GEOFF'S DEVOTIONAL MUSINGS

The Blind Man. By Geoff. 30th of December. 2024.
I could never understand how a helpless, defenseless baby growing in its mother’s womb could sin. Could do something so dreadfully wrong that before they were even born, God’s curse was upon him. And yet that accusation has been thrown at me ever since I could remember. You see, I was born blind. Instead of coming out of my mother’s womb into the brightness of day, I emerged in darkness. I suppose it was less of a shock for me because I had come from darkness into Darkness. Nothing changed. Except the noise. The shriek of my mother’s pain. When they realised that the beautiful miracle of a baby was in fact cursed blind by God. Rumours spread fast through the village, and I’m told that the local priest came and pronounced that I could never ever enter into the inner court of the Temple in Jerusalem. Either one of my parents had sinned in God’s eyes, or else I had in the womb. No matter which of these was true, from that day on a spiritual barrier separated us from the rest of our village. Stigma fell on us all.

As I grew. I began to realise this more and more. What people hadn’t realised was, that deprived of sight meant that I relied heavily on my other senses, especially hearing. It seemed I could hear things from a distance far clearer than anyone else. And so, I could clearly hear the muttered comments as people passed me by. And even more hurtful were the comments whispered by my parents when they thought I couldn’t hear. I was rejected by my village, the priests, my parents, and even by God himself, condemned to stand on the street corner and beg.
The die was cast. I could never work in any beneficial way. I had no prospects to marry or have children. All I was fit for was to join the other outcasts of Society and beg for a living. Over time. I had mapped out in my mind the streets and alleys of Jerusalem, especially the best places to beg, including the temple which was the number one spot for begging. The temple, however, was a mixed bag of benefit. Being blind. I could never know what was placed in my begging bowl, and I soon learned from the bakers that some of my coins in my bowl were worthless bits of trash. Day. I suppose that if you’re prepared to cheat God by bringing a crippled animal for sacrifice, then you will have no concern in pretending to give to a blind man just to be seen by others.

Day merged in to day, month into month. Until the day that I heard the excited crowd surround a visiting rabbi. I couldn’t see him with my eyes. But I could catch some of his words from a distance. And I immediately knew this rabbi was different from all the others. And then it happened. It was Sabbath. Suddenly, as I was begging by the road, the crowd that was passing by all stopped right in front of me. And then I heard the rough tongue of some Galileans asking questions to someone. But my heart just dropped as I heard once again those familiar words spoken about me. “Rabbi who sinned? This man or his parents, that he was born blind”. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard those words in my pitiful life. And I know the hours of discussion that they generate as they debate and try to guess the obvious sins of myself and my parents. It is always the same and inevitably the local Priests and teachers of the Law, the Scribes and the Pharisees all have their say in condemning me. So, I expected nothing more from this rabbi. But wait. Did I hear him right? Did I just hear him say? “Neither”. Neither. All my blind years I have never heard that word said about me. Neither. And then the rabbi went on to say that it had happened to display the work of God. Oh what a crushing let down. I went from elation to despair it in an instant. How could my years of blindness display the work of God, when all the priests had told me it displayed the work of the devil. But then he went on to say something about night and day, something that I’ve never visually experienced. And then he called himself the light of the world. I just thought that he was making fun of my blindness to score a point with the crowds. I thought he would then just pass me by.

But I heard footsteps approach. And as he stood before me, he spat on the ground by my feet. I’m used to that reaction, it happens all the time. Sadly, this rabbi was no exception, and I fully expected the crowd to do the same as they passed me as well. But instead of walking on by. I heard him kneel down on the ground, and it sounded like he was mixing something with his finger in the dirt. And then suddenly, I felt his finger rub something sticky and pasty over my blind eye. I’m used to people poking me and making fun of me, sometimes smearing me with excrement from the road. Normally. I would hit out blindly with my hands trying to defend myself. But somehow I felt that my arms wouldn’t move. So I stood there as he smeared my other eye as well. But then he spoke again. “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam. And then he was gone. Along with the Galileans and the crowd. Most of them laughed at me as they passed me. I must have looked a sight. But some in the crowd were moved with compassion, and dropped a few coins in my bowl.

