Encounters With Jesus That Change Our LivesSample

Day 3 — The Encounter That Opens the Eyes: The Man Born Blind

Jesus not only opens physical eyes; he opens spiritual ones. In John 9 we find a man who was born blind. He didn’t know colors, light, or faces. He lived in darkness, dependent on others to survive. And then Jesus crossed his path. “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth” (John 9:1 NIV).

That phrase changes everything: Jesus saw him. Before the man could ask for help, Jesus had already noticed him. In a society that saw him as a living punishment, Jesus saw him as an opportunity to reveal God’s glory.

The disciples, however, asked,

“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2 NIV)

They were looking for a cause; Jesus was looking for a purpose. He answered,

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,… but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3 NIV).

Jesus mixed mud with saliva—an odd gesture but deeply symbolic. Dust represents human frailty (Genesis 2:7), and his touch shows that God is not afraid to get his hands dirty to bring restoration. Then he said,

“Go,… wash in the Pool of Siloam (this word means ‘Sent’)” (John 9:7a NIV).

The man’s obedience was his bridge to the miracle. “So the man went and washed, and came home seeing” (John 9:7b NIV).

For the first time he saw the light—literally and spiritually. The encounter with Jesus didn’t just give him sight; it gave him identity and purpose. What had been his greatest limitation became the stage for God’s glory.

But the miracle stirred controversy. The Pharisees couldn’t accept that Jesus would do such things “on the Sabbath.” They began interrogating the man, trying to discredit the miracle. He replied with disarming clarity,

“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 NIV).

That statement is the simplest and most powerful testimony of a true encounter with Christ. He didn’t know everything theologically, but his life had changed. The light that entered his eyes also illuminated his soul.

When the religious leaders threw him out of the synagogue, Jesus went to find him. Scripture says:

“Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.’ Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him” (John 9:35–38 NIV).

This was his second miracle: the first opened his physical eyes, the second his heart. True faith always ends in worship.

That’s Jesus. He not only restores what is visible; he illuminates what is unseen. He is not content to return our sight; he wants to give us vision—a new way to see life, God, and ourselves. The apostle Paul, who also went from spiritual blindness to divine vision, wrote:

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV).

When Jesus opens your eyes, you don’t see the same. What once seemed like coincidence now looks like purpose. Where there was darkness, now there is hope.

Practical reflection

• Are there areas in your life where you’ve been “blind” to God’s work?
• Are you willing to obey even when you don’t fully understand what Jesus asks?
• What “one thing” can you say today as testimony to what Jesus has done for you?

Suggested prayer:

Lord, open my eyes to see beyond my limitations. Let your light illuminate my thoughts, decisions, and faith. Like that man, I want to say with conviction, “I was blind, but now I see.” Amen.