You have now seen him. (John 9:37)
MY FRIEND had lost nearly all her sight to diabetes. Yet I almost never saw her cry. Except once, when a Braille Bible she’d ordered finally arrived. As she ran her fingers over the words, she wept. When I asked what was on her heart, she smiled and said that now she could read God’s Word, and hear from Him, for herself again. Her loss of sight didn’t bother her much. Her loss of intimacy with God did.
In our reading, Jesus had already healed the man physically. Next He healed him spiritually. And Jesus used the moment to share a profound truth: The most significant “disabilities” aren’t of the body; they are of the heart. And healing of spiritual blindness, He implied, starts when individuals realize they don’t see. Those who acknowledge it see the world clearly, regardless of their physical eyes. And those who don’t, remain blind to the truth all around them, even if their vision is 20/20.
Sometimes, we’d rather be blind to our sin. But when we are willing to open our eyes—or to let God heal the scars that mar them—we, like the blind man, find the relationship with God we long for. My friend, who couldn’t see on earth, knew God would show her heavenly things. Things the truly blind would never see. And that was worth a few joyful tears.
Memorize John 9:36 to remind yourself to share Jesus with others who need spiritual sight.
Diane Gardner lives in the San Francisco Bay area, where she enjoys theater, street fairs, and watching the sun set with her husband.
