Has there ever been a cause or person for which you would risk being
disowned by your family and all your friends? Perhaps a person outside
your family who has had the biggest impact on your life? When we think
of taking such a risk, we can only imagine that it would most certainly
concern someone or something very near and dear to our heart. But was
this the case with our miraculously healed blind man, who yesterday also
ended up being cast out by friends and even family? How well did he really
know Jesus Christ before taking such a risk as to stand up for Him? Considering
for a moment how well you personally know Jesus Christ today, what risks
have you ever taken to stand up for His name? Or did the fear of man bring
a snare to your soul? (Pr. 29:25) What happened in those first few moments
of this man's life when he was truly all alone, officially "excommunicated"
by the Pharisees? Turn with me to John chapter 9 and let's see how this
story ends today as we read verses 35-41:
Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he
said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
I love this verse! It shows us that Jesus always knows when we are all
alone, when we are shunned unfairly. He hears the lonely ache of our hearts
and He searches for us and finds us, meets us there, right at the loneliest
point of our life, when there isn't even family left in which to turn.
As a matter of fact, Christ knows exactly how you feel, for He himself
had been rejected numerous times during His 33 years of life on this earth.
Jesus final rejection is shown when He hung on the cross as He cried,
"My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" What a loving, compassionate
God He is to come to our aid, when there were none to come to His! He
graciously reveals Himself to this healed blind man at that very moment
in his life when there was no one else for him to turn to. Jesus came
for the "outcasts" and never lets them down. It reminds me of that verse
in Psalm 27:10 which says,
When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
It is then that we realize that the loving arms of our Savior have hold
of us as He begins to meet our spiritual needs in the place of loneliness.
The whole of Psalm 27 could actually be the testimony of this man born
blind who now could see. Why not take a moment to read it through and
see for yourself what I mean. It is packed full of encouragement for those
who stand alone, or should I say, for those whom God is with!
I'm sure that this man thought his sight would assist him in participating
in the lives of others in a much richer way. No doubt he anticipated that
he would be able to share a better life with his parents, make new friends,
get to know his neighbors - all in a way that he had been unable to do
so as a blind beggar, limited by his handicap. But instead, he quickly
found himself a total outcast, all because of a miracle performed in his
life! It just didn't make sense…
Psalm 71:1 (KJV)
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
Can you think back on a lonely time in your life and how God met you there,
how He reached down and touched your hurting place and comforted you with
His presence? Did He ask you as He asked this man, "Dost thou believe
on the Son of God?" Was it your faith that was being tested for the purpose
of drawing you closer to the One who loves you most of all? Ladies, don't
miss these precious opportunities to know the Lord in a more intimate
way. There is a purpose to your loneliness! As Jesus asked this lonely
man if he believed on the Son of God, we see the readiness of his heart
to believe revealed in his answer to Christ in verse 36:
Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
Yes, his isolation prepared this former blind man's heart to receive the
Lord by entering into personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
Can you sense longing in his answer and perceive his readiness to believe?
How about you, dear lady? Are you craving a closer relationship with Jesus?
Are you starving for your faith in God to reach a higher level? I hope
so! Up till now, this man had never even seen Christ face to face; he
had only heard his voice. Before this moment, he never even knew where
Jesus was, but now he was getting ready to meet the Savior, eye to eye,
for the very first time!
John 9:37-38 (KJV)
And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh
with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
Jesus plainly and gloriously identified Himself to this man as the Son
of God and the beggar believed and was saved! How precious Jesus words
must have sounded to this lonely man's ears! Though he had bravely and
unashamedly stood up for "the man Jesus" in regard to restoring his sight,
now being an outcast, he could not deny the emotions he was feeling inside
himself as a result of standing for such a cause. Both the emptiness inside
of him and the loneliness outside of him melted away at the comfort that
Christ's words brought to his heart, as the presence of God filled his
very soul! Can you imagine feeling so low, so insignificant, and then
finding out that "HE it is that talketh with thee"?!
How about those times when you are empty on the inside and lonely on the
outside? Do you let the Word of God minister to you this way when you
are hurting? Do you let Jesus talk to you through His Word and comfort
you, help you with His presence, encourage you, show you that you are
not alone? It won't happen if you don't have your Bible open...
Psalm 119:50 (KJV)
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
Out of all the other people Jesus could have met with, He had searched
out this particular man, with the intent of meeting His spiritual need!
I think the reality of this alone would have overwhelmed me, for it would
have made me feel so special once I realized that Jesus found ME, had
esentially looked for ME, because He knew what I was in need! The beggar
that had only moments before become an outcast, an "orphan" so to speak,
now belonged to the family of God! The Lord quickly took him up and had
adopted Him by Jesus Christ to Himself!
Ephes. 1:5-6 (KJV)
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ
to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise
of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Remember in the beginning of this chapter how Jesus and the disciples
passed by this blind beggar and how the disciples had asked Jesus who
did sin, this man or his parents? Jesus response in vs. 4 was, "I must
work the works of him that sent me..." We can cross-reference that statement
here with vs. 39 where Jesus sums up His whole mission by now saying:
For judgement I am come into this world, that they which see not might
see; and that they which see might be made blind.
Yes, Jesus whole purpose for stopping by this blind beggar at the outset
was to get the truth across to him. The whole purpose behind this man
being born blind was to render him susceptible to the truth. Ladies, the
truth was, and still is, important to Jesus Christ today! Are you and
I going to any great length to illustrate the importance of truth in our
lives?? Is the importance of truth finding us ready to prove to others
standing by and watching us why Jesus came? Is the importance of truth
reason enough for us to stop and get involved with blind people until
they can see?? Jesus never passed by such an opportunity... Is the importance
of truth reason enough for us to stop and get involved with people that
think they can see, but really can't?? Yes, even Pharisees need ministering
to... Is the importance of truth reason enough for us to notice those
who are lonely and go to them, letting them know that there is a friend
that sticketh closer than a brother - it's Jesus Christ! He truly cares
about outcasts - do you?? The truth is, the reason Christ came was for
salvation… Are you telling people the truth?
As we close our study of this story, I know one man who is happy he heard
the truth, for the Bible says, "And he worshipped him." What has your
attitude toward the Lord been like since Jesus opened your eyes with truth
and saved your soul? Are you happy He came to you, dear lady? You're not
sorry are you? Regretful that perhaps you don't have the relationships
with others you used to have? Even today, there are people who must choose
between Christ and family, or Christ and their traditional religion. This
blind beggar made the right choice, even though the cost was great. He
worshipped Jesus! Let's join him, amen?
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2004
