Prince of Peace

One of my favorite scriptural stories is the portion of John 9 that tells about the a blind man that was healed by the Lord (my contribution to my families Christmas Eve talent show was actually a historical-fiction type story of this!). He had been blind since birth. A beggar. The Lord healed him by rubbing mud on his eyes and telling him to wash in the pool of Siloam. It was a miracle. The non-believers were offended, and cast him out. As soon as he knew what happened to the man, Christ searched for him and found him like he searches for each of us. Liz Lemon Swindle painted a picture of a Christ face while he is searching for him. She says, “I could see the determination on Christ’s face as He made His way through the crowd. I draw comfort from knowing that if He will search after him, He will search after me.” Liz Lemon Swindle

For my New Testament class assignment, I was asked to create a chart showing three people in the story’s spiritual blindness or spiritual sight:

Pharisees- Spiritual Blindness	Blind Man- Spiritual Sight	Parents- Spiritual Blindness
“How can a man…” v16 “And there was a division among them.” v16 “Did not believe…” v18 “Give God the praise, we know…” v24 “did not hear…” v27 “We know not from whence he is.” v29	“I do see” v15 “He is a prophet” v17 “I know one thing…” v25 “I have told you already and ye did not hear…” v27 “Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, yet he hath opened mine eyes.” V30 “if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.” He knew. He knew he would be found. He knew he would be saved.” v31 “Lord, I believe.” v38	“We do not know” v21 “He shall speak for himself.” v21 “feared the Jews” v22

One of my favorite lines in this story that I had not noticed before reading it this time, is “why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, yet he hath opened mine eyes.” Even after all the grief the Pharisees and people were putting him through, he still responds with what he knows. He even sounds a little sassy at that… “Well look at that. You not knowing where he came from doesn’t change the fact that he healed my blindness… I mean, look at me guys…” I love that the experience this man had was so special to him that nothing could make him forget it. Even his own parents were so afraid of being cast out of the synagogue that they would not take a side, even their own son’s side. Their fear was valid, the man was cast out. The important part of this story is that because he defended his faith, stood up for righteousness, and was persecuted for it, the Lord came to find him personally. Just as he does in our lives. Even in impossible looking and feeling circumstances, something always work out when we are standing for our faith. The man says to the Pharisees, “if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.” (v31). He knew he would be found. He knew he would be saved. The last verse of this story he says, “I believe”. It is the perfect ending because he believed and had faith throughout the whole parable. He was the only person to believe and the only person that got to be with the Lord himself.