There is a silly wee song that once did the rounds at this time of year (I’m writing this mid-December) which stated, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!”
Currently I am having difficulty with my eyes, and a family member has actually had the audacity to sing to me, “All she wants for Christmas are two new eyes”!
Truthfully though, that would be awesome. As I wait (and I confess, waiting not exactly PATIENTLY) for the powers that be in the health system, to slot me into a schedule where my problem could be corrected…… (in a 15-minute operation). So, my reading of Jesus healing the blind in John’s gospel has become somehow more poignant on a personal level.
John 9 tells the story of the healing of a man who had been born blind……
In a nutshell….
There once was a young man who had lived in darkness all his life. He KNEW nothing else. It was his “norm”. He didn’t appear to moan about it, or sigh with huge regret because his life wasn’t full, nor did he have the space for jealousy of others who were sighted, or the time for pity parties. What he did KNOW was that he was earmarked by God for a special reason. He had a purpose. So he lived each day in preparation to fulfil the miracle he was to be part of.
One day, he was approached by the One he had been waiting his whole life for, Jesus. Though he lived in physical darkness, he knew he was to be. part of something much bigger.
JOHN 9:3
He could hear the crowd that accompanied Jesus, the chatter of voices, the swish of clothing, the stamping of sandaled feet on the dust, and he KNEW that this was the moment he was born for. He heard the gentle voice of the One who was to do the work of the Father.
The crowd became quiet as they surrounded him. With only his acute hearing guiding him through what was about to happen, he heard someone spit on the ground, then a muddy paste was gently applied to his eyes. Then a gentle loving voice directed him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. He did not question the instruction but went off and washed the mud from his eyes. Light filtered in, and gradually filled his vision. Colours became outlined and grew in vibrancy. People around him had faces and expressions he could read. He stood there turning slowly around, his eyes drinking in the environment, the houses, dusty roads, animals, people, trees, and sky, all of which he had never seen before. He was so transfixed by being able to see at last, that his appearance seemed altered, to the extent that family, friends and neighbours no longer recognised him.
There is so much that can be discussed and unpacked in this story…
The fact the healing wasn’t instant.
The fact the man had two instructions to follow to complete the procedure, which he did willingly, as though he KNEW this was part of his purpose for being.
The fact that a touch from Jesus transformed him from the inside out.
The fact that the man did not see Jesus, (yet KNEW Him) as He had moved on after sending the man to wash.
The fact the man did not leap for joy, or shout from the roof tops to declare his healing, after all he had gone from living in darkness to walking in light. (And oh my goodness there is such a lot to discuss in that one!)
Then there is the quiet demeanour of the man, who constantly stated the truth and the facts, even when threatened and insulted by the religious leaders, and I wonder if he was filled with a boldness because he KNEW he was involved in something much bigger, that human threat held no sway over him.
He was secure in God’s plan.
Why was this man, blind from birth, important? Because he was part of a plan to reveal God at work, among them. That’s what Jesus said in verse 3 of John 9.
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned BUT THAT THE WORKS OF GOD SHOULD BE REVEALED IN HIM”.
I’d like to think this chap KNEW his purpose, the reason for his being, He was secure in the knowledge that God had him, and he was a willing participant in the purposes of God….
I wonder if we KNOW what we are called into being for.
I wonder if we KNOW what we are earmarked by God for.
I wonder if we KNOW we can be part of a miracle too.
Carole