The Identity of Christ as the Light of the WorldSample

Day 3 Devotional:

The Different Responses to Christ and the Gospel

John uses the different responses we see in this story to the miracle of the healing of the blind man to point out the different responses that people often have to Christ and the gospel.

First, we see that the disciples failed to see the blind man with the eyes of the heart to discover a human being in need of God’s help. And they also missed what the miracle revealed about the identity of Christ.

Second, we see that his neighbours had overlooked the blind man all his life. When they looked at him, they saw an eyesore; to them he was an unwanted reminder of suffering and poverty that they had learned to overlook. And they also missed what the miracle revealed about the identity of Christ and His gospel.

Third, when the Pharisees looked at the healed and formerly blind man, they saw a violated Sabbath, and a threat to their spiritual authority. They were so devoted to their religious rules and rituals that they missed the essence of the work of God, which is love. Because they did not see what Jesus saw with His eyes of love, they failed to show compassion and kindness to this man. They missed the gospel of Christ that this miracle pointed to, and they certainly missed the real identity of Christ.

Fourth, like the religious leaders, the man’s parents were so preoccupied with their place in the religious system that they also missed what this miracle revealed about the identity of Christ.

We can summarise our second R by saying that, in this passage, these various responses to the miracle of the healing of this blind man show us how people often respond, even to this day, to Christ and His gospel.