John 9:27-30

27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”

28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 

29 We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.”

30 The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!

“He Has Done This Wonderful Thing For Me, and You Still Don’t Know Where He is From?”

“I have already told you how I received my sight. You didn’t listen the first time! Why do you want to hear the same story again? Do you now want to become His disciples?” This is how the man who was blind responded when the Pharisees asked him once again how he regained his sight. Wow! He is speaking very boldly to these religious leaders. Listen to the confidence exuding from him! Where did He get that confidence? We know exactly where He got it… from Jesus! He was a pitiful beggar with no hope. Now, he is boldly standing up against these religious leaders. He is standing up for the Man who gave him not only his sight back but also a life he had never had… a life of light. Why is it that we, as humans in general, have a hard time realizing what Jesus has done for us? Why can’t we realize that we, like this blind man, have no hope and no life without the light of Jesus? We are literally no different than this blind beggar without Jesus. Without Him, we are not only in darkness, but we are walking around blindly with our hands out like this beggar, searching…..begging the world (Satan) for satisfaction. Some are searching for it in material things and wealth. Some look to substances such as alcohol or drugs. Even the food God has provided us for nourishment and enjoyment can be used in the wrong way. When we turn to things other than Jesus for comfort and satisfaction, we are beggars… begging for fulfillment within our souls. Until we realize that Jesus is the only way to fulfill our souls, we will continue to be blind beggars with no hope. 

I’m sure the tone of voice that the man used in verse 27 did not sit well with these Jewish leaders. Verse 28 says that they reviled the man. To revile means to abuse or speak evil about someone, to destroy their reputation. Let’s remember where we have heard Jesus use this word. In Matthew 5:11, Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.” This man, whom Jesus healed, was being reviled because he was speaking the truth about Him. What did Jesus say? Jesus said that this man was “blessed” because of it. It will be the same for us. If we speak up in defense of the truth and are reviled because of it, then we will be “blessed”. When will we be blessed? Of course, we will be blessed when we enter our heavenly home. But… we will also be blessed here on earth. How will we feel blessed while being reviled and persecuted? We will be blessed in knowing that we have done what was right. We will be blessed within our souls to know that Jesus is pleased with us. The more we take a stand, the more confidence we will gain. That in itself is a blessing to us as we walk the narrow path through this world of darkness. Then the Jews said, “You are His disciples, but we are Moses’ disciples.” I can picture them almost hissing at the man as they said this. Then, in verse 29, they said, paraphrasing, “We know for a fact that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this guy called Jesus is from.” THEN, the man’s confidence continued to grow as he responded to them in verse 30. Paraphrasing, he said, “I marvel that you don’t know where He is from, since He did this wonderful thing in me.” Who else would be able to heal a blind man? The more the man stood up for Jesus, the more confident he became. It will work this way for us, too! It is about taking the first step. One step outside our boxes leads to two steps, then three, and so on… until all fear is gone. “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) These Pharisees did have a “spirit of fear”! They feared that their status in life and control over others would be taken away. This is why they didn’t want to accept Jesus. They certainly did not have a “sound mind” if they thought anyone other than God could heal this man. They did not have “love” if they were not rejoicing with this man because he was healed. They thought they had “power” because they were disciples of Moses, and supposedly kept the law. But… in reality, they had no “power” at all, because they did not accept God’s only Son. The man had no “spirit of fear” after Jesus healed him. He had a “sound mind” to realize that only God could be behind his healing. He had “love” for Jesus, or He wouldn’t have stood up for Him. And he had “power” as he grew more and more confident in his ability to stand up to these leaders. We have all three of these things inside of us… power, love, and a sound mind. Let’s not let “a spirit of fear” cancel them out, because it will. Can power, love, and a sound mind from God reside within us if fear from Satan has already made its home within us? And vice versa….can fear from Satan reside within us if power, love, and a sound mind from God are already thriving within us? The answers to both questions are a firm “NO”. We’ve got this, my friends!

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about being saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves… and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t, or if you’re not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are… believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better… to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you, Father, for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan God has outlined in His Word for humankind to receive His grace, which leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)