Opening Blind Eyes #2
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, I want you to notice the different ways people in this story viewed the “man born blind” that you find in your Bibles (John 9:1-41): My disciples looked at him as a religious question — was he born blind because of his sins or his parents’ sins? The people viewed him as a label — to them, he was just a blind beggar. The Pharisees saw the man as a problem — I had healed him on the Sabbath, something that broke their regulations, but they couldn’t use the man to get Me into trouble. The man’s parents treated him as little more than their biological product and not as a son — their fear of being put out of the synagogue prevented them from speaking up for their own son. Each of these was a way that the people around the man born blind viewed him. The people’s view of him was, in fact, their blindness — a willful blindness to the man’s needs. These are also ways you can view people, ways that will keep you blind to their needs and to your opportunity to help those people in My name. Which one of the following are you most likely to use to be willfully blind toward people in need? Is it… Viewing them as nothing more than a religious question? Assigning a label so you don’t have to personally deal with them? Treating them as a problem that needs to be solved or overcome? Viewing them as nothing more than biological products rather than people to be protected and loved? I call you to open your eyes to the people in need around you. I call you to treat each of these people as someone in whom “the deeds of God may be put on display” (John 9:3) and with whom God’s love can be shared. To do less is simply… Pharisaical! Verses to Live After fielding My disciples’ religious question about the man born blind, I healed him. This miracle made the Pharisees angry because I violated their regulations about the Sabbath. Instead of rejoicing that a blind man could now see, these religious leaders tried to bully him into condemning Me for healing him. They weren’t ready for what they were about to get from him — a simple theology of faith and truth that trumped their entrenched traditions and embarrassed them into banishing him and demeaning him. Townspeople to the man born blind: Where is this man Who healed you? Formerly Blind Man: I don’t know. The townspeople brought the formerly blind beggar to appear before the Pharisees the same day Jesus healed him, which happened to be on the Sabbath Day. The Pharisees began questioning him, looking for some explanation for how he could now see. Formerly Blind Man: He smeared mud on my eyes, and I washed; now I see. Some Pharisees: God can’t possibly be behind this man because He is breaking the rules of the Sabbath. Other Pharisees: How can such a lawbreaking scoundrel do something like this? The Pharisees were at odds with one another about Jesus and could not agree whether His power came from God or the devil. Pharisees (to the formerly blind man): What do you say about this man, about the fact He opened your eyes so you could see? Formerly Blind Man: I have no doubt — this man is a prophet. Some of the Jews suspected the whole situation was a charade, that this man was never blind. So they summoned the man’s parents to testify about his condition. Pharisees: Is this man your son? Do you testify that he has been blind from birth? How therefore does he now see? Parents: We can tell you this much: he is our son, and he was born blind. But his new sight is a complete mystery to us! We do not know the man Who opened his eyes. Why don’t you ask our son? He is old enough to speak for himself. The man’s parents were a bit evasive because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. It had been rumored that anyone who spoke of Jesus as the Anointed One would be expelled from the synagogue. So they deferred the thorny question to their son, and the Pharisees called on him a second time. Pharisees: Give God the credit. He’s the One Who healed you. All glory belongs to God. We are persuaded this man you speak of is a sinner who defies God. Formerly Blind Man: If this man is a sinner, I don’t know. I am not qualified to say. I only know one thing: I was blind, and now I see. Pharisees: What did He do to you? How did He give you sight? Formerly Blind Man: Listen, I’ve already answered all these questions, and you don’t like my answers. Do you really need me to say it all over again? Are you thinking about joining up with Him and becoming His followers? Pharisees (berating him): You’re one of His followers, but we follow Moses. We have confidence that God spoke to Moses, but this man you speak of is a mystery; we don’t even know where He comes from. Formerly Blind Man: Isn’t it ironic that you, our religious leaders, don’t even know where He comes from; yet He gave me sight! We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does respond and work through those who worship Him and do His will. No one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of any person blind from birth. This man must come from God; otherwise, this miracle would not be possible. Only God can do such things. Pharisees: You were born under a cloud of sin. How can you, of all people, lecture us? The religious leaders banished him from their presence. (John 9:12-34) Response in Prayer O Father, please forgive me. Forgive me for blindly looking past people
Today’s Verse – Psalm 100:3
Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. —Psalm 100:3 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God made us and knew us even when we were unseen in our mother’s womb. He made us with loving care, a purpose for our lives, and his promise to be with us every step of our lives (Psalm 139:1-18). God cares for us much more than even the best shepherds care for their sheep. So let’s live as those who know our Leader, Creator, Shepherd, and King, and that he knows us intimately so we can display his character, share his grace, extend his mercy, and offer his forgiveness to others. Let’s show that we are God’s people and that we have learned to care for others from our powerful yet tender Shepherd! My Prayer… I am truly thankful, dear LORD, that you are my Shepherd, Father, and Hero. Please empower me as I seek to display your character and kindness to those around me. I want others to know the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, so I want to reflect your love, tenderness, guidance, protection, correction, and care. In Jesus’ name, I ask for your help to do this. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Truth Brings Celebration and Hostility
