He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.” (John 9:11)

Jesus’ miraculous healing of the man born blind is one of the seven signs recorded in the gospel of John. When Jesus and His disciples passed by a man born blind, Jesus healed the man by putting mud on his eyes and sending him away to wash them. The man born blind went and washed his eyes, and came back seeing. The neighbors and acquaintances found it hard to believe he was the same man, but the man convinced them that he was in fact healed from his congenital blindness (9:9, 11).

Afterwards, this miracle prompted a series of interrogations by the Pharisees. They were hostile and tried to intimidate the healed man and his parents. Despite being interrogated, the healed man remained unwavering in his personal healing story and even became more vocal in his stance for Jesus. When first asked how his eyes opened, the man referred to Jesus as “a Man called Jesus.” When the Pharisees asked for his opinion, he said that Jesus was a prophet. Later, being confronted again by the Pharisees, the man concluded that Jesus must be from God, or else He could not have opened his eyes. After the man was expelled by the religious leaders, when Jesus found him and revealed Himself as the Son of Man, the man believed Jesus and worshiped Him.

In Jesus, a man born blind can have not only his vision restored, but also his spiritual eyes opened to know the Son of God. Through this healing, Jesus revealed that He is the light of the world who gives sight to the spiritually blind (9:5, 39).

And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” (John 9:39)

The Pharisees were confident in their own spiritual sight – which was in fact blindness because they could not see the light and truth of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. Just like the Pharisees, our faith could be tainted with sophistication and our spiritual sight may be blurred. We may place tradition and church authority over Scripture. Let us strive not to lose our child-like faith and innocence.