I Told You. Didn’t You Listen?

(Continued story of a man born blind whom Jesus healed on the Sabbath in Jerusalem.) So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, "God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner." "I don't know whether he is a sinner," the man replied. "But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!" "But what did he do?" they asked. "How did he heal you?" "Look!" the man exclaimed. "I told you once. Didn't you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" Then they cursed him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! We know God spoke to Moses, but we don't even know where this man comes from." "Why, that's very strange!" the man replied. "He healed my eyes, and yet you don't know where he comes from? We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn't have done it." "You were born a total sinner!" they answered. "Are you trying to teach us?" And they threw him out of the synagogue. John 9:24-34

 Meditate. Consider listening.

Give your attention to the Lord.
Listen

The former blind man acknowledged that he didn’t know if Jesus was a sinner, but that He restored his sight. He told the Pharisees that. Were they listening? Note that he goes on to additionally acknowledge a fact that the Pharisees cannot dispute. We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. God is always listening. Do we?

How often do you tell someone—your kids, spouse, coworkers, or associates some truth or fact, and then you wonder if they even heard you? Were they listening? The same goes for us. When someone speaks to us, are we listening? Are we giving them our full attention?

Listen is my word of the year. “Listen.” Like many other people at the beginning of the year, I chose a word that I felt I needed to work on. Yep! I needed…and still need to...LISTEN! The word “listen” is found 505 times in the New Living Translation of the Bible. Who’s listening? To whom are they listening? We already know that God is always listening to those who worship him and do His will. This man born blind states that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but we do know that He listens to sinners who repent.

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me. Psalm 66:16-20

Listening is necessary for teaching. That is just what the Pharisees were then questioning this man. Are you trying to teach us? The Holy Spirit teaches us…to listen and obey…if we are willing to hear His voice. Are you listening?

            What do we learn about Jesus from this passage today?

 

Prayer – Holy Spirit, we have ears to hear…help us to listen.

 

Verses of Salvation ~ The LORD has sent this message to every land: "Tell the people of Israel, 'Look, your Savior is coming. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.'" They will be called "The Holy People" and "The People Redeemed by the LORD." And Jerusalem will be known as "The Desirable Place" and "The City No Longer Forsaken." Isaiah 62:11-12

 

© 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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