By Jacob V Daniel
Yeshua Heals Physical and Spiritual Blindness
Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
John 9:1-7 NKJV
One day Jesus saw a man who was born with congenital blindness.
The disciples asked Jesus about the cause of the blindness.
Because they had heard from most Jews of their day that sin of Adam was the cause of all suffering and all the ailments of men.
We see that in Romans 5:12:
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.
Romans 5:12
Jesus replied that his blindness is not the result of his sin or parents’ sin.
That is suffering is not always a direct aftermath of personal sin.
Jesus added that his blindness serves as an opportunity for the works of God to be manifested in him.
Performing the works of Heavenly Father who sent His Son:
Having spat on the ground and made mud with His saliva and applied it to the eyes of the blind man.
The blind man believed in Jesus and obeyed.
Jesus instructed the blind man to go and wash his eyes in the Pool of Siloam.
The place was not nearby.
However, the blind man believed in Jesus and went there and washed his eyes.
Miraculously he gained his eyesight and returned to Jesus Christ the Giver of sight.
“Miracles are the outcome of believing and obeying the Words of Jesus Christ”.
Beyond dubiousness God’s glory is revealed in our adversities, hardships, and afflictions.
The physical eyes of the blind man have been opened.
To his surprise, his spiritual eyes have also been opened by God.
That is why the man returned to Jesus Christ the Saviour.
The people who previously had known the blind beggar and asked how his eyes were opened and who opened his eyes. He told them a Man named Jesus had healed his eyes.
Those who did not believe his words brought him to the Pharisees, the spiritual and religious leaders of the nation of Israel.
The Pharisees were a Jewish sect known for strict adherence to the Law of Moses.
The Pharisees could not believe that the beggar was born blind, and his sight was restored.
In fact, this is the fulfillment of prophecies of the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18; 35:5; 42:7) but they could not understand as they were spiritually blind.
Moreover, our Lord’s miracle of healing the man was on a Sabbath day. It infuriated the Pharisees.
The Pharisees did not believe Jesus’ healing or Jesus coming from above. They questioned formerly blind man’s parents who understood that their son stopped begging for his eyes were healed.
They were afraid to say that Jesus had healed their born blind son.
There was a threat that if anyone confessed that Jesus was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.
The Pharisees again questioned the man, who now boldly affirmed that Jesus was from God, arguing that if Jesus were not from God, he could do nothing.
The congenital blind man got the gift of physical light and spiritual sight.
He manifested his unwavering faith in Jesus saying that if Jesus were not from God, He could do nothing. He believed that Jesus is the Messiah and committed his life to Jesus.
Despite the opposition from them, he taught them many spiritual things that they were not aware of.
The Pharisees who were spiritually blind didn’t accept the miraculous healing. The man argued with them more and more.
As they had no proper answer to his reasoning they ran into fury and excommunicated him from the synagogue. (John 9:28-34).
When Jesus knew that the man was expelled from the synagogue, He revealed His identity as the Son of God.
The man’s faith was strengthened and in humble gratitude he worshipped Jesus (John 9:35-38).
Jesus says,
“For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”
John 9:39, NKJV
Those who acknowledge their spiritual blindness and seek Jesus will receive spiritual sight, while those who claim to have spiritual sight but reject Jesus will remain blind.
This judgment is not necessarily punitive but rather brings about a separation between those who accept him and those who reject him.
Those who are considered spiritually blind by society, such as the blind man whom Jesus healed in the preceding verses, may actually see and understand the truth of Jesus’ message.
Conversely, those who claim to have spiritual insight may actually be blinded by their pride and refusal to accept Jesus.
Jesus reiterates his purpose for coming into the world, which is to bring salvation and reveal the truth of God’s kingdom.
However, this revelation also serves to highlight the division it brings among people, separating those who believe from those who do not.
41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains.
The Pharisees thought they had spiritual insight, but in fact they were spiritually blind.
Others knew they were blind and in the darkness of sin, but when they turned to Jesus, they saw the light of God.
They thought they could see, but they were blind to their own sin, to their own self-sufficiency and self-satisfaction. They had no insight to see the heart of God’s love and missed God’s love right in front of them in Jesus.
Communion with a Contrite Heart
Heavenly Father, as we draw near to your presence, seek your face, let the Holy Spirit brood over us, heal our spiritual blindness enable us to look into the heavenly realm to decode the truth of your word in the mighty name of Jesus we pray – Amen!