Day 9 of the 21 Day Challenge

In John 9, we read about a man who had been blind since birth. Jesus spit on the ground, made mud, put it on the man's eyes, and told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. The man obeyed Jesus and when he washed the mud from his eyes, he was able to see for the first time in his life. The Pharisees questioned the man about what happened. He told them, but they didn't believe that he had been born blind; so they sent for his parents. His parents were afraid of being thrown out of the synagogue if they acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ, so they admitted he was their son and that he had been blind since birth, but they refused to tell them how he could see or who had opened his eyes. Instead, they told the Pharisees: "Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." (verse 21b) The Pharisees summoned the man again. He was getting tired of answering the same questions. He was not afraid to tell the truth. In verses 30-33, it is clear that this man could see both physically and spiritually! He plainly answered the Pharisees, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." Instead of seeing the error in their way of thinking, the Pharisees got angry at the man. They said to him, "You were steeped in sin since birth; how dare you lecture us!" and they threw him out of the synagogue (verse 34). These men didn't know the man. They accused him of being steeped in sin since birth because they believed that people who were blind or lame had either sinned themselves or their parents had sinned. When Jesus heard what had happened, He looked for the man and found him. Once the man realized he was speaking to Jesus, the man who had healed him, he replied "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped Him (verse 38).

This story really made me think. Do I ever act like the Pharisees? Do I refuse to listen to what someone is saying? Do I get angry or defensive if someone doesn't believe the way I do? The words of a song says it perfectly: "Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see you!" We need to be willing to listen to what others are saying. We need to ask God to help us determine whether what they are saying is true or not. If we are wrong about something, we need to be willing to admit it and seek forgiveness if we need to. I don't want to act like the Pharisees who were so blinded by their pride that they couldn't see the truth when it was right in front of them. Do you?

I thought Proverbs 18:2 really described the Pharisees perfectly as well. It says "A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinion." The Pharisees were definitely fools! They heard the blind man tell them what had happened. They knew he was blind since birth because not only did the man himself and many others who saw him over the years tell them that, but the man's own parents admitted that this was the truth. They could see that this man could now see, but they did not want to believe that Jesus had healed him. They kept insisting that Jesus was a sinner and refused to admit they were wrong even after the man proved that their beliefs didn't make sense. I don't want to be a fool who refuses to see the truth. I don't want to be a fool who refuses to listen to what others are saying in an effort to truly understand what they think. I don't want to be a fool who goes around stating my opinion but refuses to hear what anyone else has to say. Lord, help me to be the kind of person who listens to what others have to say and who isn't quick to state my own opinion. Help me to be wise, not foolish.