Who is Jesus? A Lenten Journey through John – Day 15
Read John 9:1-41
How is it that a blind man can see, and people with vision can be blind? That is what this passage is all about. The set-up is quite simple: Jesus heals a blind man. The townspeople couldn’t believe that he could see, or that Jesus had the power to heal him, so they sent him to the experts: the Pharisees.
The Pharisees didn’t believe that sight had been given to the blind man, so they went to ask his parents if it was true! Out of fear, his parents sent the Pharisees back to their son. Finally, the Pharisees can’t take it anymore and send the man away. When Jesus finds the man who had been blind, he invites him to believe.
The Pharisees, though, never really come around. They don’t believe in Jesus, and they choose not to see, even when the evidence is right in front of them. They didn’t want to believe in Jesus, because they were blinded by their own prejudices against Jesus, and their commitment to their way of life. How are we sometimes blinded by our commitments and ideas, so that we don’t see Jesus?
Prayer
Lord, help us to see you when you are revealed. Enable us, by your Spirit, to trust in your presence and your saving work. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.