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Community Center => Bible Study => : artsymominnc March 11, 2008, 03:51:45 AM



: Jesus Sent, The Blind Man Went--Purpose Driven Life Devotional
: artsymominnc March 11, 2008, 03:51:45 AM
Jesus Sent, The Blind Man Went
by Jon Walker



His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, "Is this the same man—that beggar?" Some said he was, and others said, "No, but he surely looks like him!" And the beggar kept saying, "I am the same man!" They asked, "Who healed you? What happened?" John 9:8-10 (NLT)


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And so Jesus came upon a man who’d been blind since birth. The man was begging on the streets of Jerusalem, just to survive until the next day. Although people were all around him, he sat in isolation. No one could truly understand his fears and his frustrations; People passed by, some even spoke to him, some even gave him money, but no one could really understand his situation.


Just then, a man knelt next to him and, perhaps, said quietly, “If you do exactly what I tell you to do, you’ll be able to see. I will heal you.”


The blind man was desperate to be healed; he was desperate for change; he was desperate for a sign from God, desperate to know he hadn’t been forgotten. The blind beggar may have turned toward the voice, expecting the one speaking – the one they call Jesus – to command his eyes to open, expecting that Jesus would speak light where there had only been darkness his whole life. Just speak, Lord, and it will be done.


But Jesus didn’t give the command. The blind man may not have even been aware of what Jesus was doing in that moment – working his saliva into the mud, which Jesus then spread across the man’s eyes like a mask.


Then Jesus said, “Go and wash in the pool of Siloam.” (John 9:7, NLT) At first, the blind man may have hesitated, confused about how going to Siloam would give him sight. But his desperation pushed him onward toward the pool.


As he stumbled to Siloam, he may have been wondering, "Why would Jesus make me do this, when he could have simply healed me back there?"


He may have heard the laughter and ridicule as people watched him slowly walk toward the pool: “Look at that fool with the mud in his eyes. Don’t you know even we can’t see with mud in our eyes! Are you crazy enough to think you’ll really be healed?”


But the blind man could not be shamed from doing whatever it took to be healed. Jesus told the blind man to do exactly what he was told to do, and if that meant washing his face in the pool of Siloam, then he would wash his face in the pool of Siloam, no matter what anyone else said. Siloam means "sent" – Jesus sent, and the man went, and when he’d washed his face the man could see!


As he walked back to the place he had been, those who had ridiculed him saw a very changed man, a man born blind who now could see.


Since the beginning of the world, no one has been to open the eyes of someone born blind. (John 9:32) But now there is Jesus! Praise God!


The blind man now has eyes that see, but those around him can’t believe their eyes. He can now see, but they are blind to the ways of Jesus.


What does this mean?


· Do what Jesus tells you do – The blind man’s experience shows that Jesus uses our obedience to heal our hurts and to strengthen our faith. Think of a challenge you now face or an issue that needs godly resolution: What is Jesus telling you to do?


· Do exactly what Jesus says to do – Jesus gave specific instructions to the blind man. He didn’t say, “Wipe the mud from your eyes.” He didn’t say, “Go to the nearest well for water and then wash your face.” He said. “Go to Siloam.” When Jesus tells us what to do, we need to pay close attention to the details. He may be asking more than you think, but listen carefully – he may be asking you to do less than you think in a specific situation.


· Do what you know to do – If you’re struggling to hear from God, wondering what he wants you to do in a situation – think through what you already know you should be doing and do that. In other words, if you’re waiting on God to tell you whether you should go on mission to Vietnam or Brazil, you can still do the things you know God wants you to do: prayer, Bible study, developing the fruits of the Spirit, and so forth.


· Our obedience becomes our witness – Jesus uses our obedience to help others see the power of God. “The beggar’s neighbors began to ask, ‘Who healed you? What happened?’”(John 9:10, NLT)

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.
Pastor Jon Walker is a writer for www.GraceCreates.com (http://www.GraceCreates.com)


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