Monday 23 March 2009

Background

This powerful incident, and the reaction to it, gives newmeaning to the phrase 'eye witness'. The restoration of sight andthe new life it offers is a wonder to behold. The story is doubtedby the man's community, and that's understandable in response tosuch an amazing event.

The Pharisees, a group of people who believed strongly in strictobedience to all aspects of God's law, take a different line. Theyrecognise the wonder of sight restored but want to reject themiracle, because it happened on the Sabbath. That's a day forworship and rest when no work is to be undertaken.

What they witness in this Sabbath action reveals in a clear andpowerful way the love and compassion that's the very nature of God.The healing is a witness.

The blind man who can now see must have tired of telling his storyto those who doubted and downgraded his life-changing experience.But one thing he knows - "I was blind, now I see."

Those words were used to explain the impact of life-changing faithin Christ by John Newton in his famous hymn that became a modernglobal anthem 'Amazing Grace':

Amazing grace - how sweet the sound -
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

To Ponder

How often in the news and in personal experiencecan we hear the same story from an eyewitness, but hear it givendifferent meaning by different commentators? Reflect on someexamples. Why does this happen? How do we know what is true?

In the many complex problems of our modern worldhow helpful is it in seeking to resolve conflict to suggest thatthose who see things differently are 'blind'?