The Book Of John | The 7 "Signs" And The 7 "I AM's" Of Jesusಮಾದರಿ
“Healing the Man Born Blind”
I’m sure you’ve experienced life in the dark to some extent. I for one hold many not so fond memories of trying to find my way to the fridge in the dark of night while stepping on every lego and toy left in my path by my children. Walking in the dark only leads to more pain, and God knows that a broken heart is much worse than a stubbed toe.
Blindness is the same way. It’s like a stubbed toe. It paralyzes a person in many ways while also heightening other senses. But the real thing blindness effects is the heart of the person.
In Jesus’ miracle of healing a man born blind, the man was made to see again, not in order to save him from the pains of being blind, but rather to expose him to the pleasures of being saved. Jesus clearly affirms that this blindness was allowed to stay in this man so that at this time, “the works of God might be displayed in him.” His blindness was not to point to his pain, it was to awaken him and expose to others the glories and pleasures found only in God and because of God’s light.
Consider your own physical sicknesses and your own spiritual sins and struggles. Consider how they cause pain to you physically, and to your heart. Consider how they reflect, and are allowed to remain intact to some degree by our Father; to remind us of the darkness that’s in the world. Consider more so the power of light, and sight! Consider more the power of viewing your pains through the power of pleasures that are found in God. Rather than focusing on what you don’t have, anchor to God in all that he is.
Light is the only way to dispel darkness. Pleasure in worshipping Christ is the only that can dispel sin in the heart. Let’s pray that God physically heals us, and those in our life that are hurting in various ways, but more deeply pray that God heals our hearts and exposes the pleasures that lay beyond the pain.
About this Plan
John's gospel can be broken into four parts: an Introduction (John 1:-1:18), the Book of signs (1:19-12:50), the Book of exaltation (13:1-20:31) and an Epilogue (chapter 21). In this Seven Day study we will study the 7 “Signs” of Jesus, and the 7 “I AM" statements of Jesus, to demonstrate that John structured his book in a way that helps the reader see that Jesus fulfills the ministry of Elisha.
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