Stumbling Blocks
“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.”” John 9:35-37, 39
The account of the man born blind shows the clear difference between natural eyes and spiritual eyes, those who claim to see spiritual things and those who are supernaturally enabled to actually see. The man born blind had never physically seen Jesus nor physically heard Jesus preach about the Kingdom of God. The blind man received a healing miracle for his blind eyes and more importantly, he received a miracle of sight for his spiritual eyes that he was ready for this moment when he would gain a fuller spiritual understanding of what happened to him.
This one of the rare incidents where the Holy Spirit has Jesus actively seek out someone rather than a divine appointment in the course of his journey. It's still a supernatural encounter because Jerusalem is filled with travelers for the Passover where an estimated 150,000 people converge on about 30,000 residents and the formerly blind man is thoroughly engaged by the Pharisees' indictment and curious friends. The Pharisees excommunicated the blind man for challenging their assertion that Jesus was a sinner as they searched for a hidden catch, some kind of deception that would enable them to condemn this notable miracle. It is important to understand that the Lord will always include some kind of obstacle, a hurdle that only those who have spiritual eyes of faith can walk over but will make those who are spiritually blind stumble. It doesn't take much to physically stumble, a pebble in the right spot will do; it's the same in the spiritual.
In this case, the obstacle is that Jesus healed the blind man on the sabbath, something He had a habit of doing (7 recorded times in the gospels). Jesus tells us these obstacles are part of God's judgment baked into the gospel "that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind” (v39). The moment Jesus reveals Himself, the formerly blind man believes and confesses him as Messiah. Every time someone accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior it is a miracle that was prearranged and preordained. The Elect have the privilege to share the simple gospel and the Holy Spirit performs the miracle of new birth. There's no need for intense debate. I usually just verbally kick the pebble aside by identifying their objection and then invite people to get past it to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. A simple reveal is all that's needed and an invitation to release their faith. May the Lord open the eyes of the blind amongst our family and friends today.
The account of the man born blind shows the clear difference between natural eyes and spiritual eyes, those who claim to see spiritual things and those who are supernaturally enabled to actually see. The man born blind had never physically seen Jesus nor physically heard Jesus preach about the Kingdom of God. The blind man received a healing miracle for his blind eyes and more importantly, he received a miracle of sight for his spiritual eyes that he was ready for this moment when he would gain a fuller spiritual understanding of what happened to him.
This one of the rare incidents where the Holy Spirit has Jesus actively seek out someone rather than a divine appointment in the course of his journey. It's still a supernatural encounter because Jerusalem is filled with travelers for the Passover where an estimated 150,000 people converge on about 30,000 residents and the formerly blind man is thoroughly engaged by the Pharisees' indictment and curious friends. The Pharisees excommunicated the blind man for challenging their assertion that Jesus was a sinner as they searched for a hidden catch, some kind of deception that would enable them to condemn this notable miracle. It is important to understand that the Lord will always include some kind of obstacle, a hurdle that only those who have spiritual eyes of faith can walk over but will make those who are spiritually blind stumble. It doesn't take much to physically stumble, a pebble in the right spot will do; it's the same in the spiritual.
In this case, the obstacle is that Jesus healed the blind man on the sabbath, something He had a habit of doing (7 recorded times in the gospels). Jesus tells us these obstacles are part of God's judgment baked into the gospel "that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind” (v39). The moment Jesus reveals Himself, the formerly blind man believes and confesses him as Messiah. Every time someone accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior it is a miracle that was prearranged and preordained. The Elect have the privilege to share the simple gospel and the Holy Spirit performs the miracle of new birth. There's no need for intense debate. I usually just verbally kick the pebble aside by identifying their objection and then invite people to get past it to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. A simple reveal is all that's needed and an invitation to release their faith. May the Lord open the eyes of the blind amongst our family and friends today.