A Man Born Blind

John 9:1

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

Some of the saddest words that could fall from the human tongue are stated in our text. When we consider what it means to be born blind, great sympathy arises from our hearts for such a helpless person, another’s hand must lead him; another’s eyes must see for him; another’s words must describe the forms and colors of things around him, he is almost totally dependent on others.

On this day long ago that John is inspired to record in Holy Writ, someone had brought this poor man and sat him beside the road to beg alms of any passerby. Jesus saw him and instead of giving him a small amount of money, He gave him the greatest gift that could be given, eternal life. He first gave him his sight, which was a marvelous thing, and then later this man believed and worshipped. I have tried, as much as possible, to put myself in his place on that day. He was placed by the wayside, perhaps by his parents, as he had been many times before, expecting to receive a few tokens of charity from a few people, hoping it would be worth the time spent. But suddenly this day became different, this day he met Jesus Christ and was healed of his natural blindness after he had obeyed the Lord’s directions to go and dip in the pool of Saloam. Then he received the gift of eternal life after being cast out by the religious leaders.

It is marvelous thing to behold Jesus as the Seeker of lost souls, He always is. We never seek Him until He finds us where we are, in sin and spiritual blindness, and opens our spiritual eyes to see our condition as a lost sinner condemned and doomed. He offers us eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for our sins as we turn to Him in true repentance and are saved by His grace.

The spiritual blindness that fell from this man’s heart was even greater than the natural blindness that fell from his eyes which, of course, was no small miracle. It makes my heart glad for this man long ago on that day when his eyes were opened and he beheld his loved one’s faces; the beautiful blue sky; the picturesque scenes of nature all around him; and most of all, the face of Jesus the Savior. This changed his life on earth for the good for the rest of his days, but the light that dawned upon his soul, changed his destiny for all eternity. Most of us have not suffered from physical blindness, thankfully, but we all have been under the curse of spiritual blindness. Let us thank the Lord for seeking us and saving us from that terrible condition and giving us the light of life.

Praise His wonderful name!

Pastor Ed Bowen

March 7, 2010