Jesus — Man Born Blind - Wednesday
TODAY’S VERSE
John 9:8-9
The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” (ESV)
There’s a unique kind of disorientation that comes when you try to follow Jesus, and those around you just don’t understand why. Years ago, I had set aside taking my faith seriously in favor of belonging. I chased approval, comfort, and companionship, thinking they would fill the emptiness in my life. When that left me broken and desperate, God quietly reminded me that He had always been what I was searching for.
One morning, I told my roommates that I was going to church and invited them to come with me. Their response was a cold, incredulous, “Why???” I knew what was true, but they couldn’t see it yet. Watching their doubt, indifference, and misunderstanding was heartbreaking.
The gap between what you know is real and how others respond to it is exactly where the (formerly) blind man in John 9 finds himself next. Neither the miracle nor his hardships end when he gains his sight; somehow, things actually get more difficult. The scripture tells us that his neighbors, people who had seen and passed by him as a beggar, and others debate if he’s the same person. And simply enough, he is said to repeat the same thing: “I am the man.” At the risk of sounding like a tragic Hallmark card, something struck me about this weird debate: When the man was blind, he was unseen and unconsidered. They can’t even remember what he looked like while he’s standing in front of them. Because nobody truly saw him before, they don’t know how to recognize him now. He gained his sight, but the depth of how invisible he had always been is revealed as well.
In John 8, the religious leaders twist Jesus’ words, challenge His authority, and refuse to believe what’s right in front of them. Now, in John 9, that same blindness shows up in a new way. If this man really was blind and now can see, then something real has happened that they can’t explain. And real change has a way of rocking people’s perception.
This is where following Jesus can get lonely. When God changes you, not everyone will celebrate it. Some will doubt it. Others will minimize it. A few may even try to explain it away. We’d do well to learn from the blind man: He stays confident in his faith and Jesus’ work in his life. He doesn’t try to over-protect himself; he simply walks through what happened when he met Jesus, and how He changed his life. He tells his testimony!
APPLICATION
Have you ever felt like you needed to downplay, or even lacked a proper “testimony” worth listening to? Write out your testimony today. Here’s a prompt to get you started: What was life like before Jesus? How did Jesus get your attention? How has life changed now?
PRAYER
Pray today that you’d have the humility and courage to share what Jesus has done in your life.
