Why Heal?

I once was blind...but now I see. 

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. "Rabbi," his disciples asked him, "why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?" "It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins," Jesus answered. "This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world." Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man's eyes. He told him, "Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "sent"). So the man went and washed and came back seeing! John 9:1-7 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Meditate on healing.

 

This event, when Jesus healed a man who was born blind, occurred in Jerusalem when Jesus was there for the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus had a powerful healing ministry. Here are a few examples of Him healing the blind. Some of these had not happened yet at the time of this healing of the man born blind.

Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn't speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. Matthew 12:22 (at Capernaum)

A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn't speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all. Matthew 15:30 (near the Sea of Galilee)

The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. Matthew 21:14 (Jerusalem at the Temple)

Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man's eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, "Can you see anything now?" The man looked around. "Yes," he said, "I see people, but I can't see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around." Then Jesus placed his hands on the man's eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. Mark 8:23-25 (at Bethsaida)

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked. "My Rabbi," the blind man said, "I want to see!" And Jesus said to him, "Go, for your faith has healed you." Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. Mark 10:51-52 (at Jericho)

Jesus had declared to John’s disciples to report to John, as he was in prison, the miracles that He had performed.

Then he told John's disciples, "Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor." Luke 7:22

These are things that Jesus came to do. He obediently did just what the Heavenly Father told Him to do. The young man blind from birth that Jesus healed was an instance of healing the blind—but Jesus did so much more. Why heal? Jesus explained that…This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. God’s power was the reason and the mode for this healing miracle. Give God the glory, the honor, and the praise for all the miracles that Jesus did.

            What do we learn about the character of Jesus from this Bible passage?

 

Prayer – Thank You, Lord Jesus, for obediently performing the miracles that God, our Father, asked You to do. I can’t imagine how grateful that man born blind must have felt! He could see! I’ve asked myself if I’m “blind” to something You have the power to correct. Like in the song, “Amazing Grace,” I once was lost, but now am found/ was blind, but now I see. So true. Without You, Jesus, I am eternally lost. Only by Your grace I have found freedom from sin and ultimate death—separation forever from You.

 

Verses of Salvation ~ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance--an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 1 Peter 1:3-5

 

© 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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