Silence in Court
Opening Prayer
Lord, make me willing to obey in things that make no immediate sense to me.
Read John 9:1–12
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
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
“The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psa. 19:8).
Much as we would like to interpret life in terms of black and white regarding cause and effect, the reality is that there are many grey areas that defy such categorization. Bad things happen to good people and vice versa. The link between actions and apparent consequences is often spurious. Jesus confirms as much in this passage with his rebuttal of the disciples’ neat assumptions regarding the cause of a man’s blindness (2,3).
Where they see evidence of sin, Jesus sees an opportunity for a sign—a sign that he is indeed the agent of God, the Messiah (3–5). The transformation of the man’s sight (6,7) is a demonstration of the transformation God effectuates in every repentant sinner. This miracle functions within John’s narrative as a foretaste of Jesus’ role as the agent of regeneration, a role that comes to full and glorious revelation in his resurrection from the seemingly
impenetrable darkness of death.
The simple, trusting obedience of the blind man to Jesus’ word (7)—remember, he cannot see him, only hear him—stands in marked contrast to the Jewish leaders who, as before, take every opportunity to contest just about everything Jesus says. Ironically, it is the man who formerly could not see who exhibits the response of a true disciple. As a true disciple, the man quickly finds himself aligned with Jesus in dividing public opinion (8,9). Where Jesus leads, disciples must follow. As a faithful disciple the man follows the example of Christ in testifying to the truth of what has happened—telling what he knows (11) and admitting what he doesn’t know (12). He has started on the journey of true faith; he is beginning to see that there is much more to life than meets the eye.
Apply
Reflect on some of the hardships confronting you today, prayerfully
seeking God’s wisdom and revelation in regard to how his works might be displayed in your situation.
Closing prayer
Lord, I once was blind but now I see. Thank You for pouring Your
amazing grace upon me in such abundance.
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