Little did the blind man know how his world would change that day. In our last reading, we heard how Jesus healed a blind man who had been unable to see since birth. All he had ever known was blackness, and now he could see. Can you even imagine? How sad that one of the first things he must witness are the religious leaders being all weird. Rather than rejoicing with him that he had been miraculously healed, they were focused on who had done it, how it happened, and that the Sabbath had been broken.
The man’s faith in Jesus was only multiplying. Surely Jesus was a prophet from God. Nobody else had ever been able to heal someone blind from birth. The religious leaders couldn’t get past the fact Jesus had healed on a Sabbath. Do you ever get fixated on something, albeit an important detail, only to totally miss the point? I know I do that. We can never go back and make up those mistakes or get a do-over. It’s so important to be present in the moment with our eyes wide open.
Did you notice how the man’s parents didn’t want to get involved? They were afraid the Jewish leaders would kick them out of the synagogue. They were willing to throw their son under the bus, so to speak, to avoid their own embarrassment. As a parent, I would have been over the moon that my son could see again. I’m not sure I’d be thinking of much else than feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and amazement at what Jesus, a total stranger, had done for us. But these details are probably best understood in the context of the culture.
The man is now a disciple, a follower of Jesus. That doesn’t surprise me. We watch his allegiance grow as the story unfolds. At first, Jesus is a prophet. Then, speaking as a disciple, the man says Jesus is from God. The man gets it. Not only has Jesus restored his sight, but he has also filled him with an understanding. Do the will of God, and God will listen to you.
How is God working in your life to transform you? We all have stories to share. We are all sinners in need of a savior. When we think back to who we were before we knew Jesus, and then think about the person we are today, we all have a story to tell. We can’t live a life in God’s will without some sort of miraculous healing or transformation. Maybe your story is still being written.
Take some time today to remember back when you were a child or young adult. What lessons have you learned over the years? Where do you see God’s hand at work in your life?
Let’s pray. Lord, I thank you for how you’ve worked in my life to clean up the messes I’ve made. You never let go of me or gave up on me. I now want to make up for lost time and spend more and more time with you. I long for you to reveal yourself to me so I can be assured I am finally on the right path. I want to be in your will for me. Create in me a clean heart. Help me to overcome the distractions that keep my focus on other things and not on you. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
