We don’t know how old he was when he had his encounter with Jesus. What we are told in John 9 though was that he had been blind since birth. 

 And when Jesus was passing through with his disciples, they saw him and they asked if his blindness was due to his sin or his parent’s sin.

 It was not an offensive question…like it would be today. 

 But Jesus clarified explaining that it was neither his nor his parent’s sin that brought this on but rather so ‘the works of God should be revealed in him.’ (vs 3) 

 Imagine sitting there in the daily, mundane, routine of blind darkness, minding your own business, and Jesus out of nowhere steps in to your life and ‘turns on the light’ so you can see. I think that is pretty exciting. Not everyone in that community did though. 

 When the Pharisees caught wind of it, they wanted an explanation. He was questioned by them and his parents were interrogated as well. He stumbled to find the words to explain this apparent miracle. And because of his inability to adequately line up with their local theological spin on things, he was ‘cast’ out of the local synagogue. 

 There is some irony in that…he was booted out of church after he saw the light of the kingdom. 

 Yesterday I shared some thoughts and scriptures about ‘seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. So much to unpack in all this. Jesus spoke often about this kingdom. We are told that it is not of this world, that it is not a physical or external kingdom and that this kingdom is not something to be observed with a visible display. 

 But as I cited yesterday from Luke 17, Jesus said ‘lo…the kingdom is among you or within you. I found it interesting that the Amplified version implied ‘because of His presence’. 

 Yet we know from reading the accounts of the gospels, that while Jesus was certainly in the presence of a lot of people on many occasions, not everyone could ‘see’ the kingdom. 

 And again, how ironic that it was often the trained religious leaders who were blind to it. I mean, after all, they were the driving force behind having Jesus nailed to a tree. (or I should say the instruments that Satan worked through) 

 But we are told to seek first His kingdom. Yet it is an ‘invisible’ kingdom. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that unless ‘you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3) 

 So there you have it…we are to be actively pursuing or seeking an invisible kingdom that has more to do with righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom 14:17) 

 And you can’t see it unless you are ‘born again’. Sounds so confusing to the natural mind. 

 Back to our ‘former’ blind man in John 9 who now could see after his encounter with Jesus. Jesus spit on the ground, made some ‘clay’ with the dirt and His saliva and then anointed this blind man’s eyes with the mixture. Then he told him to ‘go wash…’. (vs7) 

 So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

 

 The neighbors were curious and wanted to know what happened. He told them the exact same thing. “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, Go to the pool and wash’. So I went and washed and I received my sight.’ (vs 11) 

 Do you remember the story where Jesus changed or transformed the water in to wine? It’s in John 2. A ‘crisis’ was averted when Mary stepped in to action and after consulting with Jesus looked at the servants and told them “Whatever He says to you, do it.” 

 You want to know why we see so little transformation today in people’s lives? 

We balk at obeying him. We are reluctant to ‘do whatever He says’. 

 So we miss out on seeing the kingdom revealed in us. 

 Here’s another tidbit of info I saw woven in the story of our blind man that took on new meaning for me. Jesus told him to ‘go and wash’. There is a lot of people who would be offended by this as well. 

 I believe James spoke plainly in his letter as well…where he wrote: “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.’ (4:8) 

 How does one ‘wash’, you ask? Ephesians 5 says that ‘Christ cleanses His church with the washing of the water by His Word” Goes on to say something about Him coming back for a bride that is spotless and pure and holy and without blemish. 

 Most people I know have no problem getting cleaned up for a wedding. 

 Unless they get distracted and busy with other things. 

 I can so identify with this story though. As previously shared in earlier postings, I had lost my way sometime back. I lost my vision. It happens. 

 I read where Sampson had his eyes gouged out and was chained to a grinding stone by the Philistines to grind meal or whatever so bread could be made. He lost his vision and was chained to the ‘daily grind’. 

 How many of you can identify with that? 

 But then Jesus passed by and said it was time to ‘go wash’.   So I did. 

 And then something amazing happened. My sight was restored. And I found myself repenting and turning and being cleansed. I found myself experiencing His presence. A renewing and a refreshing washed over me. (Acts 3:19 & 26 says this will happen). 

 I found myself so preoccupied with wanting to hear His voice and read His word and then ‘do whatever He says’. 

 I still struggle at times wanting to articulate all this, trying to condense and pack into these daily writings. But I found myself experiencing a new discovered joy and peace that defies understanding or words. 

 I read that ‘in His presence, there is fullness of joy.” I read that perfect peace comes to those whose minds are stayed on Him.’ 

This ‘abiding in Him’ is really a thing. 

 It’s like I am experiencing His kingdom again…for the very first time. Righteousness, peace, and joy…in His presence. And you just want everyone else to come in and partake. It’s not an exclusive club. You just have to be willing to lay all the ‘junk’ down and do whatever He says. [and that doesn’t mean quit your job and/or leave your spouse either] 

 One last passage for this morning. (I’m still on CA time visiting the grand-babies, yet the Lord has been gracious to awaken me early and pour in to me with these and I’m so thankful) 

 Matt 22, Jesus begins “The kingdom of heaven is like…” 

 He really has a thing about this ‘kingdom’. 

 And this king is sending out his servant to call those who were invited to the wedding. (I’ve been telling you for weeks now there is this wedding coming up He wants us to be ready for) 

 And the people who the servants went to ‘were not willing to come….and ‘they made light of it’…each ‘going their own way’. They had farms to tend to and businesses to run. You know…life gets busy, right? 

 Would you not agree that you can get so tangled up in the affairs of this life, pursuing dreams and desires and personal goals and such, that something gets choked out in the process? It seems to happen repeatedly…generation after generation after generation. 

 I would suggest that we can be so preoccupied and consumed with this temporal world, that is passing away, that we don’t even recognize the absence of true genuine joy and peace. 

 And in those brief moments of awareness when we do slow down, it’s a haunting, empty sensation that we really avoid confronting, so we run back to the grinding wheel and fill our minds with fruitless thoughts and distractions so we don’t have to think about it. 

 I know. I did for years. 

 Then Jesus came by… and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”