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, We — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — instituted the Sabbath to be a blessing to Our people and those who lived among them. The Sabbath gave My people a day each week when they, their families, and their workers rested from their labor, remembered the Father Who richly provided for them, and were renewed in spirit. The Sabbath was made to bless people and to honor Us. This principle doesn’t seem so hard to understand, but the religious leaders’ practice during My time on earth was far from Our plan for the Sabbath and made Me angry. How could the Jewish religious leaders interpret Our principles for the Sabbath and then turn the Sabbath into a day for a sick person to stay sick and a broken person to stay broken? These same religious leaders fed and watered their animals on the Sabbath. They pulled their animals out of a ditch and searched for them when they were lost on the Sabbath. Surely… surely… these religious leaders could see the duplicity in their ways and the errors of their interpretation. Unfortunately, they didn’t… or wouldn’t. They were furious with Me when I healed the woman in the story below on a Sabbath. They felt this act of mercy broke their regulations and went against the Father’s will! When I confronted them on their hypocrisy, they were humiliated and infuriated. The people, however, loved what I said and celebrated what I had done when I healed this crippled woman. Verses to Live Don’t just read the words that follow. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you feel what is happening and visualize the expression on the faces of different people in the story. Look at the broken posture of this woman before I healed her. Imagine her gait as she shuffled toward Me. How could anyone with the power to help not help? How could anyone claim to be religious and refuse this woman a simple but powerful act of kindness? Around this time, He [Jesus] was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. A woman there had been sick for 18 years; she was weak, hunched over, and unable to stand up straight. Jesus placed His hands on her and suddenly she could stand straight again. She started praising God, but the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had not kept their Sabbath regulations by performing this healing. Synagogue Official: Look, there are six other days when it’s appropriate to get work done. Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath! Jesus: You religious leaders are such hypocrites! Every single one of you unties his ox or donkey from its manger every single Sabbath Day, and then you lead it out to get a drink of water, right? Do you care more about your farm animals than you care about this woman, one of Abraham’s daughters, oppressed by Satan for 18 years? Can’t we untie her from her oppression on the Sabbath? As the impact of His words settled in, His critics were humiliated, but everyone else loved what Jesus said and celebrated everything He was doing. (Luke 13:10-17) Response in Prayer O Father, help me value people the way that Jesus did. Help me draw others into celebrating Your greatness and grace by helping those in need. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – Psalm 100:2
Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. —Psalm 100:2 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Let’s not be limited to singing only in church buildings and sanctuaries. Worship is a whole body and heart worship from all of our life (Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 22:36-40), based on our joy for what God has done for us in Jesus (Romans 5:6-11). Let’s make today a day of joyful songs as we sing our thanks and praise to God! My Prayer… Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for giving the gift of music to your human creatures. Thank you for all those gifted to write and share praise songs that bring joy to our hearts. We want you to be pleased with our praise as we listen and sing “joyful songs” to show our love for you and our heartfelt thanks to you for all you do and the blessings you have lavished upon us. In Jesus’ name, we thank and praise you. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Opening Blind Eyes
Note from Jesus Dear Seeker of Truth, I was frustrated with the religious leaders who added their own regulations to the commandments of the law and made those regulations more important than caring for a woman who had been bound by a crippled body for 18 years (Luke 13:10-17). As you read the verses below, notice how My disciples come close to doing the same thing with a man who was blind. Rather than recognizing the difficulty of being blind and then caring for the blind man, My disciples asked an insensitive religious question about him within his hearing: Teacher, who sinned? Who is responsible for this man’s blindness? Did he commit sins that merited this punishment? If not his sins, is it the sins of his parents? My disciples did not view this man who had been blind since birth as someone in whom the deeds of God’s grace needed to be displayed. Instead, they used him as the pretext for a religious discussion. To them, the man and his problems were nothing more than a religious question — a question that cost them nothing. They spent no time ministering to his needs, caring for him as a child of God in need, or compassionately visiting with the man. He was just the object of their religious conversation. Anything that you do to objectify another person and treat that person as less than someone created in Our image is dehumanizing. No one should be reduced to little more than a topic of religious conversation between people who have no real interest in providing help. You are placed into your circle of relationships to make