Variety: John 9v25
‘Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.’ John 9:25
I once heard a preacher say, ‘I don’t understand everything there is to know about electricity – but I’m not going to sit around in the dark until I do. I simply turn on the light.’
When it comes to living out our faith we don’t need all the answers, as long as we know why we follow Jesus.
John captures this beautifully in the story of the man born blind. With hallmark irony, he portrays everyone in the story ‘looking’ for answers. The Pharisees want to know who Jesus really is. The disciples want certainty when their cherished assumptions are challenged. Jesus is looking for the man’s response to, ‘Do you believe?’ And the blind man is looking for an explanation for the Pharisees.
What he does know with certainty is this: ‘I was blind, and now I see.’
Remarkably, this blind man wasn’t even looking for healing. He doesn’t call out to Jesus, he doesn’t approach Jesus, he expresses no faith – yet Jesus sees him and chooses to bring light into his dark world.
So when the Pharisees press him for theological explanations – about mud and miracles, sinners and Sabbath rules – he simply bears witness to his experience. He can’t explain who Jesus is or how the miracle happened. He only knows the light has come on, literally and spiritually.
Like a dimmer switch, his understanding grows as the story unfolds. Firstly, he calls Jesus a prophet (9:17). Then he recognises Jesus’ healing power (9:25). Finally, he worships, seeing who Jesus truly is (9:38). His story is our story – divine grace pursuing us, challenging us, and dismantling our assumptions about life, the universe, and everything, gradually leading toward a worshipful faith story.
Perhaps the most revealing question in the whole chapter is, ‘Is this the same man?’ (9:8). Signs of new creation aren’t always easy to explain, but they’re unmistakable to witness. We’ve all seen people we thought we knew transformed by Jesus into somebody new. We may not understand the mechanics, but we witness the change.
So when the questions come our way – and they will – we don’t need to panic. You don’t need all the answers. You just need to know who Jesus is and how he’s changed your story. It may be like the great hymn says: ‘I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.’
Who knows? Your simple testimony might just turn on the light for someone else.
London Institute for Contemporary Christianity