One Sabbath day, Jesus healed a man born blind. Some people brought the man born blind to the Pharisees, who said,
“This man (Jesus) is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath”. (John 9:16) NIV
The Pharisees questioned the man and his parents about this. When the man born blind insisted that Jesus had healed him, they responded like this:
“Then they hurled insults at him and 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.”
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. John 9:28-34 NIV Read full chapter
(Side note: When someone cannot refute what you’ve said, they insult you instead.)
The man’s response to the Pharisees reveals that this miracle (giving sight to a blind man) had never been performed before. In fact, this is a prophecy of the Messiah spoken by the prophet Isaiah.
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened...” Isaiah 35:5-6 NIV
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” Isaiah 42:6-7 NIV
When John the Baptist was in prison, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus,
‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”
He replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” Luke 7:20-23 NIV
John would know that the Messiah would heal the blind in fulfillment of prophecy.
My question for you is this: How could the Pharisees, who were experts in the law, not recognize that Jesus was the Messiah? Did pride, ambition, and the love of money blind them from the truth?
Maybe that’s why the Bible adamantly warns us about the danger of these sins:
Pride and Arrogance: “Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 NIV
Ambition: “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” James 3:16 NIV
Love of Money: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:9-10 NIV
Father, teach us to love the truth and to obey your Word. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 🙏
“Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24 NIV
In His Love, Cindy
“God treated Jesus as if He had lived my life, that I may be treated as if I had lived His life.” Harvey Stalker
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB
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