More on Seeing
For the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "Whether he is a sinner; I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples?" John 9:24-27, RSV.
A gutsy response to be sure. Although born blind, the man had nothing wrong with his brain or his courage or his faith.
He had experienced the miracle of Jesus in his life and was ready to stand up for what he believed. Even in the face of powerful people. Even in the face of being ostracized.
While he didn't understand how Jesus had done it, he knew he had been healed. And that had become the turning point in his life. No matter what the cost he would follow Jesus.
That disgusted the authorities, who replied that they were disciples of Moses. "We know," they retorted, "that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from" (John 9:29, RSV).
The ever-perceptive healed man replied with a voice bolstered by faith, experience, and insight: "Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.' They answered him. 'You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?' And they cast him out" (verses 30-34, RSV).
One lesson this experience teaches us is that vision is directly connected to the heart. In the face of an obvious act of God, we can do one of two things. We can deny that we have seen a miracle and head in the direction of doubt. Or we can confess that we have indeed viewed the working of the Divine and enter the path of faith.
The interesting thing about how we see is that it leads us ever more firmly in the direction in which we first responded to God's obvious work. Faith and doubt are two ways of life that solidify over time.
For the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "Whether he is a sinner; I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples?" John 9:24-27, RSV.
A gutsy response to be sure. Although born blind, the man had nothing wrong with his brain or his courage or his faith.
He had experienced the miracle of Jesus in his life and was ready to stand up for what he believed. Even in the face of powerful people. Even in the face of being ostracized.
While he didn't understand how Jesus had done it, he knew he had been healed. And that had become the turning point in his life. No matter what the cost he would follow Jesus.
That disgusted the authorities, who replied that they were disciples of Moses. "We know," they retorted, "that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from" (John 9:29, RSV).
The ever-perceptive healed man replied with a voice bolstered by faith, experience, and insight: "Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.' They answered him. 'You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?' And they cast him out" (verses 30-34, RSV).
One lesson this experience teaches us is that vision is directly connected to the heart. In the face of an obvious act of God, we can do one of two things. We can deny that we have seen a miracle and head in the direction of doubt. Or we can confess that we have indeed viewed the working of the Divine and enter the path of faith.
The interesting thing about how we see is that it leads us ever more firmly in the direction in which we first responded to God's obvious work. Faith and doubt are two ways of life that solidify over time.
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