Born Blind

Can you describe the sense of spirsig? Maybe you’re familiar with sight, sound, touch, taste and feel and perhaps there have been times when you’ve felt another sense, that “6th sense”. But do you have the sense of spirsig or do you have absolutely no idea what it is or how wonderful it is?

Now, there’s an old prophecy that says that the Chosen One, the Savior of Mankind, will appear one day and heal someone who doesn’t have spirsig. Okay, okay there’s no prophecy about spirsig (which you will figure out what it is in a few paragraphs), but there is a prophecy in Isaiah 42:7 that one of the Savior’s actions will be to open the eyes of the blind. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be born blind, just like you might not be able to figure out yet what in the world is spirsig. The blind man in John chapter 9 is in for the surprise of his life. Watch how he gets physical sight and how he gains another sense, too – spiritual sight.

Jesus and his disciples come across the blind man, Jesus heals him, the Pharisees are in an uproar because He healed on the Sabbath, there’s an investigation and the Pharisees kick the formerly blind man out of synagogue, and the story ends with Jesus revealing His divinity to the man who then gains spiritual sight. That’s the story in a nutshell. Now, be the blind guy:

You’ve heard the scriptures read, you know the prophecies, you hang around the temple all the time begging and listening. You hear some men talking about you. They’re asking their leader if you or your parents are responsible for you blindness. The leader says neither; he says that you’re blind so the work of God can be displayed in your life. You’re more alert. You hear them get closer and the leader puts something on your face over those rounds things that are called eyes, but have no function for you. He tells you to wash it off in the Pool of Siloam. You have some faith so you do.

What is this?! Is this sight?! This is unbelievable! You cannot contain your excitement. You find your way home and your neighbors think you’re an imposter. You tell them what happened. They ask how this could be. You say it was “the man”.

The Pharisees are mad at the “the man” and send for you. You tell them your story. It’s so simple: he put mud on your eyes, you washed, and now you see. Some are wondering how a sinner could do this miraculous thing. You are beginning to put it together, remembering the prophecies. He is not a sinner, he is “a prophet”, you tell them.

They do not believe any of your story. They send for your parents. You know your parents will be kicked out of the synagogue, ruined, if they even hint that this “man”, this “prophet”, could be the Messiah. Thankfully they say you’re of age, you can testify for yourself.

A second time the Pharisees ask you and you reply “I was blind but now I see!” But how? What did he do? They still want to know and you’ve already answered. You’re getting more than a little frustrated with their unbelief. In fact, you’re impatient and you’re going to get a bit sarcastic with them. You say, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

You’ve gone too far. They hurl insults at you, but you, in your anger, stand up for the “man”, the “prophet”, and claim he must be from God. Your inner eyes are beginning to see and as they throw you out of the synagogue you start to know in your heart who healed you.

And then He finds you and He asks you if you believe in the Son of Man. You ask who He is and the “man”, the “prophet”, this Jesus, tells you that He is the Son of Man.

“Lord,” you say, “I believe.”

You have been blind, but now you see. At first you thought Jesus was just a man or just a prophet, but now you know He is Lord.

Read the story for yourself – John 9: 1 – 41