EYES TO SEE JESUS

   

 

   I stared at the eye chart in the ophthalmologist’s office. I couldn’t decipher the lower lines, and the upper ones were blurry. He nodded at me.

      “Mm, your sight is borderline for driving a car, and I’d recommend cataract surgery.”

       It wasn’t the result I wanted, but the doctor’s words rang true. I’d been struggling, and he was warning me about road safety. What if I caused an accident? I had to accept his advice.

  “Okay, Doctor, I’ll agree to the surgery.”

    I expect that I’ll enjoy improved vision after the operation, and I’m very grateful the procedure is available. 

 Imagine if you’d never experienced the colors of a rainbow or the grandeur of a blue sky, a rose in bloom, or a snow-covered mountain peak! In John 9, on the street one Sabbath day, Jesus met a man born blind. His disciples wondered whether he or his parents had sinned, but Jesus enlightened them. God had allowed it to display Jesus’ power to restore sight. He combined saliva and clay, anointed the man’s eyes and sent him to wash in the pool of Siloam. At the pool, the man washed his face, and as he re-entered the street, he gazed in wonder at the sky, people and buildings. He now had the world at his feet! But his neighbors and religious leaders doubted the evidence before their eyes. Was he the actual blind man they’d once seen begging? They cross-questioned his parents, but even they were afraid to defend him. If anyone acknowledged Jesus was the Messiah, the Jews would toss them out of the temple. The beggar could not deny Jesus. He defended his newfound sight, rejoicing in what Jesus had done for him..

 “I can see, and my healer is a prophet.”

 “If he healed you on the Sabbath, he’s a sinner, and he’s hoodwinked you.”

“Whoever he is, I can see, and God doesn’t listen to sinners. I know he is genuine because I’m living proof of his power.”

 When Jesus heard they’d cast the man outside, he searched for him.

 “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

 “Who is he, Master, so that I can believe in him?”

“You’re looking at him, and he is speaking to you.”

The Son of God had healed him? The man threw himself at Jesus’ feet in worship.

 “Lord, I believe in you.”

Physical sight is a marvelous gift of God, but when we see Jesus through eyes of faith, he offers us salvation from sin and release from condemnation, as we read in Romans 8:1. Has your reputation suffered even though your story is true? Seek him, and let him be your defender because he’ll accept you when you’ve been rejected by society or ridiculed for speaking the truth.

 Can you visualize Jesus crucified on a Roman cross, sacrificing himself for our sins? Do you realize his resurrection testifies to his power over evil, spiritual darkness and death? We can trust him because he keeps his promises.

 Jesus’ ministry and words, preserved in the Bible, illuminate the path on which we tread. Psalm 119:105. He willingly shares his wisdom, his love, and righteousness to guide and strengthen us. Although He created our bodies from dust, He gave us eternal souls. Where will we dwell for eternity? In the light of his presence or in hell’s darkness?  

Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18 

 Have your sins been washed in his blood? “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool”. Isaiah 1:18. God so loved the world that he gave his son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16.

 Do you believe in the Son of God? Do you see he is a miracle worker and will you heed his call?

According to Jesus: “I am the light of the world. Whoever believes in me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12.

 As we journey with Jesus in the gospels, we discover he is the Savior, a Friend of sinners and our Guide. He opens our spiritual eyes, and through his Spirit we walk in His light, loved and protected against the spiritual forces of darkness.