What Can We Learn from the Blind Beggar? John 9:8-12

John 9:8-12 

8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.

The reaction to the man's healing, as we will see throughout the rest of the chapter is very mixed. Some thought he looked like the man who sat and begged, and others thought he just resembled the blind man. 

"The transformation in his life was so significant that many found it hard to believe he was the same man." Guzik

So the man speaks up and says, "Yes, I am that man!" That should have been overwhelming proof. But the immensity of the miracle caused them to wonder. They didn't really believe in miracles, so they could not account for what they saw.  Then, they gave the man a perfect opening to be able to give testimony that it was Jesus who accomplished this miracle. 

Then, he tells them the incredulous story of how Jesus put mud on his eyes and told him to go to the pool of Siloam. And, when he went, he was healed and could see again.  By saying, "The man they call Jesus", it shows that he did not personally  know Jesus, but he had definitely heard about him. 

"At this point, the man knew very little about Jesus. He didn’t seem to know that Jesus was from Nazareth, or was the Messiah, or claimed to be God, or the light of the world. He didn’t even know where Jesus was. The man seemed to know nothing about Jesus except His name and that Jesus was the Man who healed him." (Guzik)

At this point it would seem that the townspeople didn't know Jesus very well either, because they ask, "Where is this man?" Later, the blindh man would encounter Jesus, but for now all he knew was that Jesus told him to go to the Pool of Siloam, he went, and he was healed.  You would think that would be enough for the people, especially since that had all known him previously as the blind beggar. But as we shall see anything Jesus did good or bad, could and would be used against him. 

Though many of us were probably never blind in a physical sense, we were all blind spiritually until Jesus healed us so we could see. Like the blind man, our lives have been transformed and may leave people asking, "Is this the same person I knew from before? It looks like them, but they are completely different!"

How has Jesus transformed your life? Would others around you notice a change? Where is God transforming your life now? How does seeing him work in your life make you want to be more like him and show the world the authenticity of your testimony?