“Lord, I Believe”
Opening Prayer
Praise and worship God for all that he means to you and all that he has done for you.
Read John 9:35–41
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Try to remember how you felt when you realized you believed in Jesus.Jesus seeks out the healed man and asks him a question (35). Neither man directly mentions the healing. The attention is on who Jesus is (37) rather than on the healing. The man’s request (36) is not about what the Son of Man is like, but where he can be found. Imagine how he felt.
He experienced a most amazing miracle. Then his parents disowned him (21) and he was thrown out of the synagogue (35), which meant that he would also have been thrown out of his home community. Being with the Son of Man offered him new hope, new faith and a new community. His response to Jesus (38) seems natural.
The Pharisees are a complete contrast. They hear what Jesus says in verse 39. It prompts them to ask a question in verse 40. What sort of attitude do you think was behind their question?
Jesus speaks to them very directly (41). They claim to have truth on their side. Actually, they have the truth standing there in front of them, but they can’t see it or accept it. It is this failure to accept the Son of Man which means they are spiritually blind and remain guilty.
Apply
Think of how you met the Son of Man. How can you share that story with someone today?
Closing prayer
Pray for someone you know who is looking for new hope and new life. Think what part you might play in their journey to faith.
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