John 9

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. John‬ ‭9:1-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This miracle highlights the fact that no matter what struggles or problems we are facing, Jesus can help us overcome them.  The fact is that we live in a fallen world where bad things happen simply because our collective human sin has corrupted the perfect world that God created.  However, sometimes God will actually allow challenges to come into a person’s life in order to show His mighty power.   Here is a promise for all of us who love God and have placed our trust in Him:  “And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).  For a modern-day example of God allowing misfortune to fall upon an individual so that “the work of God might be displayed in his life,” (v. 7) look at the life story of Nick Vujicic from “Life Without Limbs Ministry.”  Nick was born without arms and without legs.  Life was unbearably hard for Nick.  He was teased so badly as a child that he tried to commit suicide at age 10.  At that point in life he did not understand his value, his purpose for being born with such a terrible disability, or the truth about his destiny.  Through God’s love and mercy, Nick was able to overcome his despair and give his life wholeheartedly to Christ.  As only God can do, Nick’s life has gone from one focused on hardship and self-pity to one where he is a confident, superstar evangelist.  He has traveled to more than 40 countries, and has spoken over 2,000 times to more than 5 million people.  He preaches a message that God does not make mistakes.  His story is one of triumph and true faith that people can relate to.  Psalm 139:13-14 says: “For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  God made each of us unique for a reason, with flaws, quirks and He has allowed us to have varying degrees of disabilities.  He has also specifically placed you in this time period and in this place where you are right now for His purposes that may or may not be clear to you yet.  Although they can be challenging to overcome, try not to dwell and focus on your problems and challenges in life.  It just may be that God is going to use these particular difficulties to do His work through you. 

Here is a great video from Nick about hope and overcoming life’s challenges:  https://youtu.be/6P2nPI6CTlc

For more information on Nick’s ministry, visit: www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/

Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  ‭‭John‬ ‭9:31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ What does it mean that God does not listen to sinners?  God is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient, so He sees and hears everything, including people’s thoughts, right?  Right!  This does NOT mean that He is unaware of the prayers of a sinner.  What this does mean is that He will not answer the prayers of someone who is praying for something outside of His will.  There is a huge difference between a believer in Christ who sins (which is where we would likely be categorized), and a nonbeliever who is living a sinful life (who we are calling a “sinner” in this discussion).   In reality, we are all sinners, but those of us who have accepted Christ into our lives have been made into a new creation, where we have been purified by the sacrifice made for us on the cross.   We are now called righteous, and “…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (‭‭James‬ ‭5:16‬).  As a new creation, God’s thoughts and concerns become our own, and when we are guided by the Spirit, our prayers are aligned with His will.  John wrote it this way: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).  Sinners will not be in line with God’s will, so neither will their prayers.  However, there is definitely one prayer that God hears and answers, regardless of who is praying it.  This is the prayer of salvation.  Every unbeliever or “sinner” has the opportunity at any time to change his/her ways, repent, accept Christ, and ask to receive the gifts of eternal salvation and the indwelling Holy Spirit.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  After wholeheartedly praying this prayer, he/she will no longer be seen as a sinner in God’s eyes, and will forever become a member of His kingdom of believers!  Hallelujah!

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.”  ‭‭John‬ ‭9:35-41‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. The first blessing that the blind man received was the physical gift of sight.  But God performed an even greater miracle for him after that, one that would benefit him even more than being able to see: he also received spiritual sight!  His faith grew to the point that he was now able to see and recognize that Jesus was the Messiah, and he was ready to become a believer.  Even being thrown out of the synagogue did not deter him from pursuing Jesus and wanting to believe in Him.  Spiritual vision improves as faith grows.  Growing in faith means to “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).  Simply gaining more and more head knowledge will not increase one’s faith, and therefore will not allow one’s spiritual sight to be sharpened.  It is only through the gift of the Holy Spirit within us that we are able to see and understand God: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14).  The Pharisees were the perfect example of people who knew the law, obeyed the commands, had vast head knowledge, yet were spiritually blind.  What does this mean?  Spiritual blindness means being unable to see Christ.  Without acknowledging Christ as the Son of God, it is impossible to truly know God or understand His Word. Luke talks about the spiritually blind in Acts 28:26-27: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;  you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.’  For this people’s heart has become calloused;  they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.  Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”  The Pharisees openly and boldly spoke out against the divinity of Christ, closing off their hearts to the revelation of God’s truth.  The result of scrutinizing and criticizing divine truths will only lead to misconception, arrogance and pride, which is exactly what happened with this group of religious scholars.  What is the cause of spiritual blindness?  Ultimately, we have Satan to blame: “The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). 

For your friends and family who do not yet believe, stay dedicated to modeling Christ’s example and continue to pray that He will heal their spiritual blindness.  For each one of us, thank God for the miraculous gift of spiritual sight, which is a blessing that surpasses anything in the physical realm, one that will return unimaginable and eternal rewards.