Friday, November 20, 2015

When the man born blind was miraculously healed it created a stir among the people. John 9:8 says the people asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some said he was. Others said, “No.” The healed man, hearing the conflicting opinions, declared, “I am the man.” Hearing this they demanded, “How then were your eyes opened?” He told them, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and then I could see.” Not satisfied they probed deeper, “Where is this man?” He answered: “I don’t know.” There obviously had been talk about Jesus since the man who was healed said it was Jesus. Not having seen Jesus while he was blind he couldn’t recognize him even if he saw Him, since he was healed at the pool of Siloam. Still not satisfied, they took him to the Pharisees who knew who Jesus was according to John 8:59. They looked for a way to expose Him as being a fraud. They found out the miracle happened on the Sabbath, but they wanted more information, so they asked the man how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” The Pharisees immediately pointed out, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath,” hoping to expose Jesus as a fraud. Some in the crowd countered, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So far we’ve seen confusion, curiosity and criticism, but no faith in Jesus, except for the healed man. Questions can lead to clarification, but if answers are followed with relentless questions, the outcome often is confusion, conflict and criticism, as in this incident.