To See or Not to See

John 9:39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind."
What a great reminder just after Christmas, this gift from God, the Savior, has made it possible for eyes to be opened to who He is.
John 9 is primarily centered around the account of Jesus healing a blind man, and the disbelief that surrounds those around the man. The story is an easy read, and one does not have to delve very deeply into theology to get what is going on. Keep in mind, John is telling of Jesus’ divinity, that Jesus is God, and understanding that will really emphasize the teaching that Jesus brings here.

Of course, Jesus gets into trouble for healing someone on the Sabbath. But on this account, that argument dissipates quickly. More attention is focused on the Pharisees, the “religious” elite trying to get their heads around who this Jesus really is. They ask the man who healed him, and when he tells them, they don’t believe him anyway. So the Jews ask his parents, and they defer the question back to their son. He is older enough to answer for himself, but they were trying to save themselves from being outcasts from the synagogue. But they knew it was Jesus.

So many great verses in this chapter. Verse 25, “though I was blind, now I see”, as a response to the claim of Jesus being a sinner. Verse 27, “You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” as a response to the Pharisees’ insistence to keep hearing the story. I personally love the sarcasm there.

Yet Jesus, the master teacher, always has a lesson, for the readers then as well as for us now. There are so many people in this world who already have it “all figured out”. Essentially, they have no perceived need for God. Those are who Jesus would label as “already seeing”, just as He described the Jews/Pharisees here. Then there are those who are blind, and who long to see in the proper Light, that which is Jesus. That kind of “seeing” only comes from true belief in Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation, the only source of redemption in God’s eyes.

As you read John 9, look at all the excuses, the diversions that are offered in opposition to Jesus. How do they compare with what we hear today? When others discredit the Savior, how do we respond? Do we point to others to answer the question, such as this man’s parents did? Or do we own the relationship we claim to have with Jesus, and point people directly to Him?

Indeed, those who already have life all figured out, as much as they think they “see”, are really living in the darkness, and we must keep pointing them to the true Light. Our Savior is the only source of healing for their blindness. Let’s pray that they will hear, listen, and respond.