John 9: A story of redemption and encounter, Part 1
To read about the practical steps for how I came to this click here.
Read John 9 here.
Walking along that road out of Jerusalem, where the dust thrown up by leather sandals tastes like old books on a tongue made dry in afternoon heat, Jesus’ disciples asked Him a question that brought to light a beautiful story God had been quietly writing for decades. They passed a man, blind from birth. They saw him sitting ragged at the edge of the road, heard the ting-tang as he tapped his metal begging bowl to alert passers-by of his existence. The disciples asked, “Teacher, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” And Jesus replied, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”
Really? So what you’re saying, Jesus, is that God allowed this man to be born blind, allowed him to suffer so that the works of God, the glory of God, might be revealed in him? That flies in the face of so much of what most western Christians believe. That seems to contradict how we, western Christians, usually define the love of God.
Jesus spits on the ground, makes some mud, puts it on the blind man’s eyes and tells him to go wash it off at the pool of Siloam. So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
Now healed the people who knew of him, the people who walked past him day after day didn’t recognize him. They asked, “Is not this this he who sat and begged?” Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.”
The man is brought to the Pharisees and they try to find out how he has been given his sight. He tells his story but the Pharisees don’t believe him. The man’s parents are called to give testimony. They say, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” And here my second question to the Holy Spirit came, “Hold on a second, if he had parents, why was he begging?” I waited for a week, continuing to ask and pray and seek an answer. Finally, I had a picture and the picture swelled and grew into a story that touched my heart and keeps on touching my heart.
Chasing the Beautiful God 
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