John 9:15-17
So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
Check this out—one of the reasons the Pharisees were so indignant with this miracle was that Jesus was guilty of kneading on the Sabbath. Kneading? Yes. It was one of the categories of “work” that was specifically forbidden under Jewish law. He used dirt and saliva to make mud…thus, he was kneading. LAW-BREAKER! It’s amazing just how far people are willing to go to do away with the person and message of Jesus of Nazareth.
A miracle had clearly taken place and a growing number of people in the city were starting to give serious consideration to the words of this carpenter. Despite the fact that at first glance he appeared to be a common man from a common place, he spoke with amazing authority (Mt. 7:29), always confounded the Jewish leaders (Mt. 22:34), and performed numerous miracles both large and small. The true light of the world was overtaking the darkness of religion and self-righteousness…like when you turn on a bright light in a dark, dank place…and the rats scatter.
The same thing has been happening for two thousand years.
You can drop the “F-bomb” into most conversations and get away with it, but when you bring up the “J-bomb” the atmosphere changes immediately. Those that are already in the light will respond with enthusiasm and encouragement. Like the man who regained his sight at the Master’s touch, they know that Jesus is The Prophet and they gladly proclaim that truth. Others will be casually dismissive, hoping that the subject will soon change. They might even offer tepid approval, but their hearts are far from Him. Still others will go on the offensive, attacking the messenger or the church in general or perhaps the claims of Scripture. Their deeds are dark, and they can’t stand the light (2 Cor. 6:14), so they try to push it back or stamp it out.
For those of us who have been healed of our spiritual blindness, we should take a cue from the man in this story and be willing to simply state what we know to be true. We were lost in our sin. Jesus came and healed us. Now we see clearly and rejoice in our healing and want the same for everyone around us. As we will see in the coming days, this man was pushed repeatedly to recant or deny or minimize…but he refused to do so. He was not a well-trained apologist or theologian, but rather a simple man who had experienced a great change in his life. That story is common to every disciple of Jesus and like our brother from days gone by, we should be willing to state it, defend it, and share it.
