John: Man Born Blind

We can learn a lot about ourselves by comparing the way we approach a situation with the way others approach it. Jesus and his disciples met a man who had been blind from birth. The disciples' approach was purely academic; they asked whose sin was responsible for the man's blindness. Jesus' approach was practical - he told them that was not the point, instead he was called to work while the opportunity was there; he healed the man. The man's neighbours showed no love for him, no joy at the fact he was healed; instead they took him to the Pharisees. That reminds us of the danger of labelling people and forgetting that God can change them. The Pharisees showed no concern for the man either; their only concern was to judge the Person who had healed him. Their false ideas of the Sabbath Law and their hostility to Jesus led them into a state of denial and ended with them excommunicating the healed man because he refused to take their side against Jesus. This shows us the danger of wrong doctrine and the importance of motives in the way we think and act. In Jesus' case it was love and truth; both were absent from the others. That led Jesus to comment on his ministry. He used the term 'came to judge', not in the sense of condemn, but of putting matters right. It was fitting that the blind man should be healed; it was also fitting that those who falsely claimed spiritual understanding should find themselves in deeper darkness. 'The Lord will judge his people', and his people should be careful to keep their heart and thinking pure.