When they had all gone, I did as he said. And went to the pool of Siloam and washed the sticky mess from my eyes, plunging my head below the water. As I did, something absolutely amazing happened. Suddenly, instead of darkness, a new sensation hit my eyes. Before my very eyes were shapes and movement. For years I had built up mental ideas of my surroundings based on touch, but now suddenly my eyes were filled with life. Instead of banging into things, I could now see them. It was a miracle. I once was blind but now I can see. Yes, I could see.
As I reached my home, I caused quite a stir. Neighbours who had known me all my life were aghast. They knew I had been blind since birth, but now it was obvious that I could see. Some of them called out “It’s a miracle”. They knew me as a desperate beggar. But now I could see. But others shouted out that “he looks like the blind man. But it can’t be him”. So I shouted out at the top of my voice, “Yes, it’s me. I can see. Praise God.” “But how?” They shouted. “What happened?” So, I told them a man called Jesus came and put mud on my eyes, and told me to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. And I can see. So they shouted even louder, “Where is the man that did this to you?” But I couldn’t answer. I had been blind when he spoke to me. So I have no idea what he looks like. But I’d know his voice anywhere.

Then things began to get unsettling. I was grabbed by the crowd and marched into a meeting of the Pharisees. I was familiar with these religious men, having encountered them many times before. I can’t even remember ever hearing a kind word ever coming from their mouths. Usually, they hurled accusations against me and my parents. Now that I could see them for the first time, the looks on their faces confirmed nothing had changed. I was thrust into the centre of the room and told to recount how I had received my sight. So I told them, leaving nothing out. I told them about the man called Jesus and all he had done and said. Well, that set the cat among the pigeons, and soon everyone was shouting. For some, a blasphemous act had taken place because it was the Sabbath. Obviously God would not have been involved. Others, found it hard to deny that a miracle had taken place. I was well known from birth as being blind. Then they all looked at me and demanded to know what I thought. So out loud, I said. “A prophet”. That didn’t go down well. Many of them suspected trickery. And so a call went out to drag my parents here. For the first time in my whole life, I saw my parents. I’d known their touch, their embrace, their sadness. But now I could see them. Trembling in fear, they spoke out to confirm that I was indeed their son, who had been blind from birth. But they could not say how or by who the miracle had happened. I can’t blame them. The Pharisees had made it very clear that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue and shunned by society. So finally they said for the Pharisees to ask me. And again I was called before them. But this time the question was loaded with hate. I was told to give glory to God, and proclaim the man who healed me to be a Sinner. Suddenly the words came into my head. I told them that I didn’t know anything about the man. But what I did know without any shadow of doubt, was that once I was blind, and now I can see. But still they demanded to know how it happened and in frustration I said to them, did they also want to follow him? Well, that was it. All sorts of insults were hurled at me. Accusing me of turning my back on Moses and following a Sinner instead. Over the years, I’ve learned to back away from trouble. But I suddenly felt as if I had been filled with the courage of a lion. I told them straight. That God doesn’t listen to sinners. Instead, He has done a mighty miracle through this man Jesus, and opened my eyes. Case proved. Well, that was it. The anger boiled over. And they accused me of being steeped in sin since birth and they hurled me out onto the street.

As I lay on the ground catching my breath a man came and sat down beside me. And instead of asking me how I was, he asked me a question. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” As he asked it, I immediately recognised his voice. It was the same man that put mud in my eyes. His voice was so gentle, so compassionate. But his question puzzled me. So, I asked who this Son of Man was so that I could believe in him. I think I knew the answer as soon as I had spoken the words. He was standing in front of me. But his words confirmed it, and I fell on my knees and worshipped at his feet. Then the man who I now knew to be Jesus said that his purpose of coming was to help those who are blind to see. And those who plainly see to become blind. I realised that he was talking about the hearts of men and women. Were they open or closed to the Son of Man? I knew mine was open. But as he was saying this, some of the Pharisees came out of the room where I had been thrown out from. As they heard Jesus talking about the blind refusing to see God. They accused him of saying that they were blind to the truth. “Quite right”, said Jesus, “ By your own mouth you have condemned yourselves.”