Believing Is Seeing!
Reflective Reading: John 9
You may have heard the phrase, “seeing is believing!” But I would like to propose a new saying, “believing is seeing!” Let’s find out why.
Within the pages of John chapter 9 is the story of Jesus and a man who was born blind. The disciples ask Jesus, “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” Contrary to popular thought, Jesus tells them that neither this man nor his parents sinned. Rather, this happened so that, “the works of God should be manifest in him.” Then Jesus spits upon the ground. Mixing clay into his saliva, he then forms a paste and “anoints” the eyes of the blind man. Finally, He tells the man to go and wash in the pool of Siloam.
Down goes the blind man into the pool…up comes a bright-eyed man who can confidently say, “I was blind, but now I see!” For it is upon washing his eyes that the man can see for the first time. Unfortunately, this miracle unleashes a domino effect of crazy and ridiculous judgments from the Jewish leaders—all because this miracle happened on the Sabbath day. Instead of celebrating the miracle, the Jewish leaders criticize in condemnation. Then they argue the ridiculous point that the young man before them was never “actually blind.”
To prove their case, they call the young man’s parents to testify. The couple identifies the young man as their son but are unwilling to say anything more due to their fear of being put out of the synagogue. Instead they say, “He is of age, ask him.”
Four times the Jewish leaders ask the young man how Jesus performed this miracle. Answering question after question, the young man finally snaps. “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Well, that doesn’t go over very well. Infuriated, the Jewish leaders intensify their interrogation.
Not intimidated in the least, you can almost see the wry smile upon the face of the young man as he suavely answers each question. He first reminds them of the amazing miracle staring them in the face, and then he draws their attention to the fact that never before has a blind person ever been healed of their blindness.
As a comeback, the leaders revert to some childish name calling, saying, “You were born in utter sin, and you would teach us?” This leads us to the tipping point, where the young man is kicked out of the synagogue—for good. Can you imagine experiencing one of the greatest miracles of your life, and a few minutes later you experience one of the most hurtful? Hearing that the man was kicked out, Jesus seeks to find him. What happens next blows me away,
When He had found him, He said to him,“Do you believe on the Son of God?”
He answered and said, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on Him?
And Jesus said unto him, “Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talks with you.”
The phrase, “Thou hast both seen him…” is a perfect active indicative tense in Greek. Though the meaning is shadowed in controversy, this tense can best be understood to mean “a completed action in the past that continues to the present.” Jesus is telling the man that he has already seen Jesus! To add to the power of this moment, Jesus does not use the typical word for “see” or “seen,” but a word to describe much more than seeing. This word carries the idea of experiencing with discernment.
Now, if I were blind and some man spit on the ground and tried to wipe the mud on my eyes, I don’t think I would just let him do it. I would probably ask questions like, “Um…Mr., did you just spit on the ground?” or, “Excuse me, have you tried this mud on anyone before?” or, “Is this an organic compound without any GMOs?” You get it—I wouldn’t let a stranger put mud on my eyes from his spittle.
So, something peculiar is up. For some reason this man trusts Jesus. Maybe it’s His presence or His calm, commanding voice. Whatever it is, the blind man submits to the will of the Messiah, goes to the Pool of Siloam, washes as commanded, and is healed. It’s interesting that Jesus and the disciples don’t follow the blind man to witness the miracle. What is even more interesting is that the blind man has never “seen” Jesus until now, that is, with his eyes. Thus, we are left to wonder why Jesus says that the young man has “already” seen Him?
Listen closely.
Initially, Jesus has an encounter with this man. He touches his life and performs an amazing miracle. The man has experienced the power of Jesus’ words, but that doesn’t save him, it only helps him see physically. He still does not have a personal relationship with Jesus. He still does not have eternal life. Now Jesus brings him full circle and asks, “Do you believe on the Son of God?”
This is always the question Jesus is asking—do you believe? With every miracle and every divine encounter, the recipient is required to believe, not that a miracle has occurred, but in the miracle giver. This man, who was blind but now can see, has lost everything. He has been put out of the synagogue. He can’t go back home to his parents or he will endanger them. He has lost all economic, social, religious, and community support. He is a marked man and has been cast out. Most people who had been cast out of the synagogue would have been asking Jesus to help get them back in! But now the young man is faced with the most important decision of his life: Will he believe on the Son of God? Will he trust Jesus with his future? Will he believe, or better yet, will he entrust himself to Jesus’ care for his life and follow Him? Let’s follow along in the narrative to see what happens next.
The man says, “Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?”
And Jesus said unto him, “Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talks with thee.”
And he said, “Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him.”
True believing always results in worship; not just for what Jesus can do for us physically, but for what Jesus has done for us spiritually. For the blind man who can now see, a great lesson has been learned: seeing is not believing, believing is seeing! To believe is to trust Jesus for our entire lives, our eternal lives, not just for our physical needs.
On a personal level, I have been waiting for a miracle for over two years now. I cannot understand why Jesus has not seen fit to answer my prayer. In fact, this unanswered prayer has cost me dearly in many areas of my life. But what I’m learning is clear: it is not about how and when Jesus will answer my prayer, but it’s about whether or not I “believe in the Son of God.” Can I trust Jesus enough to care for my needs, both now and forever; even when it appears that I may lose everything? May my prayer echo that of the nameless young man,
“Lord I believe. And he worshipped Him.”
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Reading:
The Inheritance (Ages 6+)
As Many As Touch Him (Ages 9+)
The Wrestler of Philippi (Ages 12+)
