I Once Was Blind, But Now I See
As he entered their cramped home, a toddler,
named Josiah, reached out for his busy mother. First one chubby hand, and then
the other, caressed her careworn face and silky hair. As he traced the profile
of his beloved Mama, a question formed on his 3-year-old lips. “Mama, what is a sinner?”, he innocently
asked. “Where did you hear that word?” was her startled reply. “From the
children in our village. They will not play with me, because they say you and
Abba are sinners, maybe even me.” he said. He felt the tear drop as it fell down her
cheek. She knew from his birth that this
day was coming. The time when she would have to answer his question, but
how? He was the youngest of her large brood,
and secretly her favorite. His docile nature, and sunny smile captivated
friends and family alike. “Such a good baby,” everyone agreed. Those early
months were precious, but it soon became obvious that this cherished, perfect child
had a flaw. His eyes did not focus on her face, even a bright object held before
him was ignored. Excuses were made for the slow development, but as he reached
his first birthday there was no denying the problem. He was blind.
Blind, the very word caused terror in the parents. How can we protect him from harm? Will he be
able to learn a skill? But, worst of
all, what will people say.? As obedient
Jews, they knew the answer to that one.
An affliction, such as this, had only one source, SIN. In anguish the mother and father consulted
with the Rabbi, offered blood sacrifices, to atone for their transgressions,
and prayed. They understood that no one had ever been healed from blindness,
but still they sought God.
As the years passed, and the boy became a of age, he
realized that the only way to provide for himself, and aging parents, was to
beg. Daily, he made his way to a spot outside the synagogue. Some passersby took pity on him, tossing a few
coins in his basket. Others preferred to mock and accuse him of the sin he wore
like a cloak. Yes, he had no vision, but
his other senses were heightened. The
cruel words had hurt him in the early years, but he was used to them by now. As
he sat, hour after hour, he often thought of what it meant to be blind. Having
never seen, it was his normal. How can you miss what you never had. People
would tell him how blue the sky was, or how lovely the spring flowers
were. He would smile and respond that the
sun’s warmth felt like a favorite blanket, and the perfumed air that enveloped
him, like Eden. His reality was
blindness. The cause, sin. The cure, none. All the Jewish teachings told him
so. Knowing no other life, he became complacent with his fate. One early spring day, he heard the approach of
strangers. Their coarse accent gave them
away, Nazarenes. Some of the men, seeing
that he was blind, asked their Rabbi, whose sin it was that had caused his
condition, his or his parents. The blind man’s keen ears listened for the usual
reply. But, today was different, he
could feel an inexplicable power surround him. In anticipation he listened as
the teacher answered. It is neither his nor his parent’s sin,” he proclaimed. Josiah gasped.
Then whose sin, was it? In rapt
attention, he waited for the next words.
“This has happened so the power of God can be seen in him.” What can
this mean? All my life I have believed
it was sin that cursed me, now I hear good news. Jesus, the young Rabbi who was speaking,
turned his attention to Josiah. Through
the din of the crowd, he could hear him spit on the dusty ground making a clay
with his saliva. Strong, yet gentle hands lifted up his head, and applied the
mud to his eyes. Years ago, a doctor had tried this same method, but this was
different. Jesus offered no rote prayer, or incantation, but his power, and the
authority in his voice filled the now silent courtyard. “Go wash your eyes in
the pool of Siloam. This pool was
refreshed constantly from a water channel that King Hezekiah had built years
before. Josiah jumped to his feet in
obedience to the command. The pool had
always been a pleasant place to relax, but now as he washed the mud off, he not
only felt the water, he saw it run though his fingers! Running back, he yelled,
“I can see, I can see!” Those standing
by could not believe it. They doubted it was the same man. He looks like him, they thought, but this is
impossible. No, cried Josiah, it is I, and I can see! Who did this to you? Someone named Jesus. Where
is he? Retelling the story in detail, some of the crowd began to grumble. As they ran to tell the Pharisees, they
shouted you cannot work on the Sabbath.
When the Pharisees arrived, they questioned the man repeatedly, wanting
to know who had broken the law by healing on the Sabbath, ignoring the supernatural.
Others among them believed it a miracle, and so there began a division of
opinion. By this time, his parents were aware of what had happened. In fear of persecution from the Romans and
the powerful Pharisees, they declined to answer, sending them back to their
son. Fear, however, could not hide the
joy that filled their hearts. In
exasperation, Josiah made it clear that God does not listen to sinners, thus
this Jesus must be acting for God. Finally, he shouted, “I don’t know if he is
a sinner, but this much I do know, once I was blind, but now I can see.” As I think back on my own spiritual journey,
from blindness to light, I see the similarities. Josiah and I were used to our condition. We both
lived life without the light of Christ. I thought the minimal knowledge I had
of God was sufficient. Why seek anything deeper. Maybe you felt that way too. At
a point, however, I too heard the voice of Christ, speaking directly to me. He
applied that same mud to my eyes, allowing me to see him clearly for the first
time. In our story, Jesus returns to
Josiah and asks him if he believes in the Son of Man? Not totally sure of the question, he says he
want to believe. Who wouldn’t? Jesus
asks that age old question to every human being. Josiah’s reply, yes Lord I
believe, came not from knowledge of scripture or church attendance, but from
God revealing himself. Josiah fell at the feet of Jesus and worshipped. The
Bible doesn’t tell us what became of this man, but I’m pretty certain he never
stopped telling his story. Now, let’s
look at the other reactions of those who witnessed this miracle. The disciples
were only interested in finding out whose sin was responsible. The blind beggar
meant nothing to them. The Pharisees were angry, demanding, and blind to the
situation. The parents were afraid.
While some were open to belief, many were held back by the demands of
the Law. Only the blind man fell to the ground in worship, giving all the glory
to God. Jesus came to truly open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. If that doesn’t make you want to worship, you
need your eyes checked. “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the
blind and to show those who think they seee that they are blind.” John 9:39. What condition are
your spiritual eyes in
? Do you only think you can see? Jesus longs to give you 20/20 vision. Then you too can declare, I once was blind, but now I see!!
