A man who’d been blind from birth received his sight when Jesus made mud from dust and spittle, smeared it over his sightless eyes, and sent him off to wash at a nearby pool. But the Lord had already moved on by the time he returned to thank him. So ironically, the man whose eyes had been miraculously opened didn’t get the chance to actually see the one who gave him that gift.
But John 9 verses 35-38 describe the very tender scene when the two of them met again.
It happened after the man had been excommunicated for boldly standing up to the Pharisees in defense of Jesus during the intense interrogation that followed his being healed on a Sabbath day. They cut him off from his family, community, and synagogue.
When the Lord heard what happened, he searched for, found, and revealed himself to him as the Son of God. And as the man’s newly opened eyes resolved the image of his healer and messiah, his grateful heart expressed itself with sweet faith and worship.
Then, in verses 39-41, Jesus brought the lesson of this whole episode into sharp focus. He said that he’d come into this world to give sight to those who desire to be healed of their spiritual blindness and to judge those who in their pride refuse to admit their need.
I know which group I want to be in, but I don’t think my membership can be taken for granted. Here’s why. Pride is the issue. And dealing with the relentless encroachment of that temptation is an ongoing process. Whenever I give place to it, I lose something of my spiritual visual acuity. And unless I take decisive repentant action, I incrementally drift back toward that pharisaical self-deception where I don’t realize how blind I’ve become.
For instance, the other day, my wife and I were watching an online church service, and I had already made three or four negative comments about the presentation’s mediocre production values before I realized how much pride had overtaken me. It had totally blinded me to the significance of what God was doing through that church’s efforts. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit’s conviction broke through, and as I confessed my sin, I could literally feel the eyes of my soul opening back up to the beauty of the heart of God on display in that program. It was as though a dark veil had lifted.
I hope this doesn’t sound presumptuous, but I’ll bet you’ve had similar experiences. If so, you’ll understand what I mean when I say I want to stay on guard against that kind of arrogance. 1 Timothy 3:6 tells us that when we become puffed up with pride, we’re guilty of the same sin as the devil. And I want to stay as far away from that as possible.
I know you do too. So, let’s heed the advice of Proverbs chapter 16. Just before telling us that “Pride goes before destruction,” it says, “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil.” Let’s strive, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to get on and travel that highway at top speed.