To See Or Not To See

Then he said, Lord, I believe! And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, For judgment, I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind. Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, Are we blind also? Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, We see. Therefore, your sin remains.

John 9:38-41

How well do we see? The occasion of our text follows Christ’s healing of the man who was born blind. His healing had provoked the enemies of Christ because He had told him to wash his clay-laden eyes in the pool of Siloam, thus breaking one of the religionists’ petty regulations. When the healed man boldly confessed his allegiance to Christ as his healer, the religionists threw him out of the synagogue. Christ engaged him afterward and he worshipped Him. Our text is what follows that interaction. Christ makes a rather provocative statement at which the Pharisees, the religious arch-conservatives, took offense. They rightly understood that He was speaking of spiritual sight versus spiritual blindness. They considered themselves to be more spiritually perceptive than all others. Therefore, Christ pointed out to them that they were actually more culpable because they simply refused to accept the truth when it stood quite apparently in front of them. Their pride, self-righteousness, and unbelief made them the practical enemies of Christ and His truth. It is not good to be that person. Like the man born blind, we are keenly aware that Christ must enable us to see clearly. He is most willing to clarify reality for us. He hears the prayer of the humble soul and makes the blind to see.

Our Good and Wise God,
we rejoice that You do the miraculous.
We praise You that each of us experiences
Your transforming touch.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning