The Seven Signs (Pt. 6)

 

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. (John 9:1-7 ESV).

 

The full context of this miracle is found in the whole of the chapter. However, we may begin with this portion for today. Every time I read this, I can’t help but wonder what went through the mind of the blind man when he heard Jesus. All his life people have been telling him he’s cursed, that his blindness is punishment for some sin his family committed. There are multiple layers of encouragement and caution for us in these verses. Not only does Jesus dispute this kind of thought, he also absolves the man of all guilt in front of the disciples, and, he announces that God is going to display his glory through a blind man’s life. It is more a story about how Jesus restored his soul.

 

Too often we Christians are like the Pharisees of old. We look at people, find something in their life that isn’t quite perfect, and make a note of how much they "need God." What we’re really saying is, "Look at how messed up this person is, you know it’s because they’ve turned away from God." Just like the disciples did. The truth is that they are blessed with the unique capacity to bring glory of God. In our twisted human nature, we tend to view people in ways that demean their value to God and reveal the diminished value we place upon them. In Jesus' interaction with the man born blind, all the other people around the man viewed him as less than someone special to God; in fact, most didn't truly value him as a person at all. They become the stark reminder of our own filters for dismissing and not investing in others.

 

We must observe two things. First, every person is of great value to our God regardless of their circumstance. God loves every person so much He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice sufficient to redeem them. Second, when we fail to act toward others with that same understanding of value, it speaks to our deficiency, not theirs. Perhaps we should return to a much more basic understanding of the wideness of God’s mercy and grace than we so often practice today.