If you have a toddler or young child in your life, you are no doubt familiar with the question, "Why?" Wanting to understand "why" is a sign that toddlers and young children are growing and thinking for themselves. Even as adults, we still want to ask “Why?” at times. Because of our life experience, we have the hindsight to understand that not every question has answers. There are some questions that we may never have the answer to while here on this earth. Faith is trusting God even when we do not understand.
We read about a man who had been blind since birth who demonstrated remarkable faith, even when he did not fully understand, in John 9. We learned in our Bible study yesterday that Jesus healed this man, restoring his sight. The religious leaders were astounded by his healing and had many questions about it. They asked questions like, "How could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” and “How can he now see?” (verses 17 and 19). As they questioned this man who had been healed, the man said to them, "I do not know whether He is a sinner… but I know this: I was blind and now I can see!" (verse 25). This man whomu Jesus had miraculously healed did not have all of the answers. Even still, he had faith in Jesus. Unlike the religious leaders, this man was okay with not having all of his questions answered. He had deep faith in Jesus, even though he did not fully understand.
When it comes to our faith, we can choose to respond like the Pharisees, or we can respond like the formerly blind man. We can become so overwhelmed by our questions and what we do not understand that we lack faith to trust God, or we can trust God even in the middle of our questions and uncertainties. May each one of us have the faith to trust God in the middle of our questions, knowing that He is always faithful and trustworthy.
The formerly blind man had faith in Jesus even when he did not fully understand. He had seen Jesus' power displayed and, therefore, knew that there was something different about this man. As a result, he could have faith even when he had questions. How have you seen God work in your own life? Make a list of five ways He has worked in your life just this week. Thank Him for what He has done for you. Let His power that He has displayed in your own life build your faith to trust Him even in the midst of your questions.
1As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”
3 “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. 4 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. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!
8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”
But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”
10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”
11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”
12 “Where is he now?” they asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
17 Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”
The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”
18 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”
20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”
25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
