John 9
By Pastor Libby
Progression of Faith
In John chapter nine we are introduced to a man who is born blind. He spends his days begging and in the dark. He cannot tell you the colors of a rainbow with full understanding and he cannot describe for you in detail the contours and general order of the faces of those he loves. Yet in the moment that he meets Jesus, this man is given sight, in more ways than one. Our blind beggar is not blind any more; he has his eyes opened physically and spiritually.
When the man’s sight is restored, he is then brought before the Pharisees and we are privileged to see the progression of his faith take place in front of us. The Pharisees ask the man “What do you have to say about him (Jesus)? It was your eyes he opened.” (v.17) First the man says that Jesus is a prophet. Then under continued duress, he aligns himself as a disciple of Christ, and finally when left to himself with the facts of who Jesus is, fully revealed in front of him, he believes and worships.
We then hear Jesus’ words as he says, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” (v. 39) True blindness was found in the Pharisees lives rather than the man who was healed. The miracle was standing right in front of them, but they still chose not to believe. They had Jesus, the Messiah, right in front of them but still chose not to believe!
Is there anything blinding you or standing in the way of maturing in your faith? If you know of Jesus, or you have encountered his love and power, now is the time to take that next step and become his disciple, believe and worship Him. Don’t let, like the Pharisees, power and cynicism blind you to the reality of a full life in Jesus Christ.
