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.
—John 9:25-41

~~~~~

From Blindness to Belief
By Jennifer Kane

I sat in shadows,
unaware that there was light
beyond the dark
I had always known.

People passed by—
some with pity, some with scorn—
and I begged in the only way I could,
for alms,
not answers.

But then—
mud on my eyes,
a Voice I couldn’t see
commanded,
“Go, wash.”
And I did.
And I saw.

First, I knew only His name:
Jesus.
A name like many others—
yet my sight
was no ordinary gift.

The questions came like waves:
Who healed you?
What do you say about Him?
And with trembling lips
I answered more boldly
each time.

He is a prophet, I said,
because how could He not be?
He opened eyes.
He opened mine.

The religious pressed harder—
Who is He, really?
Are you sure you were blind?
Even my parents
stepped back in fear.

But I stood firmer.
Because once you’ve seen,
you cannot pretend
to be blind.

And He found me again.
Not with mud,
but with mercy.
Not with commands,
but with a question:
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

Lord, I believe,
I whispered,
and worshiped at His feet.

Now I see,
not just the world,
but the Word
who formed it.

Once blind by birth—
now opened by grace.
The more I follow,
the clearer He becomes.

~~~~~

Scripture: John 9:1-41

In John 9, we witness one of the most profound stories of transformation—not just of physical sight, but of spiritual vision.

At the start of the chapter, a man is blind from birth. He doesn’t ask to be healed. He doesn’t know who Jesus is. But Jesus sees him, has compassion on him, and heals him in an unexpected way—by making mud, applying it to his eyes, and sending him to wash. The miracle begins with obedience. The man simply does what Jesus tells him, even though he doesn’t fully understand who Jesus is.

When people begin to question him, the man first refers to his healer by name:
“The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes.” (v.11)
He sees Jesus as someone worth noticing—but nothing more yet.

As pressure from the religious leaders intensifies, his view of Jesus deepens:
“He is a prophet.” (v.17)
He now acknowledges Jesus as a man sent by God—someone with spiritual authority.

Later, when the Pharisees continue to dismiss Jesus and cast the man out, Jesus seeks him out again. This time, Jesus reveals Himself plainly:
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (v.35)
“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. (vv.36–38)

This is the climax of the story: physical sight has given way to spiritual sight. The man moves from knowing Jesus’ name, to acknowledging His prophetic role, to bowing in faith and worship—calling Him Lord.

John 9 is more than a miracle account—it’s a mirror for our spiritual journey.

Every one of us starts spiritually blind. Maybe we’ve heard the name of Jesus, but we don’t yet see who He really is. As we begin to walk in obedience, we start to perceive Him more clearly—not just as a good teacher or a prophet, but as the Son of God, the Savior, the One who deserves our full devotion.

The man born blind didn’t receive full understanding all at once. His vision of Jesus sharpened over time. And so does ours.

Ask yourself:
Am I growing in my understanding of who Jesus is?
Is my faith deeper than it was a year ago?
Do I merely speak His name, or do I truly worship Him as Lord?

Where are you in this journey—from blind to seeing, from knowing His name to bowing at His feet? Ask God to open your eyes more each day, so you may not only recognize Jesus, but worship Him with your whole life.

~~~~~

Lord Jesus, thank You for seeing me even when I was blind. Thank You for touching my life and beginning a journey of transformation. Open my eyes more each day. Help me not just to know about You, but to know You deeply—to call You Lord and worship You with all that I am. Amen.

July 4 2025