John 9:1-41

Daily Meditation:  John 9:1-41

John 9:1-41

My Beloved in this miracle You show us the entire process of a sinner's conversion through grace made possible only because God seeks and saves the lost. The blind beggar represents every person born into the world in order that  God's  power can be made manifest in the life of each soul. 

This Scripture passage opens with You walking with your disciples and You see this man born blind from birth.  It is You who comes our way, it is You who see, it is You who approach us with an invitation to a deeper encounter and relationship with Yourself.  

We are born blind with original sin.  

My Beloved, this is the narrative of a sinner whom You seek in order to heal.  There are two miraculous healings that take place one is the obvious physical healing and the other is the spiritual healing and subsequent conversion.  One leads to the other.

There are many important lessons You wish to teach us through this miracle.  There are billions of people in the world and a great many of them are not willing to believe despite reliable testimony and witness.

This miracle has many events related to it.  There are many people mentioned in it.  First, we see You Beloved and the disciples, then we have Your encounter with the blind man, followed by a mention of the neighbors and acquaintances of the blind man, then the Pharisees and last we have the parents of the blind man.  This incident is teeming with people.

The disciples held the common narrow view that if anyone had a sickness or disability it was the consequence of sin committed either by them or their parents or ancestors.  You disabused them of this notion.  The manifestation of God's glory and power was the sole reason for this man's blindness.

To be a beggar is to possess nothing.  I must become spiritually poor in order to receive what God wants to give me.  

We have the witness of the neighbors and acquaintances that this man was indeed blind from birth.  The Pharisees were upset because a law was broken they were unable to rejoice in the fact that the man with an affliction was healed.   Although the parents were called to testify that their was was indeed born blind, were not prepared to take a stand for the truth.  Like Pilate they washed their hands.  The man who regained his sight though is a person of integrity.  He knows what God has done for him and he is exceedingly grateful.  He was blind from birth - You did not ask him whether he wanted his sight restored.  You just prepared a paste of spittle and mud (the outward signs of a Sacrament) and You covered his eyes with it.   You then instructed him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.  (Water is the sign of Baptism).  As soon as he obeyed and went to the pool and washed his eyes, his sight was restored.

All this took place on a Sabbath.  Instead of rejoicing, the mean spirited Pharisees were concerned with and upset because the law of the Sabbath was broken.  How narrow we are Beloved, we get caught  up in the non essentials and lose sight of the greater picture.  The parents allowed themselves to become intimidated, the Pharisees failed the people who came to them seeking for answers.  The beggar however knew what he had experienced and whom he  had encountered and he stood his ground giving unshakable, irrefutable witness to the truth.  He was now ready for a total metanoia and so You sought him out again and revealed Your identity to Him as the Son of Man and Your mission.  He believed, he worshipped and he was saved.  The Pharisees on the other hand condemned themselves.

---- Mine, you belong to me because you have experienced My love and power in turn, you too are called to give witness and testimony to My love.

With Your help my Beloved, I will.