John 9:1-41

"One thing I do know; I was blind, and now I see." (9:25)

‘The proof is in the pudding’ so the old adage goes, at least that is the way the blind man saw it.

He was having his 15 minutes (or longer) of fame. He probably preferred not to be there.

No doubt, he was happy to finally be able to see physically. Now he could see the multi coloured flowers, the aqua sheen of the lake and the hue of people’s eyes. Since birth he had been denied these pleasures. Now, like a 24/7 documentary, the world was been rolled out for him to experience in an enhanced dimension. No doubt, he was savouring every morsel.

‘For every pleasure there is a pain’, claims an perceptive person. For the blind man the pain came in the form of the Pharisees, who were building their case against Jesus to destroy Him.

The Pharisees summoned the man and his parents to appear before them to explain what had happened. Their response was very coy. You have to read the whole chapter to feel the courtroom drama being portrayed by the prosecutors and the defendants. In fact, have a friend read it with you as if you were reading a script. The dialogue is riveting and the conclusions surprising.

Later, Jesus encounters the previously blind man, and they talk about spiritual blindness, not physical blindness.

This is where we enter the scene.

Jesus wants us to see God in all that is happening in our lives, but especially when we are ‘healed’ from our sins. The procedure is simple, claims Jesus in other parts of the Gospel, you only have to repent (be sorry for your sins) and God will forgive you.

Think about ‘spiritual blindness’ in your own life this Lent and act on it today. As the Gospel song reiterates, ‘if you don’t believe me, ask the blind man, he saw it all’.

(Today's post submitted by guest writer, Rev. Hollis Hiscock.)