Friday, March 13, 2026

 Opening Scripture

“Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.” Psalm 146:5-8

Opening Prayer

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, the King of the universe, who gives rest to Your children and the promise of a new day. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

John 9:1-41

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

“We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. 

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

Reflection  

The gospels record multiple incidents of Jesus miraculously giving sight to the blind. This one is significant because, in the previous chapter, He had proclaimed that He was “the Light of the world” (8:12). He now makes the claim again (9:5). As an illustration of that reality, He provided sight to a man born blind.

The disciples expressed the common Jewish assumption at the time that “there is no suffering without iniquity.” The religious leaders took that so far as to believe a child could sin in the womb and thus suffer infirmity. They also maintained that certain punishments could afflict children because of their parents’ sin.

Jesus clearly contradicted those beliefs. While both the man and his parents were guilty of sin against God, that was not the cause of the man’s disability. Instead, his malady was an opportunity for God’s power to be manifest in his life.

The “Light of the world” tells His disciples that, while it is “day,” they must all be actively doing the Father’s will. Jesus’ statement carries the same urgency He expressed at Jacob’s Well in Samaria: “Open your eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe for harvest!”

Jesus was intentional about each healing miracle, but He was never formulaic. He used a variety of methods to accomplish the goal, each somehow specific to the moment. In this instance, Jesus used His own saliva and dirt to create a mud paste that He spread on the man’s eyes.

Jesus instructed him to make his way (still blind) to the Pool of Siloam to wash his face. In faith, he did what Jesus said and received his sight. Why not just “speak it so,” as he did with the lame man by the Pool of Bethesda. Only God knows. But we’re reminded again of Jesus’ sovereignty over all creation.

Of course, it was the Sabbath (as usual), and that triggered all sorts of alarms among the “legalist law enforcers” in Jerusalem. They quickly took steps to put a stop to this foolishness. The problem was that people knew a miracle had taken place and that Jesus was responsible for it. The Pharisees were growing more desperate!

Flourishing Habit

Meaning and Purpose

Ironically, Paul was blinded on the road to Damascus in order to receive his sight. In Acts 26:17-18, Jesus told Paul, “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Again, the true problem Jesus wants to heal is spiritual blindness!

The blind beggar received his physical sight before he received his spiritual sight. It wasn’t until Jesus found him again later that the man was able to see Jesus and discover His identity. The man’s confession of faith in that moment was, “Lord, I believe!”

His powerful testimony, though, came earlier when he declared to the religious leaders: “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

Not only was this man able to enjoy the blessing of sight for the first time (colors, shapes, faces), he could also work and help support his family. His whole life was changed.

What is your testimony about Jesus? How has He changed your life?

Who do you need to tell?

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!