Believing in Miracles

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

BELIEVING IN MIRACLES

John 9:13-23

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. 15 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." 16 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 do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided. 17 Finally 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." 18 The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 19 "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?" 20 "We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. 21 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." 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

NIV

The saga continues as we get into this division among the Pharisees regarding the blind man now being able to see. Here we go again about work on the Sabbath although it was an incredible miracle for a man who was born blind to now have sight. Eyes that have never seen now can see. Whoever heard of such a thing, it is impossible for any man to be able to do that. Even with our modern medical achievements a person born blind, or even loses sight later in like cannot be made to see again. Even a whole eye transplant will not work unless the optic nerve is replaced as well, and as of yet, that has not been accomplished. So as far as we know, the only blind people who have received their sight fully are those Jesus healed. Some of the Pharisees argued about whether Jesus was from God because he did not keep the Sabbath. Some were a bit confused as they actually consider that if Jesus was a sinner because of failing to keep the Sabbath, still he did such a miracle, it would be almost inconceivable that he was indeed a sinner. The blind man thought Jesus was a prophet. The Jews had not seen a prophet among them for hundreds of years. Even John the Baptist was a prophet, but they did not see him as one. The Pharisees had created their own place in society and it was a good one. They were among the ruling class, they had power and authority. A prophet would spoil all that. So then this could not be the same man, so they sent for his parents and sure enough, the parents weren’t going to testify about anything because they knew the power of the Pharisees, chief priests and teachers of the law. If they said anything about Jesus healing their son, they would be thrown out of the synagogue. What do we learn from any of this? It seems it is just a case in history, but yet Jesus did do something no man can or has ever done, which proves he is God. Some things are just impossible with man, but with God, nothing is impossible. The Pharisees, being so entrenched in their form of law, they could not make any room for a miracle from God. Maybe we have become so entrenched in our faith in the medical approach to health, and wholeness, we too have not left any room for a miracle from God. Maybe we have developed the opinion that doctors are from God, or God’s way of healing. However, was it not Jesus who healed people and told them to go show themselves to the doctors for proof? The wisest course of action should be to leave room for a miracle, trust in God first and foremost in and for all things. We always have to remember the medical profession are just people, with whom the impossible has not yet been done, but God has been doing, for him the possible, for man the impossible, forever. We need to trust God instead of a man. We need to believe for and in miracles.