Manifesting God

John 9:1-3 “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

If you continue to read this account in the Gospel of John, you will see that Jesus healed this man. Many reading this account look at the restoring of this mans sight as the “works of God” manifest in him. I look at it a bit differently. Don’t get me wrong. God is still in the miracle business! God is still in the healing business! But if we miss the point seen in this example, we will not only miss the manifested glory of God, we will limit our view of just what God can do in our lives.

Once this man was healed, he drew a lot of attention from those who were the enemies of Jesus Christ. This man, who spent his life under the radar, and of no real consequence in eyes of those around him, had an encounter with Jesus and his life changed forever. Not just the sight he gained with his eyes, but more so, the vision he gained in his heart. (You know the song…“was blind but now I see!”) Suddenly, he was being questioned and scrutinized by the religious authority of his day. (A religious authority that put a lot of pressure on people to reject Jesus – John 9:22) Look at what happened next.

John 9:24-27 “So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner." 25 He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see." 26 Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" 27 He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?"

This man, that meant nothing to the Pharisees before, was now the center of their attention. Under their scrutiny, this man did not cower or back away from what happened to him. He went directly to the question that we must be prepared to ask others “Do you also want to become His disciples?"

Yes, the restored eyes of this blind man was a great work of God, but the greater work of God manifest in the life of this man was his willing witness of Jesus Christ to those who questioned him.

Do you seek a miracle from God? Remember, it comes down to our willingness to manifest HIS works in our lives.

In Faith Unfeigned

Rich