JOHN 9:35-41 SEEING RESPONSIBLY

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

Those who cannot see have no personal responsibility for dwelling in the dark. However, those who can see can only dwell in the dark by turning away from the light. The darkness that they dwell in is their own shadow. Their condition of darkness is a choice for which they have to take responsibility. While a blind man can be healed by being given his sight, the seeing person must first turn back to the light before he can be healed. This is the action of repentance. No matter what Jesus has done, there is no reconciliation with God where there is no repentance.

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— (John 1:10-12).

“17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God” (John 3:18-21).

You, who are blind, come to Jesus and be healed. You, who have sight, turn back to Jesus and be healed. Repentance is an everyday, hour-by-hour discipline of coming out of the shadows and into the light.

Forgive me Father for I am a sinner. I come to you repenting of my sins and desiring to live in your light. Help me to avoid the near occasion of sin and break the power that my sin has over me so I might be cleansed of my guilt and forgiven. Amen.