Abundant Life, pt.
1
By
Jeremy Dehut
Years
ago in the city of Jerusalem, a man who had been blind from
birth had no idea that Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God,
was about to use him as an opportunity to make a powerful
lesson about the goodness and might of God.
Before we look at what Jesus taught here, we need to
understand the difference that exists between today and the
first century.
Today, those born blind have the ability to read, and in
some situations given the guidance of a seeing eye dog.
Unless they choose otherwise, they are able to live
productive lives that enrich those who know them.
Not so for the person born with physical maladies in the
world of first century Palestine. Anyone who experienced
deformity or limitations would become social outcasts, seen
as someone who had been punished by God for sins committed
by someone in their family before their birth. There was
little compassion for these people. They would live their
lives begging alms, receiving handouts, in order to take
care of life’s necessities.
This attitude is made evident when Jesus and his disciples
leave the temple and pass a blind man and the disciples
ask,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he
was born blind” (Jn.
9:2)?
Jesus explained,
“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but
that the works of God might be displayed in
him” (Jn.
9:3).
In order to display the word of God in him, Jesus heals him
of his blindness, and this man experiences the gift of
sight for the first time in his life!
Imagine being this man as the water from the pool of Siloam
washes down your face, droplets falling from your eyes and
nose, seeing the water dripping below you! And as you turn
with joy, you are finally able to place sounds you have
heard all of your life with what they actually look like,
seeing colors where before there were only shadows (Jn.
9:6-7)!
Imagine the amazement of people who have known you all your
life reacting with startled wonder at the realization that
you can now see (Jn. 9:8-12).
Imagine the confusion of being rushed to the Pharisees
where bewildered and self-seeking spiritual leaders asked
questions and made demeaning comments about the man who had
healed you (Jn. 9:13-17)?
Imagine the anger of having your parents brought in to
answer for you as if you had no idea about what had
happened to you, and your parents instead of supporting
your account, fearing the social consequences, placing sole
responsibility of this event on you (Jn. 9:18-23).
Imagine being in this man’s shoes. On what should
have been the most celebrated day of his life, he is either
being accused of lying or of being mentally incompetent,
his parents instead of supporting his truthfulness, throw
him to these political wolves, and to top it all off he
knows that anyone who falls on the wrong side of these men
will be “put out of the synagogue” or
excommunicated (Jn. 9:22). What would you have done?