I was blind, now I see!

Last year, I wrote a blog about the man born blind, whose story is recorded in John 9. I have referred to him as the “one thing man.” After Jesus healed him, the religious leaders of the day interrogated him. They tried to discredit what had happened to him in an attempt to discredit Jesus as well. First, some claimed that he wasn’t the same man. When that was verified, they tried to prove that he had not been born blind. Finally, they attacked Jesus, claiming He had violated the Law by healing the man on the Sabbath. Each time the man was interrogated he reiterated the facts surrounding his healing. To him, how Jesus had done what he had done was irrelevant. What mattered was simple: “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

But as I have studied this passage recently, what has struck me anew is that the man was not alone in his experience of Jesus’ miracle. He had witnesses: his neighbors, his parents and the religious leaders--they had all been there. What varied though is that with each telling of the story the man’s vision of who Jesus was became clearer, while that of the others became dimmer. First he referred to him as “the man called Jesus,” then “a prophet,” and finally as Jesus stood before him, “Lord.” He came to see Jesus as Lord, and was given spiritual sight, while the others became blind. What prevented the others from seeing? Clearly a verifiable miracle was not enough!

What prevented me from seeing Jesus as Lord for the first 33 years of my life? Plenty of evidence was around for me to examine had I been interested—the Bible and its countless miracles, as well as the testimony of believers whom I knew. The parents of the blind man had been fearful of being thrown out of the synagogue had they confessed Jesus as the Christ (John 9:22). I wish I could say my reasons were borne out of fear. No, I was probably more like the Pharisees—I did not want to lose control of my life. I did not want to see my own pride and need of a Lord and Savior.

How did I finally come to see and confess Jesus as Lord like the blind man? Certainly it was God’s grace, God’s mercy, and God’s light that revealed my sins to me. And yet, admittedly, I don’t have all the hows figured out. But one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see!