Miracles - Pure Heart

The sixth miracle John wrote about was Jesus healing a man who was born blind, which corresponds to the sixth beatitude recorded by Matthew:

Jesus spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

Once the guy is healed, the religious leaders start in on him. They don't like Jesus, and now they don't like this guy either.

The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

The guy is being honest with them about what happened, and they can't stand it. They kick him out of their church, probably to send a message to everyone else. Jesus finds him a bit later...

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

I like this miracle. It's very straightforward. The man was honest and didn't waver under pressure - pure in heart - and he saw God. That I would do the same when I need to.

God, thanks for a good day of visiting Samantha at OSU. I love my daughter and appreciate her very much.

Thanks for the day on the mountain I had with Nathan yesterday. I really enjoyed the talks we had while driving there and back. He's becoming a man, and I love him.

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Saturdays | Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

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