.png)
Articles
A Man Born Blind
The darkness must have been horrifying. The child was born from darkness into darkness and the only comfort could be found in the sound of a mother’s and father’s voice. While all of the other senses may have worked properly - can one even begin to imagine a life without color, shape, depth, and most importantly light? There is no escape from this darkness, but rather this was the reality for a nameless man who was born blind.
How many times did this man cry as a child - WHY? Why must I be born without sight? Why must these things happen to me? The man’s parents were not negligent or culpable for his blindness, but rather as Solomon wrote – “for time and chance overtake them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11b). The childhood of one born blind is different from his other siblings and neighborhood kids – going to school, learning to read and write, play games, and go on adventures. This child became a man who was confined to a life of begging for daily bread.
This man’s only constant in life was darkness. He did not live a life filled with hope and joy. The hope and joy of finding a wife and raising children. The hope and joy of finding his place in this world. The blessings which are so commonly experienced were lost in the life of the man born blind until that day.
This day must have begun just like countless others for the man born blind. His skin could have felt the warmth of the rising sun, but his eyes were oblivious to its colors and beauty. The man’s ears would have heard the shuffling of feet of those passing his way and his cry for mercy and alms. He must have heard countless taunts and endless ramblings, but today he heard a new voice.
The streets of Jerusalem had been crowded for the past week because of the Feast of Booths. All of the eager travelers were preparing for their journeys back home, but this man continued to sit and beg for his next meal. The commotion around him was nothing new, but there was a new voice that gained his attention. The man overheard a question – “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” This would not have been the first time he had heard this question, but it was the first time he heard a different answer – “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Who was this new voice, and why is He so concerned with me?
The blind man heard the man spit on the ground and felt the clay being applied to his eyes. Then he heard His voice say – “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” This was no easy task! He had counted his steps hundreds of times around the streets of Jerusalem, and as cumbersome as it may have been – he went. The man made his way to the pool of Siloam and washed, but then something happened – something unexpected!
The man’s eyes were opened and his world of darkness was immediately vanquished by LIGHT. It took a few moments to adjust, but the man never wanted to shut his eyes again. The light from the sun began to flood his vision and the colors of this world exploded for the very first time in his mind. He looked down and SAW his hands, arms, legs, and feet. He saw his face in the reflection of the water. The man who had been born blind - could SEE!
The man returned hoping to find the individual who had applied the clay and spittle, but rather all he found was those who doubted and questioned his sight. The Pharisees immediately began to investigate the miracle because it happened on a Sabbath. The first time the man ever saw his parents, he watched as they cowered behind their fear of the Pharisees and left him all alone. This was nothing new for one who had lived his entire life in darkness. Being alone was his reality! But in the commotion of the investigation, the man was not distracted from his desire to see Jesus!
The blind man had heard about Jesus of Nazareth and it was Jesus who had applied the clay and told him to go wash. The Pharisees called Jesus a sinner and not a man of God, but this was nonsense to the one who had been born blind but now sees! The man grew stronger and mightier with each passing question. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind – until now! This once blind man did not consent to the scheme of the Pharisees, but rather he valiantly defended Jesus.
When the Pharisees had “put him out,” this man found himself once again all alone. Then a voice he recognized asked him – “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “Who is He, Lord that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him (John 9:35-38). The man born blind SAW the glory of the Lord and worshipped the Light of the world!
This miracle should never be far from anyone of our lives. When we walk contrary to the will of God and sin - we fall into a pit of despair and darkness. There is no hope and joy, but then when we hear the gospel, believe in its message, and obey its commands - LIGHT vanquishes the darkness! Our lives are given to the praise of His glory. We too cry out in praise and worship our King – for we were once blind but now we SEE!
