Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind” (John 9:39, English Standard Version).

Jesus had just healed a man who was born blind. Once again, John recorded an extensive dialog. Unlike other discourses in this Gospel, the debate opponents were not the Jewish religious leaders and Jesus. This time, they argued against the man who was born blind. The blind man spoke in Jesus’ defense.

The first lesson we can learn from John 9 is the power of a personal witness. The blind man may not have heard the Sermon on the Mount. He barely knew anything about Jesus; in fact, Jesus had slipped away before the man could see Him. When the Jewish leaders asked what he thought about Jesus, he responded that Jesus must be a prophet and man of God. He shared only what he knew from his experience with Jesus.

Maybe that is all we need. We can begin by reporting what He has done in our lives. Now that he could see, the man was willing to risk being excommunicated from the synagogue and ostracized by his community. Jesus had given him sight. He could not deny it. This ability to see was a gift from God.

Jesus had opened his physical eyes, and now he could see. He also had spiritual vision to recognize Jesus and discern how God was working.

Meanwhile, those who rejected Christ were spiritually blind. They claimed that they knew God, but they could not see the power of God in the life of Christ. They refused to see it. They insisted on clinging to what they thought they knew. As a result, the Light of the World (John 8:13) condemned them as blind.

May our eyes always be open to see how Jesus is working in our lives so that He may lead us deeper into eternal life.

How has Jesus opened your eyes? Share your thoughts about this or other ideas related to this passage in the comments field below.

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