Seeing The Love

Last week, we talked about the crippled man at the pool of Bethseda. Jesus healed him physically, then returned and offered spiritual healing, which the man rejected. Today I want to look at John chapter nine. Again, we have a man in need of physical healing, a blind man. Again, this all takes place on the Sabbath.

Jesus places mud on the man’s eyes and tells him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam, which miraculously restores his sight. The reaction from the blind man, however, differs completely from the crippled man’s in chapter five. The pharisees find out about the miracle and ask the formerly blind man how he received his sight. He tells them what Jesus did and gets drawn into a debate over whether Jesus is from God. ​

The man’s parents are drawn into the discussion, but because they fear the pharisees they say, “ask our son, he’s a grown man.” The healed man doesn’t cower and, in the end, defends Jesus when the pharisees call Him a sinner, saying only a man of God could heal a person like him who had been blind from birth.

Once again, Jesus returns to the scene and offers salvation to the person He has physically healed. The blind man’s response is so different from the crippled man’s. The blind man believes Jesus is who He claims and begins worshipping Him right there on the spot.
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The thing that jumps out at me about these two stories is that Jesus knew going into both situations how the men would react. He knew who would betray him to the ones plotting against Him. He knew who would become His follower. Even so, He healed them both, placed Himself in harm’s way for both of them by returning to offer salvation when He could have just kept going. He knew the outcome, but still did what the heavenly Father called Him to do. Wow!

Have you ever been tempted to write someone off? You know, think someone is just too far gone to bother with? Maybe everyone in your church has witnessed to this person and they still continue to live their same old sin-filled life without wanting to change. Or maybe you’ve witnessed to a person for years and they continue to blow you off. 

Are you ever tempted to give up? To stop praying for them? To stop showing the love of Christ? Do you ever feel you’ve done all you can do?

​Well, if you have, think about Jesus with these two men. If God is putting this person in your path and the Holy Spirit is urging you to share Christ, then you share. What if this time they turn to God and are saved? You praise God for using you. What if they don’t? You praise God for using you. He’s the potter. ​

God knows the outcome before going into the situation. That’s not our concern. Our job is to be faithful, to offer to others the gift that was offered to us. The gift that only Jesus can truly give. We are just delivering the message. God is giving the gift.