Vision Impairment

With considerable interest, I read the story of the man who was born blind and was miraculously given his eyesight.  It was the first time in his life that he was able to see and it would have been an amazing day for him.  It was a day worth remembering and celebrating.  Besides celebrating the miracle of this man receiving his sight, it was an occasion for others to join with him in praise, to acknowledge the actuality of something considered impossible, but obviously, not for God.  To no one before had this happened, and it would be unlikely to happen again. 

Being an optometrist, I took a particular interest.  I’ve experienced joy with patients whose eyesight was considerably improved and I’ve joined with others, thankful to God that I was able to prevent them from becoming blind.  Never, have I witnessed anyone given perfectly good eyesight that had been blind from birth.  It would have been wonderful to behold.  Only God could perform such a miracle.

For this man, it was an exceptional day; one in which to be thankful, except, no one pondered the wonder of the miracle.  Instead, they questioned who did it and said that whoever it was that gave him his eyesight, did so on the Sabbath, which wasn’t good.  Can you imagine that?  They considered any individual who performed a miracle on the Sabbath to have committed a great sin.  Consequently, he could not be a prophet but instead, he must be from the devil.  That was their premise: if he took away the man’s blindness on the Sabbath, then he must be an evil person.

The priests had someone locate the man’s parents who assured them this was their own son who had been born blind.  Others assured them that they too, recognized the man who had been blind from birth.

Someone was sent to find the poor fellow so he could be questioned.  The priests learned that he had no idea who had given him his eyesight. This man who had been blind could offer little in the way of helping them to know who was his benefactor but to say, “Once I was blind and now I can see.”  We recognize his words from our hymn, “Amazing Grace.”  However, Jesus, who had been looking for him too, revealed Himself to him.  The man not only thanked Jesus profusely, but he chose to praise Him as a man of God.

One has to admire the man for his retort to the priests who questioned him incessantly.  He said he had told them but they wouldn’t listen and that they must want to praise the Person who performed the miracle, because of their repetitious questioning.  They excommunicated him from their church because he professed that his benefactor was a Prophet from God.  It didn’t worry him to admit his belief to the priests.  He knew it was better to praise the man of God who had given him his eyesight, than to belong to a church that put more emphasis on rules than it did on praising God.  He recognized that they were more interested in having people obey the rules set by the church, which included not helping anyone on the Sabbath, than they were intent upon worshipping God.  Ironically, they had the opportunity before their eyes, to worship God in reality. 

The man’s parents reacted differently, for they were non-committal.  They admitted that this was their son, and that he had been born blind, and now was able to see, but they were not ready to say that the one to be recognized was a Prophet from God.  They knew that if they were to say that this was what they believed, they’d be excommunicated too.  One feels badly for them, because it was plain for them to see that God had performed a miracle and they could praise the very One who did it but they would not.  Their faith could have been made whole if they were to praise God for performing the miracle. They were not unlike many others who are blind in spite of having eyes capable of seeing.

The actual story can be read in the book of John, in chapter nine.  You will enjoy the man’s response to the priests who he is in effect teaching, but who are so wrapped up in their own rules that they too, can neither listen or see.