July 23
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THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD GIVES SIGHT TO THE BLIND
As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” 6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So, he went away and washed, and came back seeing. 8 Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?” 9 Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.” 10 So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is He?” He *said, “I do not know.” – John 9:1-12
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In this account, we witness another miracle that Jesus did while he was here on earth. It was giving sight to a man born blind. In those time, whenever someone is blind, they associate it with sin. Light is associated with God and darkness represents Satan’s territory. Genesis 1:2-3 gives us a picture of how God created his first work, which is light. It says: The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. From the creation story, it is obvious that without light, we will still be formless and full of darkness. It was God who brought us light. Jesus declares that He is light of the world in verse 5.
When the disciples asked who sinned in this blind man’s family, Jesus claims that it is to display God’s glory and power that’s why this man was born blind. We hear Jesus say once again about his divinity to His disciple. Only God can bring light and sight to the blind. The restoration of sight for this blind man is so that all will magnify at the greatness and power of God. It is only God who can totally restore sight to anyone living in darkness.
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REFLECTION
• How can physical blindness be synonymous to spiritual blindness?