sins are forgiven through Him, that is something that cannot be denied. We may not be able to answer the philosophical or intellectual arguments thrown at us, but one thing we know for sure – we were once spiritually blind, but since Jesus saved us, we can see.

If anyone reading this is still in two minds about Jesus, don't delay, turn to God in prayer and call upon the Lord Jesus Christ to open your eyes to see that He is the Messiah, the Saviour.