Scripture Notes: Blindness to Sight (John 9)

In John 9, Jesus heals a man born blind. This man has never seen anything. His world has been darkness his whole life. He has no concept of light or color or visible shape. So just imagine what happens when Jesus gives him his sight. Imagine how overwhelmed he must be. All of a sudden he is surrounded by a new world, a world he can see. He has so much to learn! Everything is fresh and wonderful. 

We may have trouble putting ourselves in this man’s place. After all, for most of us, the visible world is normal. We take it for granted. But once in a while, it may be a good idea to look at it with renewed eyes, to recognize the wonders that surround us every day, to drink in the beauty of light and color and shape, to thank God for the gift of creation.

But there is more. When Jesus opens the blind man’s eyes, He does it for real. He really gives this man his physical sight. But the act also points to another kind of blindness and sight, one that is spiritual. We are so often blind to the deeper realities that are all around us, the spiritual world, God’s actions in our lives, the miracles of grace and love. If we let Him, Jesus will open our eyes to these realities. He will give us our spiritual sight that we may see with our minds and our hearts and learn how to appreciate a whole new level of truth, goodness, and beauty. 

The blind man’s healing, however, is not automatic. Yes, it is completely a grace, initiated by Jesus, given freely by Jesus. The man does nothing to earn it, but he does have to consent and cooperate. He must accept Jesus’ action and obey Him when He says to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. We, too, must cooperate with Jesus if we are to gain our spiritual sight. We have to allow Jesus to work on us; we must obey Him when He commands us to do something; we must accept His gift and open our eyes wide to see what He wants to reveal to us. Then we, too, will be amazed and perhaps even overwhelmed by a whole new world.