I Can See

I first noticed that my vision was getting worse when I hit 30 years old and I couldn’t focus very well at stoplights.

I remember driving in Wichita and I thought that stoplight sure is fuzzy. Didn’t really think that I needed glasses.

I made an appointment with an eye doctor and he told me the bad news, I needed glasses for my driving.

Our eyes are such special parts of our body.

Jo Pigg has struggled with her eyesight for a number of years. She has seen countless doctors trying to find ways that her sight might be restored. Even taking special injections so her eyes might improve.

Debbie and I know an older lady named Edna a member of the Church in Osage City that is blind. Amazing what she can do without any sight.

I have had several blind students who have graduated and went on to be great college students and very successful in life.

Sight amazes me. I could never imagine not being able to see a morning sunrise or a sunset over the ocean. Or being able to see Debbie’s beautiful face or the day when my little boys were born.
Being able to see is one of the greatest blessings we have.

I have thought about the story in John 9 for the past few days. About Jesus healing a blind man.

John 9
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

6Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

8His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" 9Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted, "I am the man."

10"How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.

11He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."

12"Where is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said.

Great story of a man that Jesus blessed with a great miracle.

What’s sad about the story is the aftermath. What happens next? His friends who should be very excited instead take him to the Pharisees.

13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. 15Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."

16Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.

17Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet."

18The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 19"Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?"

20"We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. 21But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

24A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner."

25He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

26Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

27He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?"

28Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from."

30The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

34To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.

This man just received the greatest gift one could ever imagine receiving sight. And no one was excited for him. They were too concerned about the petty issues revolving around the miracle.

Jesus now hears about what has happened.

35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

36"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."

37Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."

38Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

39Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."

40Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"

41Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

Sight: For those that can’t see so important. But there is something much worse than being physically blind, and that is spiritual blindness. When people are spiritually blind they do not believe in Jesus or obey him. They have no relationship with Jesus. Those individuals are outside of Christ and can not share in the blessings that he can give us inside a relationship with him. But when people trust in Jesus to save them, they are given "spiritual eyes" to see God’s will for their lives. They are able to see and understand things about the world and about God that other people do not see and understand. Psalm 119:18 says, "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." We must ask God for help for us to understand his ways more clearly. The good news is that God promises spiritual sight to those that ask for it!

We need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.