Tuesday 01 August 2023

Background

Today, the man who Jesus healed of his blindness earlier in chapter 9  is repeatedly being questioned about the identity of the one who healed him. At first, he doesn’t know who his healer is. Then, upon further reflection, he concludes that his healer must be a prophet, since he performed the unheard-of healing of a man born blind. Upon yet further reflection, the man reasons that if his healer is a prophet in whom God works such mighty deeds, he should become his disciple.

When, or perhaps more accurately, if we experience healing, the invitation to undertake the same process of reflection is perhaps easy to overlook. In our current age, a response which goes "If Jesus has healed me or healed my loved one, then he must be a prophet in whom God acts powerfully and lovingly on my behalf" is increasingly unlikely. Even less likely is a continuation of the assertion "I, therefore, want to become his disciple and him to become my Lord". Although the words come thick and fast in this encounter between Jesus, the once-blind man, and the Pharisees, we are engaging with a process of coming to faith, or perhaps a deeper faith if some is already known.

 What may also be worth noting, in the once-blind man’s process of growing faith, is that these early stages of faith in Jesus are completed when he encounters Jesus for the second time. He has begun to believe in Jesus and quickly progresses to wanting to be his disciple. For the man born blind, this is his second encounter with Jesus, but he sees him for the first time. He sees Jesus with his newly opened eyes, both his bodily eyes and the 'eyes' of his newfound faith.

The clarity with which the once-blind man speaks about the impact of the encounters with both Jesus and the Pharisees is arresting to me.

To Ponder:

• Does the clarity of the once-blind man’s testimony under questioning help you to be more attentive to an encounter with God?
• If a significant thing happened in your life and then someone of apparent authority questioned you about it, how would you respond? With the conviction of your heart or with words that others want you to speak?

Prayer

God, present in this moment, help us to see the beauty of the world, as you see it; hear the needs and joy in the world, as you experience them; and know the love you offer, within the grace-filled moments of our lives. Amen.