Today’s mini-sermon is the 5th of a 12-part series on the 9th chapter of John. It will be appearing in the Saturday, Sunday and Thursday additions of the Answers2Prayer newsletters.
“Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” (John 9:6)
Can you imagine being completely blind? Your only possessions are dirt and your parents. All of a sudden you hear lots of commotion around you. Someone asks: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” You think, “Yeah, here it goes again. I will be blamed for my blindness. Can’t they understand I was born that way?”
Then you hear the “Rabbi” answer: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” You start wondering what is this man talking about. At the same time you feel hope, as finally someone is not accusing you nor your parents about your condition.
Before you know it someone smears mud on you eyes. “Yuck! Can’t they leave me alone? Why torture me this way? Would you like mud smeared on your eyes?”
And you hear a command: “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” But instead of resisting, you feel an urge to obey. While walking to the pool, you are telling yourself, “What do I have to loose? What if…” You bend down, take some refreshing water and pour it over your eyes. It feels cool. Your eyes palpitate, and to your amazement, when you open your eyes you can see! Wow! Who did this to me? It must be the Messiah!
Would you ever doubt that the messenger who healed you was from God? Jesus is clear on that: Luke 11:17-18: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?”
Did you know that Jesus gave this same healing power to us? John 14:12 2: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”
What does He mean here? Let’s us look for clarification in Mark 16:17-18 “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
“Wow! How is this possible? Why can’t I do this?” My friend, you can’t do this. Only God’s Holy Spirit can empower you to do this. Look at what Jesus said: John 5:19-20 “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”
The key to miracles and healings in Jesus’ ministry was in the relationship He had with His Heavenly Father. It is the same with us. We can’t do anything by ourselves, unless we have a key relationship with God. Once we have that relationship we will want to share it with others and it will spread beyond our imagination. Others, like that blind man will be able to have their eyes opened physically (healing of diseases) and spiritually (realizing the power from God), and they will realize the importance of having a relationship with their loving Heavenly Father.
Would you like to have that kind of relationship? Just pour your heart out to God, accept Him into your life and spend time with God, developing an everlasting relationship with Him. That power that came over Jesus’ disciples at Pentecost will come over you as well. John 15:26-27: “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” He will empower you beyond your wildest dreams.
Will you invite Him into your hearts now?
P.S. Why is that power available to you? Here is why: Matt 28:20 “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Because Jesus wants a personal relationship with you!
In His love,
Rob Chaffart
Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org
(To access the entire “I was Blind, but now I See” mini-series, please click here.)