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Jesus then said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.” –John 9:39

As we walk into the Christmas season…let us keep close the wonderful gift of Jesus, and the hope that He brought into a dark and dying world.  He came and broke the old law with His radical witness and healing. We were all blind…and He came as the esteemed ophthalmologist. He did not need an operating room or surgical tools. Jesus simply spit into some clay and healed a blind man. His actions caused a buzz in the Pharisee community. The synagogue turned investigative as everyone wondered how a “sinner,” that worked on the Sabbath, could really heal a blind man. This new way of meeting people’s needs sent the Johannine community into a tailspin. “Who is He?” they demanded. “Is He a man or a Prophet?” Fingers pointed. Assumptions were made. Lines were drawn. And Jesus disappeared while most of the buzz intensified. The Son of God remained out of sight as the heat of speculation and ridicule engulfed the blind man. He was questioned on every front. He was ignored by his own family. And he was thrown out of the church because the Pharisees chose to ignore miraculous healing done on a Sunday. Gasp! Not much has changed in 2000 years. We still choose to be blind, and not receive His incredible gift of sight.

Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light.” John 9:1-5

Madame Thembi is an unmarried domestic worker (with five children) who works long hours in an oppressed African community. Driven by vision to see her children ‘better off’, she labored long hours to educate and secure their future.  Her eldest daughter, Phiwe, completed her studies, became a nurse, and married a teacher. Phiwe became pregnant with twins and Madame Thembi was feeling so very blessed. Then two months before their delivery Madame Thembi was called to the hospital in an emergency. As she entered the hospital she saw signs and posters about HIV/Aids.  As she entered the room Phiwe was crying and the doctor broke the news, “The twins and Phiwe have HIV/Aids.” To Madame Thembi and Phiwe this is more than a death sentence…this is a curse. Something they did caused this to happen. What had they done to deserve this punishment from God? They felt condemned and forsaken. Within the year, the twins and Phiwe died. Madame Thembi was left almost penniless as she used all of her savings trying to rescue her daughter. Time passed slowly, but Madame Thembi was a believer, and her faith continued to burn in her darkness. One evening, there was a knock at her door. Two orphans were hungry and she shared what little she had. They continued to persist each evening…bringing one or two more children. Through these children, Madame Thembi began to see the great need for someone to assist these HIV/Aids orphans. Thrown out by their parent’s ignorance, Madame Thembi began to understand these children were not responsible for their plight and HIV was not a judgment. Her new experience opened her eyes to what God was calling her to do. She was blind no more!  She had a new vision.

The man replied, “This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes! It’s well known that God isn’t at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will. That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of—ever. If this man didn’t come from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.” They said, “You’re nothing but dirt! How dare you take that tone with us!” Then they threw him out in the street. -John 9:30-34

So where was Jesus when all the accusations were hurled?  Where was He when the blind man’s own parents said, “Don’t ask us who healed our son’s eyes. He is a grown man. He can answer for himself.” His own parents are too blind to see. They would rather keep their country club church membership than kiss the feet of the man who healed their son. Appearances mattered more. Where was Jesus when the blind man was being harassed and tormented? When jubilation turned to tribulation? This man is not an eloquent speaker. This man is just stumbling in his answers. This man is not given a miraculous vision from heaven.  Why is Jesus absent?  This blind man has very limited knowledge of Jesus…and yet the more he is attacked, the deeper he seems to grow in his understanding of Jesus. His eyesight restored first. His soul …gradually adjusting and focusing to His Savior.

They said, “You’re nothing but dirt! How dare you take that tone with us!” Then they threw him out in the street. Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man said, “Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him.” Jesus said, “You’re looking right at him. Don’t you recognize my voice?” “Master, I believe,” the man said, and worshiped him. -John 9:34-38

Christmas comes with a reminder that Jesus came to bring hope. He came to break down the old law…He came to bring life, sight, and eternity. He came for a brief period as a great light to shine on what was new and what was old. He came to shine in Africa and give Madame Thembi hope and purpose in her darkest hour. He came to strengthen us and dwell within our very soul when the battle gets heated and the accuser corners, and spits on our belief in a Healing Savior. Christmas is a fresh reminder of a wooden manger. When everyone was looking for royalty and power…Jesus sneaked in the world as a tiny baby to an unwed mother. Does His very coming tell us nothing of His character and love? See Him this Christmas. Focus. Adjust your soul vision. Dare to lay it all on the altar. “Not me Lord…but you.” For when you are lavishly blind He will raise you in His victorious vision. His Power. His Strength. His Might. So where was Jesus when the blind man was at his lowest? By his side. When he was thrown out of the church by the Pharisees…Jesus sought him. “Do you believe in the Son of man?” he asked… “Master I believe,” he answered.  Apparently the healing of physical blindness is relatively easy compared to spiritual blindness. Turn your darkness to His marvelous light.

Charlie Hall – Marvelous Light

I once was fatherless,
a stranger with no hope;
Your kindness wakened me,
Awakened me, from my sleep

Your love it beckons deeply,
a call to come and die.
By grace now I will come
And take this life, take your life.
Sin has lost its power,
death has lost its sting.
From the grave you’ve risen
VICTORIOUSLY!

Chorus
Into marvelous light I’m running,
Out of darkness, out of shame.
By the cross you are the truth,
You are the life, you are the way

My dead heart now is beating,
My deepest stains now clean.
Your breath fills up my lungs.
Now I’m free. Now I’m free!

Lift my hands and spin around,
See the light that I have found.
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light

Lift my hands and spin
See the light within…