Now I See!

“One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
John 9:25b 

The man who was born blind encounters Jesus, and after a little spit and a little mud and washing in the pool of Siloam, the blind man is now able to see.  The whole chapter is devoted to telling this detailed story.  That’s one of the characteristics we find in John’s gospel.  Like the woman at the well in ch. 4, we get lots of details here in ch. 9.  The Pharisees are questioning the man, wanting to know if he indeed was the man who was previously blind, and if so, how it is that now he can see.   It’s almost comical as the story unfolds, and the man who is now able to see gets downright sassy.

One interesting point in the story is that Jesus tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam after Jesus puts the mud on his eyes.  In essence, the man never saw Jesus, but he speaks of Jesus, bearing witness to his power, for much of the chapter.  Only toward the end, after the man has been thrown out of the synagogue, does Jesus reappear to the man.  At that point, the man makes a statement of faith, and then he worshipped Jesus.

An overarching theme of the chapter asks the question - “who can see who Jesus is and who is unable to see?”  The man, though he was blind, and though Jesus was “out of the picture” for several verses, the man bore witness to what Jesus had done. 

In some ways, this man is a model for Christians.  Although we have not seen Jesus, we bear witness to what he does and to who he is as the Son of God.  We see signs of his presence at work in our lives and in our world.  We see how the hungry are fed, how the homeless are given shelter, how the lowly are lifted up, how compassion is demonstrated, and as a church family, we participate in this work.  Christ is truly present in the worship, the ministry, the outreach, the sharing, the fellowship, and the caring for one another.  Although we have not seen Jesus, we bear witness to the work that is being done in his name; we see his presence in the work of the church, and we continue to tell his story.  We bear witness.  We tell what Christ has done.  We join this man in saying, “though I was blind, now I see.”  Let us continue to tell his story.

Let us pray - Good and gracious God, we thank you for all you have done for us and given us through your Son, Jesus Christ.  Help us to see you at work in our lives and in our world, and continue to call us into the work of ministry.  Help us to feed the hungry, to provide shelter to the homeless, to show compassion and mercy toward the poor, the heart-broken, and those who are lonely.  In these acts of mercy, reveal your presence, so that our eyes are opened to see you.  In your holy name we pray.  Amen.