Eye-Opener – John 9:6-15

EYE-OPENERS change life.

My mom was almost blind when she passed away. An eye doctor diagnosed early glaucoma and macular degeneration in my own eyes ten years ago. The doctor’s good care has helped me hold steady visually since diagnosis, but I will tell you this: Eyesight is incredibly precious.

In today’s Scripture we read: Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes (John 9:6). Having said this—that He was the light of the world—Jesus prepares to act in line with His claim and give the blind man new, exciting exposure to light.

“Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam.” …So the man went and washed, and came home seeing (John 9:7). Jesus pointed the man toward a richer, fuller, brighter life. Why didn’t Jesus just say “See”? Could it be—for the blind man and for us—that humility usually precedes healing?

His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” (John 9:8). The healed man himself confirmed that he used to be blind, but was no longer. When Jesus is making you more alive, you walk away from so many “used to be’s.” You’re more than a human being; you’re a human being becoming a new kind of human. Jesus helps people see what they didn’t used to see and be who they didn’t used to be. “How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded. He replied, “The man they call Jesus…” (John 9:10-11a).

Going to college was an eye-opener for me. So was traveling to Uganda. So was encountering Jesus in my senior year of high school. Can you think of an experience that was an eye-opener for you? Are you praying for a friend or family member who needs an eye-opener?

The apostle Paul tells us that “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News” (2 Corinthians 4:4a, nlt). A blind mind is even more life-depleting than dysfunctional eyes.

Life Question: Can you think of one negative characteristic of your life that “used to be” but is no longer, since you saw who Jesus is?