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From Heaven With Love
did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? Will ye also be His
disciples? Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art His disciple;
but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses:
as for this fellow, we know not from whence He is.”
The Lord gave the man grace and utterance so that he became a
witness for Christ in words that were a cutting rebuke to his question-
ers. Here was One performing miracles, and they were confessedly
ignorant as to the source of His power. “Why, this is a marvel! You
do not know where He comes from, and yet He opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a
worshiper of God and does His will, God listens to him. Never since
the world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of
a man born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do
nothing.” RSV.
The man’s reasoning was unanswerable. The Pharisees were
spellbound before his pointed, determined words. For a few mo-
ments there was silence. Then the frowning priests and rabbis gath-
ered about them their robes, as though they feared contamination
from contact with him. “Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost
thou teach us?” And they excommunicated him.
Jesus heard what had been done, and finding him soon after, said,
“Dost thou believe on the Son of God?”
For the first time the blind man looked on the face of his Restorer.
He had seen his parents troubled and perplexed; he had looked on
the frowning faces of the rabbis; now his eyes rested on the loving,
peaceful countenance of Jesus. Already, at great cost to himself, he
had acknowledged Him as a delegate of divine power; now a higher
revelation was granted him.
To the Saviour’s question, the blind man replied by asking, “Who
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is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?” And Jesus said, “Thou
hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee.” The man cast
himself at the Saviour’s feet in worship. Christ had been revealed to
his soul, and he received Him as the Sent of God.
A group of Pharisees had gathered near, and the sight of them
brought to the mind of Jesus the contrast ever manifest in the effect
of His words and works. “For judgment I am come into this world,
that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be
made blind.” The people at the Saviour’s advent were favored with a