John 9:6-12

John 9:6-12 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” “How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded. 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.” “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.

People's eyes have been opened and their lives changed throughout the generations since Jesus dwelt on Earth, yet their friends and neighbors often do not comprehend their miracles, do not understand the results of a touch from Jesus. They watch the life of a reprobate, a beggar, a troubled soul, or a disheveled and abandoned child change from rebellious, chaotic, and alienated to peaceful, prosperous, and hopeful; and they question how such a miracle could happen and do not want to give credit to the man they call Jesus. The amazing metamorphosis of a human being's soul brings the same question from those who knew the person before his or her transformation that is brought in today's story: Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg? This question is asked in various forms with similar replies: I am the same person; Jesus opened my eyes. But this explanation is too much for the unbelievers to accept, to acknowledge, and to embrace. They would rather believe in changing circumstances: the renewed person must have read an insightful book, found a new doctor, met the right counselor, or just experienced good fortune. Surely, this faith answer is too simple: The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. This transformation must have come from some mystical illumination, some secret knowledge or wisdom from some spiritual guru. Such a change could not come from some man merely touching a blind man's eyes--that is impossible to believe. Jesus' message was contrary to such thoughts. Many times He spoke words such as these: What is impossible with men is possible with God. (Luke 18:27)

The neighbors could not process a miracle healing: such a happening was beyond the limits of their unregenerate thinking. Jesus continually told people they did not know him, did not understand who He was or why He came: My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place. (John 18:36) Those seeing the results of his touch did not understand Jesus any better than those who heard him in the temple. They did not have eyes to see, did not want to believe in one who opened blind eyes. We see this today as people ignore God while seeking change through human efforts: self-help books, specially trained doctors, or by sitting at the feet of motivational teachers. Paul wrote that he counted all his worldly wisdom and knowledge as dung that he might rely completely on Jesus Christ and him crucified. He saw all other ways to peace as paths to nowhere. Christ alone has the answer to every problem, every question. He is light and life. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness. (John 1:3-5) The man who was blind and now could see knew Jesus healed him. We also have the assurance that when he met Jesus at the Pool of Siloam, Christ not only washed away his physical blindness; this man met the Messiah, the Son of God, and he knew Jesus would wash away his sins. Christ alone awakens us from the nightmare of life into a bright shiny new day of righteousness, peace, and joy in him as He makes sense out of a senseless life without hope for a future.

To this very day, the question remains for the unsaved and for the wandering believer: Where is this man? Where is the man who can turn turmoil into serenity, hopelessness into peace like a river, despair into abundant joy? Where is this man who can change a rebellious outcast into a soldier of the cross? WHERE IS HE? Jesus said, God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) Paul gave clear instructions for living a life of faith: Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4) Christ is real, but He will only be found by faith in the heart of a believer fully surrendered to him, lost in his love, yielded to his will, committed to his plans, full of his goodness, rejoicing in his mercy, thankful for his blessings of healing grace. He is found in the depths of our innermost being where He makes his home and lives forevermore. Every other effort to find him, to know him, to fellowship with him will fail without faith. If we rely upon ourselves, we will remain in darkness with blind eyes. Arise and shine: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)