I Can See!

(Continued story of a man born blind.) His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, "Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?" Some said he was, and others said, "No, he just looks like him!" But the beggar kept saying, "Yes, I am the same one!" They asked, "Who healed you? What happened?" He told them, "The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.' So I went and washed, and now I can see!" "Where is he now?" they asked. "I don't know," he replied. Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, "He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!" John 9:8-15

Meditate on miracles.

 

Fragments of ancient coins found in Israel.
Alms. Alms for the blind.
I once was blind...but now I see.

The man born blind was healed by Jesus. He could see! He was referred to as a beggar because as a blind man in that era of history, he had no way to earn a living except begging. Alms—alms for the blind! We can imagine him calling out to those entering the synagogue, the pool of Siloam, or even the Temple. They were in Jerusalem—so on any street corner—people may have encountered beggars. This particular one was healed, so he would no longer be begging for a living. For now, his neighbors, others, and the Pharisees just wanted to know who it was that healed him. Who was it?

It was Jesus! Where is He now? I don’t know. This happened on the Sabbath when no work was allowed. Was it work to heal someone? Jesus had healed on the Sabbath before and this just gave the Pharisees more reason to hate and condemn Him.

One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely. There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, "Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?" When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. Then he turned to them and said, "Which of you doesn't work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don't you rush to get him out?" Again they could not answer. Luke 14:1-6

There were similar healing accounts in the following passages:

            A man with a deformed hand – Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; and Luke 6:6-11

            A few people in Nazareth – Mark 6:1-5

            A crippled woman – Luke 13:10-17

            A lame man at the pool of Bethesada – John 5:1-15.

The Pharisees challenged Jesus about working on the Sabbath at each healing occasion. They were just looking for a reason to discredit Him and to kill Him. Was it a simple case of jealously? They couldn’t heal on any day, let alone the Sabbath. Was Jesus the Messiah? From whom did He get His power? There were lots of questions. The Pharisees didn’t have the answers, but they didn’t trust Jesus.

            Do you trust Jesus? He still has the power to forgive sins, to heal, to be your Savior, the Messiah.

            What do we learn today about Jesus from this passage of Scripture?

 

Prayer – Lord Jesus, thank you for healing that blind beggar, and each of us. Without You and the forgiveness you offer, we would be blinded by a heavy load of sin and shame just like that blind man.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ As for us, we can't help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

 

© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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