It Can’t Be Him

Jesus did some amazing miracles. He raised people from the dead, restored the sick to health and gave those tormented the peace of mind that they longed for. But for me, some of the most touching miracles are when He gave blind people their sight. I particularly like the story of the man born blind, which is reported to us in some detail in John Chapter 9.

Jesus and His disciples were passing a beggar, no doubt a regular in the streets of Jerusalem, when one of the disciples asked Jesus, ‘Why was this man born blind?’ The disciple, (I wonder if it was Peter speaking out what he was thinking, as usual) put forward some suggestions. Was it as a result of the man’s sin, or perhaps because of his parent’s sin? Jesus didn’t pick up on either of these ideas, but instead encouraged him to focus on how this unfortunate man and his difficult situation was a wonderful opportunity for God to show His glory.

Jesus picked up some clay (dust by another name) and using His own spit (something of His own being, not unlike breath), He made mud, which He rubbed on to the man’s eyes. John uses the word ‘anointed’ to say He anointed the man’s eyes. The mud was set aside for a purpose, the purpose of creating what was missing, (which had caused the man’s total blindness from birth). Then Jesus told the man to go and wash the mud off in the pool of Siloam.

Those around the man, who knew he had always been blind, must have looked on in amazement as he opened his newly washed eyes and looked straight at them for the first time. Jesus had created eyeballs, retinas, functioning optic nerves and all that he needed to receive and interpret visual images. He could now live in the light instead of the darkness. He could see.

Some were overjoyed for him. They knew him well, recognised how hard his life had been and they delighted in what Jesus had done for him. But others disbelieved. They reasoned that people born blind can’t ever start to see. They surmised that the man was not really blind before, or that this wasn’t the same man.

Despite the man himself speaking up, declaring that it was true, and that he previously was a blind man, and despite his parents agreeing that he was their son, and he was truly born blind, the Pharisees still refused to believe this miracle. They were trapped in their own blindness of spirit, the darkness of disbelief. They were the blind ones. So, they couldn’t see or didn’t want to see that this miracle clearly showed that Jesus had the power to create living tissue from dust. He was, and is, for all time Creator God.

It’s much the same today when Jesus steps into someone’s life and performs a miracle to free them from their life-long bondage. There will be those who immediately recognise Jesus’ mighty power, and are built up in their faith, as they delight in what God can do. But others, even religious people, may refuse to believe and try to explain away what has happened, because it doesn’t fit with their human reasoning.

Let’s pray for those who are so set in miracle-doubting religious beliefs that they deny Jesus’ power to intervene in our world today. Their lack of spiritual sight leaves no possibility to recognise miracles of healing and no room for a life-changing encounter.