Full of Grace and Truth: Healing Blindness

I’m sure you’re wondering why there’s a black rectangle at the top of the page. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the interior of a cave with no lights on, but that is exactly what it looks like. I’ve been on several cave tours where the guide got us all in a large room of the cave and turned off all the lights. The darkness is almost indescribable. You can’t even see you own hand right in front of your eyes.

Now imagine living like that everyday. Imagine having no eyesight and all is dark all the time. You perceive no shapes, no colors, no light, and no images with your eyes.

There are those who don’t have to imagine that at all because that is their life condition. Some are born blind and have never had the opportunity to see the things the rest of us often take for granted. For all those dealing with blindness I offer this hope from Jesus himself:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:18-19).”

As the Gospels record, Jesus healed several blind people. One of those instances is found in John 9 when he and his disciples encountered a man born blind. Stating that he is the light of the world, Jesus proceeded to make some mud with his own saliva and put it on the man’s eyes. “‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing (John 9:7).”

Can you imagine being one of his family members? How stunning that must have been to suddenly see the blind man you’ve known all you life now able to see.

It was so stunning that some didn’t even believe it. They began questioning him, “‘How then were your eyes opened?’ they asked. He replied, ‘The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see (John 9:10-11).’”

Before we get too critical of the doubters, let’s be honest. How many of us would have believed it at first? I dare say that I probably would have doubted at first too.

Of course word of this miracle made its way to the group of people who loved and admired Jesus the most – the Pharisees. (That’s a joke!) Some of his doubting neighbors brought him to them. It didn’t take long for a controversy to stir.

As they questioned the man about what and how it happened, the Pharisees realized that this had been done on the Sabbath. There were few, if any, things worse in the eyes of the Pharisees than to do work on the Sabbath. And since Jesus had made mud and healed the man on the Sabbath, it led to this exchange:

“Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man (Jesus) is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.’

“But others asked, ‘How can a sinner perform such signs?’ So they were divided.

“Then they turned again to the blind man, ‘What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.’

“The man replied, ‘He is a prophet (John 9:16-17).’”

The Pharisees were so troubled by what had happened that they simply refused to believe that man had been born blind. They even had the man’s parents brought into them so that they too could be questioned. The parents acknowledged that the man was their son and that he was born blind, but they refused to say how he was now able to see. Why would they not tell them? Because as John records, “they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue (John 9:22).”

So the Pharisees turned once more to the formerly blind man and began grilling him further. “‘Give glory to God by telling the truth,’ they said. ‘We know this man is a sinner.’

“He replied, ‘Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see (John 9:24-25)!’”

We have now reached a critical part of the story. Up until now, the focus has been solely on Jesus healing the man of his physical blindness. But as is typical with stories of Jesus, it goes far beyond being about the mere physical. What we are about to see is that Jesus healed him of a very significant spiritual blindness as well.

The Pharisees pushed still further. “Then they asked him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’

“He answered, ‘I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too (John 9:26-27)?’”

Can you hear the man’s heart of faith? With that simple question – “Do you want to become his disciples too?” – the man is making known who he intends to follow. He does not yet fully grasp who Jesus is, but the seeds of faith are there. It won’t take long for those seeds to bloom fully and for his spiritual eyesight to be completely restored.

After insulting him for his newly found faith, the Pharisees said, “‘You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.’

“The man answered, ‘Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing (John 9:28-33).’”

What a remarkable statement of truth from the man born blind. Because of his healing encounter with Jesus, he was now able to see more clearly than could those who were regarded as the most spiritually-inclined people in Jewish society. He was able to recognize that Jesus was from God and the religious experts could not. Sadly, that kind of thing still goes on to this day.

Of course the Pharisees were enraged by the man’s faith and his presumption to lecture them. So after insulting him some more about being a sinner from birth, they kicked him out. What a fortuitous thing for him. As it turned out, this gave him another opportunity to encounter Jesus.

“Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’

“‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’

“Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.’

“Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him (John 9:35-38).”

I started this blog about those who live in physical blindness. I do not mean in anyway to diminish its impact, but living with spiritual blindness is even worse. The man born blind was now able to see, not just in a physical sense but in a spiritual sense as well. He had beheld the Son of God and was completely transformed. He was blind, but because of the grace of Jesus Christ, he could now truly see. Utterly amazing!

That’s what another man thought who was healed of blindness by Christ. John Newton wasn’t born with physical blindness, but he did suffer from spiritual blindness. He was involved in the 18th century English slave trade and even became a captain of a couple slave ships. It was during one of his voyages to West Africa that he became ill with a fever and gave his life to Christ. Some time later, he quit the slave trade business and became a minister and an abolitionist.

His work in ministry and his support of abolition are undoubtedly important, but his most durable contribution to the world came in the form of a hymn, still beloved by millions. It may be one of the most recognizable hymns ever written and it fits in perfectly with the story of Jesus restoring sight to those who are blind.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now am found.

Was blind but now I see.”