“Whereas I was blind, now I see ” (John 9:25).
These words were uttered by a man who was born blind, and miraculously healed by Christ. In the previous chapter Christ had publicly declared in the Temple, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8: 12). He was immediately challenged by the Pharisees. They took issue with Him, denied His claims, taunted Him to the point of ridicule, and said He had a devil. Finally, they became so incensed that they took up stones to cast at Him. Christ then walked out of the Temple with His disciples.
There on the steps lay a blind man. The claim of the blind man upon Christ was irresistible. As “the light of the world” He must give light to the man who come from his birth had sat in darkness. Christ not only proclaims the truth but works the truth. He not only teaches truth. He enables us to experience the truth.
Christianity consists of two things: a true knowledge of Christ and an experience of Him. Christ comes not merely with information. He comes so that we exclaim with delight, “Once I was blind, but now I see.” The Christ who conquered sin for us is the Christ who conquers sin in us. The Christ who proclaimed Himself the Light of the world has changed our darkness to light. The Christ who in His life on earth wrought out perfect righteousness is the Christ who works His righteousness in us. The Christ who is the Truth, leads us into all truth.
This experience is ours as much as it was that of the blind man or any other man in the Bible. There is no reason why it should not be. There is no presumption in reaching out your hand and taking Christ as your Saviour and Lord. We have, each of us, the whole salvation and redemption. Christ’s only intention in all His deeds and words is to make us living witnesses of His marvelous grace and strength. Christ, the Light, shines into our hearts and minds, and keeps on shining with deeper meaning. All this comes to us like the wind across the strings of an Aeolian harp, until we are constrained to proclaim, “Once I was blind, but now I see.”
Edward Heppenstall,
