S) "24 So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, 'Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.' 25 He then answered, 'Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.'"
John 9:24-25 (NASB)
O) There are a great many things worth noting in this chapter. There is the clarification that individual sins do not always cause physical maladies (see v.3). There is the commission that the disciples of Jesus should be doing His work (see v.4). There is a great caution about the fear of men (see the blind man's parents). There is also great sarcasm in the seeing man's response to the Pharisees, which I always find amusing in the Bible. But, nestled among all of this, is a quick question and answer that has a powerful point to behold. All along, the Pharisees doubt. They doubt the innocense of the afflicted. They doubt the identity of the healed man. Here, they pose their gripe about who Jesus is. The response of the man is powerfully freeing. He does not begin to argue with them about who Jesus is, and instead rests fully on his own testimony of what Jesus had done. They pressed him further, and he did argue theology with them. He stated his case quite well (see vv.30-33) and they still weren't convinced.
A) Sometimes, there is a pressure to have every answer to every nay-sayer. I am a big proponent of educating ourselves as Christians. Apollos is one of my favorite men from the New Testament. However, sometimes in that area, I feel a pressure to not only have the correct answers, but to convince people of those answers. I cannot do that. Just as the healed man, I must cling to my own testimony. In my testimony of what Jesus has done in my life, the great power of the gospel is on display. Whether or not people will see that power, acknowledging that Jesus is who He is, that is not up to me to decide. If they are blinded, I will pray they too will see. If they are blinded, I cannot make them see. I can only tell them about the One who made me see.
P) Father, open blinded eyes, Lord. You are worthy to be praised. You are worthy of all glorification. Open the eyes of the blind, to behold Your glory. My family, my beloved friends, Father God open their eyes. Let them finally see Your lovingkindness, Your great compassion and grace, so that they repent from their rebellion against my Lord. Let Your will be done, that none would perrish, but all would come to repentance. Let Your will be done in their lives, and others. Help me to be patient along the way, Father. I want to be obedient, and share the gospel when You call me to it. But, I am also woefully overwhelmed when I feel pressure to convince people. Help me to rest in the power of the gospel at work in my own testimony, Father. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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