John 9:26-41 CSB
Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" [27] "I already told you," he said, "and you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don't want to become his disciples too, do you?" [28] They ridiculed him: "You're that man's disciple, but we're Moses's disciples. [29] We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man-we don't know where he's from." [30] "This is an amazing thing!" the man told them. "You don't know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. [31] We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will, he listens to him. [32] Throughout history no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind. [33] If this man were not from God, he wouldn't be able to do anything." [34] "You were born entirely in sin," they replied, "and are you trying to teach us?" Then they threw him out. [35] Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, and when he found him, he asked, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" [36] "Who is he, Sir, that I may believe in him?" he asked. [37] Jesus answered, "You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." [38] "I believe, Lord!" he said, and he worshiped him. [39] Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind." [40] Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and asked him, "We aren't blind too, are we?" [41] "If you were blind," Jesus told them, "you wouldn't have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.
Matthew 13:44 CSB
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
I Believe Lord
This blind man, who had just gained his sight, had been a beggar due to his situation in life. Yet he stood up, his back straight, looking into the eyes of those who questioned him. He had found the start of something powerful: the truth. Truth has a way of grasping ordinary people and making them a force to contend with, even against those in power. Just as Jesus’ disciples would eventually speak in front of kings, this beggar—armed with the truth—stood his ground. He told the Pharisees plainly that they didn’t want to listen; they only wanted to question him with the purpose of twisting the truth and insulting the witness of Christ.
The beggar was not done. All his life he had to take handouts at the feet of those who thought they were better than him. In Jewish custom, his blindness told people that either he or his family had sinned. Yet, he knew the Word of God. The man who could not see responded with Old Testament theology that the religious leaders should have known:
- God does not hear the prayers of sinners; He hears the God-fearing who do His will.
- In all of history, no one had ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. This specific miracle was associated with the coming of the Messiah.
- Jesus could do nothing on His own initiative; it had to be the work of the Father in Heaven.
The self-righteous religious leaders were faced with a choice: listen and be saved, or reject the man and throw him out. They chose the latter, throwing blame where there was no blame. By banishing him, they hoped to stop the truth from searing their and others’ consciences. They completed their wrongdoing by throwing the man out, believing they could silence the testimony of what God had done.
Our compassionate Lord heard that they had thrown the man out. His physical condition had been corrected, and now Jesus would fix his soul. He asked the question that faces us all: Do you believe in the Son of Man?
The man’s knowledge of Jesus had progressed from seeing Him as a man, then a prophet, and now as the Anointed One of God. Jesus revealed Himself with words that resonate with everyone who believes: I am He. I am the one speaking to you. The man believed and worshiped. He realized that Jesus was the Messiah—someone to be worshiped, not just admired.
Jesus then taught his new follower that He came into the world for judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they “see” that they are actually blind. The Pharisees, always hovering on the edge of the truth to find a trap, asked, “We aren’t blind too, are we?” Jesus’ answer was sobering: because they claimed to have all the answers, their sin remained.
The beggar found the truth, but he had to let go of his old life. He was thrown out of his culture and shunned by society, yet he realized he had found the treasure Jesus described in His parable. He sold everything he had to buy the field containing the treasure.
Do we have the strength to follow Jesus today? Have we truly counted the cost?
Reflection Questions
- The man first saw Jesus as a “man,” then a “prophet,” then “Lord.” How has your own understanding of who Jesus is grown since you first started your walk with Him?
- The man was kicked out of the synagogue—his entire social and support system. What have you had to “give up” to follow Jesus, and do you still find the “treasure” worth the price?
- Jesus says that those who claim to see are the ones whose sin remains. Is there an area of your life where you are “acting like an expert” instead of humbly asking Jesus for sight?
Prayer
Father,
We thank You that You seek us out when the world throws us out. Thank You for the courage of this man who stood for the truth even when it cost him his place in society. Give us that same “back-straight” courage to testify to what You have done in our lives. Help us to count the cost and realize that knowing You is a treasure worth more than anything we could lose.
Amen.
