LEARNING DAILY

John 9:25, He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

This entire chapter in John is about the healing of a man blind from birth by Jesus. Jesus spit in the dirt, made some mud and put it on the eyes of this man. Jesus instructed him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man did as he was told and received his sight. Those who had known the blind man took him to the Pharisees because Jesus had once again done this healing on the Sabbath. They questioned him about what had happened and who had done this. He answered their questions as best he could. “Who healed you?” “I don’t know. I could not see Him because I was blind. He put mud on my eyes, told me to wash in the pool of Siloam. I did that and now I can see!”

Of course, the Pharisees went all out to get the answers they wanted in order to accuse Jesus of violating their rules and because He was a threat to their power. These religious leaders could not accept that Jesus had performed a miracle – those who rejected Jesus had to reject His miracles. They believed that God would not give the ability to perform miracles to the One they rejected. Therefore, they began to make accusations that the man had really not been blind from birth. Intimidation was used against the parents regarding the question of being born blind.

Again, the Pharisees questioned the man who had been blind. “Give God the glory! We know this Man is a sinner.” Again, intimidation to get the man to say what they wanted him to say. This man is no trained theologian. There is no indication that he has known anything about what Jesus has done before he met Him. He gives them the only answer he can give, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” He certainly challenged the Pharisees! “I know”! The healing of the blind man was not second-hand faith. His healing was the direct result of an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. It was not up for debate! “I was blind, now I see.” The statement is important because this man was not only healed but he was a different man. He stood up the Pharisees without fear of being “put out of the synagogue”.

This statement should be at the very center of every Believer’s testimony. When one asks Jesus Christ into their heart, their testimony should be about how He has changed you. “I was like this, but now I am like this.” Some changes might be instant as in the case of the blind man. But other changes may occur over time and more changes even later. That is called sanctification or the process of being cleansed from sin; it occurs while we walk the narrow way into heaven. It occurs because of the influence of Jesus in our lives, a direct encounter with Jesus just as the blind man had. One does not need to be a Bible scholar, well read, or have grown up in church. One just needs to know that once you were dead in your sins, but now because of your encounter with Jesus, you are made alive in Him, destined for eternal life in His kingdom.

Each of us has a testimony; it is enough to be able to tell other others how Jesus has changed us. It is enough to tell others about how the gospel has changed our lives. It is enough to tell others, “That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9). “Jesus gives each person a measure of grace and understanding in order that they may freely accept or reject His message of salvation. Apart from this, there is no other light by which we see truth and be saved” (The Life in the Spirit Study Bible).

Are you willing to tell others about Jesus changing your life?