DAY EIGHTEEN John 9:13-41
Leah Miller,
Anchor Presbyterian Church
Willfully Blind
Once again, in spite of seeing Jesus perform miracles, overwhelming evidence that Jesus must be from God, the Pharisees refused to accept the obvious truth. They were more caught up on the fact that Jesus had performed unlawful "works" on the Sabbath. Instead of praising God for a miracle, they sought to prosecute Jesus.
But isn't that like many of us today? It is often easier to categorize others based on a few legalistic behaviors. "Oh, they couldn't be Christian because they have tattoos," or they smoke, or because of the way they dress. We forget to apply God's standard to evaluate individuals and instead use public opinion.
In this story, we see the courage of a man who didn't give in to the standard of public opinion. Even when his parents were too fearful of speaking the truth, he courageously spoke the truth to the angry Pharisees about who healed him. In return they kicked him out.
Nevertheless, John explains, Jesus heard they had put the blind man out and wasted no time in finding him. Then he issued a call to faith. The blind man was given both physical and spiritual sight because of his faith. The Pharisees had their physical sight and thought they also had spiritual sight. However, they were blind to the truth.
Action Step: This week, focus on where you make choices about Christ and other areas of your life. Do you clearly see the truth of who Jesus is? Is He your guide, Counselor, Friend?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you challenge us to be like the blind man, help us to make the right choice, even though it goes against the standard of public opinion, to put you first in our lives above all other things. Amen.
Leah Miller,
Anchor Presbyterian Church
Willfully Blind
Once again, in spite of seeing Jesus perform miracles, overwhelming evidence that Jesus must be from God, the Pharisees refused to accept the obvious truth. They were more caught up on the fact that Jesus had performed unlawful "works" on the Sabbath. Instead of praising God for a miracle, they sought to prosecute Jesus.
But isn't that like many of us today? It is often easier to categorize others based on a few legalistic behaviors. "Oh, they couldn't be Christian because they have tattoos," or they smoke, or because of the way they dress. We forget to apply God's standard to evaluate individuals and instead use public opinion.
In this story, we see the courage of a man who didn't give in to the standard of public opinion. Even when his parents were too fearful of speaking the truth, he courageously spoke the truth to the angry Pharisees about who healed him. In return they kicked him out.
Nevertheless, John explains, Jesus heard they had put the blind man out and wasted no time in finding him. Then he issued a call to faith. The blind man was given both physical and spiritual sight because of his faith. The Pharisees had their physical sight and thought they also had spiritual sight. However, they were blind to the truth.
Action Step: This week, focus on where you make choices about Christ and other areas of your life. Do you clearly see the truth of who Jesus is? Is He your guide, Counselor, Friend?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you challenge us to be like the blind man, help us to make the right choice, even though it goes against the standard of public opinion, to put you first in our lives above all other things. Amen.
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