It Was Jesus

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

IT WAS JESUS

John 9:6-11

6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted, "I am the man." 10 "How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded. 11 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."

NIV

Here we are in the middle of this story about Jesus healing the man born blind. We are actually here where Jesus does the healing, but it is not in the normal way we think of a healing. But of course what is normal about Jesus? Some are healed because of their faith, some are healed simply by him telling they are, some by his forgiving their sin, some without him even being there, but just saying so, and others by his lifting them up, so here he makes mud with his spit, and anoints the man’s eyes with it and tells him to go wash it off.  There is nothing too strange or abnormal going on here for Jesus. We should note this man does know who healed him, even though he was blind when faced with Jesus. Of course we also see that some people still will not believe when faced with a miracle right before their eyes. But the truth we should ponder on today is about that fact that there may be a time when Jesus does require something of us in order for us to receive a healing. Each example of healing has a reason, perhaps which is why there are so many different methods Jesus used to heal people, so we can learn something from each of those examples. When other believers tell us the reason we are not healed is because we do not have enough faith, they have such a narrow view of Jesus; in fact, they are actually blinded to the truth and are in need of a healing themselves. In this example, this healing we learn that we might be asked to partner with Jesus in order to be healed. If we have some infirmity we might be asked to go and do something in order to be healed. What that would be could only be conjecture at this time, but the point is we could be asked to do something in order to be healed. It may not be just a matter of having faith. There was once time Jesus told a man to go show himself to the doctor, so the doctor could authenticate the man’s healing. Whatever the case, we need to be open to however Jesus desires to heal us. But we should always remember it is Jesus who heals us.