Four-Calendar Café

Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

John 9:38 (NIV)

In my life, I don’t think that I’ve given my parents enough credit. When I was little they put me into a head-start program that helped fuel my passion for reading. I’m not sure if my love of books came before I was put into that program or if it developed through the program. I do know, either way, that it was my parents who started me on the path of being a lifelong reader. Subsequently, I’ve read a lot of books. There are very few, however, that I’ve read more than twice for pleasure. In University it was essential, I thought, to read through a book several times so my university years are an exception to the “twice rule.” The Bible, unlike other books, is so vastly different because it fulfills so many “needs.” This is one reason I believe it to be the inspired word of God.

When I read of the healing of the man born blind today, here in John 9, I thought, as I’ve done so often, about this statement of belief in Jesus and the worship that followed. There have been two prevailing thoughts over the years regarding this man and his apparent sudden belief in Jesus as the Messiah. The first thought has danced around the notion that the man would have believed anything that Jesus told him and the second has been the question, “Why?” I have to confess that I feel a little dense sometimes when I read the Bible and suddenly have some illumination.

There are a couple of lessons to be learned about the illumination that God provides to us. Contrary to what some people might think we don’t all learn at the same pace and at the same time and in the same way. I believe that what we learn from the word of God is based on what we need to learn and when we need to learn it. This means understanding that no one, no matter how many times they’ve read the Bible, or their number of years of being saved, is without ignorance. We’re all in this journey of knowing God together and one way that God teaches us is through other people.

When Jesus approached the man who had been born blind we know that the man had heard about Jesus. When he was asked who healed him he said that it was “the man they call Jesus” (John 9:11). We know that the man who was healed was well known in the area for there were lots of questions about him. Some people thought he was the same man, who used to beg and was blind while others thought that he was a different man (John 9:8-9). I can only imagine what this man might have heard then, of Jesus, before he met him.

Each time the healed man is questioned about Jesus we learn a little more of how he perceived Him. Since we know that the man healed from blindness had heard of Jesus, we can surmise that he had heard rumors that Jesus was the Messiah. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the man had heard of the paralytic healed at the pool of Bethesda. When the man was first questioned by the Pharisees he tells them that he thinks Jesus is “a prophet” (John 9:17).

There were many Samaritans who believed what they were told about Jesus because of what the woman at the well had told them. However, once they experienced Jesus for themselves they believed that He was the “Savior of the world” (John 4:42). The man who had been born blind had heard about Jesus before he was healed but it wasn’t until he was healed, and then went through the persecution that questioned what he knew to be true, that he believed for himself. Therefore, his expression of belief in Jesus was the logical conclusion of what he already knew to be true.

As Christians, we need to remember what God has done in our lives and we need to tell other people about it. We don’t need to tell them about what He’s done for other people or try and explain the Bible and what it says. We have our testimonies of how God is good. We will face resistance in this world. We may be called all sorts of names and be ridiculed for what we believe but we need to persevere in what we know to be true no matter the cost.

Do you know God? God knows you and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so that we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.