Lessons from the blind man who was healed by Jesus

By Tiaan Du Preeze

I could smell the mixture of spit and soil. The man asked me if he could take the mixture and put it on my eyes.

I first hesitated, but then answered: “Yes.” Softly he rubbed the mixture on my eyes.

I heard the gasps of those standing around. “What is he doing?” they asked.

Then he told me: “Go wash your face in the Pool of Siloam.”

So I went, washed, and saw for the first time in my life.

A while later…

This was the second time I was interrogated by them: our religious leaders. “I already told you. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his followers too?”

They hurled insults at me, telling me that they were followers of Moses. They continued: "We know God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from."

I felt confused. (He opened my eyes, yet these people were more concerned about proving this man was a sinner.)

I answered: “Now this is remarkable! You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.”

They were enraged: “….how dare you lecture us,” they scolded me.

They grabbed hold of me and threw me out of the building.

Some time later, the religious leaders overheard a conversation between Jesus and me.

The religious leaders interjected: “What, are we blind too?” they said.

Jesus answered: “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you see, your guilt remains."

———-

Jesus seems to say that the religious leaders are blind. They can’t recognise this remarkable experience right in front of them, because they insist on being right. They already have the answer: he is a sinner, not a healer.

I find myself at times saying: “I see. I know the answer. I understand this fully.”

At that moment, I stop listening.
I stop discovering.
I stop asking questions.
I stop observing, because I have the answer. I can see.

But then I think about this story.
About this man’s experience.
About Jesus’ experience.
About the religious leaders' experience.
Could it be that in my seeing, I am blind?