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Note: This is the entire chapter. I encourage you to read it all, but I will just be posting the central passages for this devotion. This passage contains Jesus healing a man blind from birth on the sabbath and the resulting interrogations with the Pharisees.

35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

 

I love this portion of John where he defines the purpose of his ministry: I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind. Through his life, death, resurrection, ascension, and even to this day, Christ is revealing his light to the world so that the blind may see. When you read or hear testimonies of people who have turned to follow Christ, you often hear words some of the following phrases:

· I was seeking direction.

· I was stumbling through life.

· I felt like I was alone in a dark place.

In their darkness, they found a light that pushed back the darkness. It made it possible for them to see the world, themselves, and God as they truly are. This is the nature of Christ. He is the Light that reveals all that we need to see in the world.

 

One final note I found intriguing about this text. When Jesus covers the man’s eyes and has him go wash in the pool, the man suddenly can see. He then gets interrogated by the Pharisees about what has happened. Repeatedly the man attests to the holiness and righteousness of what was done to him despite the protestations of the leaders. And here is the point I keep hanging on – the man has no idea who Jesus really is. He has never physically seen him. Yet his faith in the transformation he has experienced is so powerful. I think we should find hope and peace in this for our own lives. We may not be able to see Jesus directly (YET! We will someday) but we can and do experience the transformational love of our Redeemer and Savior. And that is enough for this person who is often ‘blinded’ by the world and himself.

 

God who Delivers, thank you for your redeeming grace. Open my heart and eyes to your Light so that I can walk where you lead. Amen.

 

Chad Ryberg

Cryberg@livinglord.org

 

Prayer Concern: Those who are lost in the darkness of sin.