a difference in the lives of the people around you. Listen to the conversations around you. Ask the Spirit to open your eyes to see the “blind men” that other people around you miss, objectify, or turn into nothing more than a matter for discussion. Look for ways to demonstrate My love and grace by serving these people. Verses to Live The following verses begin a series of events that involved My healing a man who was born blind and then proceed to the things that occurred as a result of that healing. We will address more aspects of these events later. Today, notice how I treat this man as someone in whom “the deeds of God may be put on display,” yet nearly all the people he meets treat him as less than a person created in the image of God. While walking along the road, Jesus saw a man who was blind since his birth. Disciples: Teacher, who sinned? Who is responsible for this man’s blindness? Did he commit sins that merited this punishment? If not his sins, is it the sins of his parents? Jesus: Neither. His blindness cannot be explained or traced to any particular person’s sins. He is blind so the deeds of God may be put on display. While it is daytime, we must do the works of the One Who sent Me. But when the sun sets and night falls, this work is impossible. Whenever I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. After He said these things, He spat on the ground and mixed saliva and dirt to form mud, which He smeared across the blind man’s eyes. Jesus (to the blind man): Go, wash yourself in the pool of Siloam. Siloam means “sent,” and its name reminded us that his healing was sent by God. The man went, washed, and returned to Jesus, his eyes now alive with sight. Then neighbors and others who knew him were confused to see a man so closely resembling the blind beggar running about. Townspeople: Isn’t this the man we see every day sitting and begging in the streets? Others: This is the same man. Still Others: This cannot be him. But this fellow bears an uncanny resemblance to the blind man. Formerly Blind Man: I am the same man. It’s me! Townspeople: How have your lifeless eyes been opened? Formerly Blind Man: A man named Jesus approached me and made mud from the ground and applied it to my eyes. He then said to me, “Go, wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.” I went and washed, and suddenly I could see. Townspeople: Where is this man Who healed you? Formerly Blind Man: I don’t know. (John 9:1-12) Response in Prayer O God, help me see the people that You place in my path each day — the very people that You placed there so that I can share Your grace with them. Forgive me when I have treated others as little more than a religious or political or social question and have not heard Your call to love them into Your family. Open my eyes and my heart to see the people others neglect and ignore. Please use me to give them hope and to share a touch of Your grace with them. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – Psalm 100:1
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. —Psalm 100:1 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… With joy, let’s praise and make a joyful noise to the LORD of lords and the King of kings. Let’s do it today! Let’s find short moments during our day, seize them, and use them to give thanks and praise to our Father in heaven. Let’s do it audibly and passionately with all of our hearts. As we are blessed, let’s take a moment and pause for praise. As we think about what God has done for us in Jesus, let’s make a joyful shout of joyous praise to the LORD. In every good thing, let’s share a phrase of praise to our gracious Father, giving thanks for the Son as we are filled with the Spirit! My Prayer… Loving and gracious Father, God of mercy and might, I find it incredible that you let me know you and praise you with my human words and emotions. You are the marvelous and holy Creator, yet you graciously listen to me, one of your mortal creatures. Your mercy saved me, so I enthusiastically praise you! Your love has remade me by your grace in Jesus and through the power of your Holy Spirit; I thank you! Your strength has given me the power to change; I shout for joy because of you. You are wonderful, dear Father, and I love you with all my heart. I offer you all of my thanks, praise, and joyous appreciation in the name of Jesus, your greatest gift. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
One Last Season for Fruit?
Note from Jesus Dear Believer, In your day, people have really toned down some of My message in order to be more politically correct. Remember, however, that the religious leaders of My day killed Me because they knew I was a threat to their ungodly way of doing things. I never taught or preached violence. In fact, My voluntary submission to the cross should tell you a lot about My heart in this matter. When the soldiers came to arrest Me in the Garden of Gethsemane — right before My trials and crucifixion — Peter grabbed a sword and began to fight to protect Me. Since I would not be using violence as a means of My own protection, I told him to put away the sword (John 18:3-11). Hypocritical and self-serving Jewish religious leaders considered Me a threat to their power and status because I denounced them and their ungodly approach to religion. In addition, I was transforming lives and gathering devoted disciples who were realizing the errors of the religious leaders, making me an even greater threat. My devoted disciples were interested in My true identity as Son of God, Messiah, and Lord because they had seen My power and also My compassion. The leaders could not deny or explain away My power that made Me even a greater threat. Nor could these leaders deny My compassion that moved people to follow Me, making Me a growing threat. These leaders knew they had to eliminate the threat — to kill Me and presumably to get Me out of the way. My journey to Jerusalem was a purposeful march into their trap. But hear this with your heart, please: I ached for My people and My country and the primary city of My people — even for the leaders who were about to reject, ridicule, and crucify Me. I knew they were leading the Jewish people down the path to destruction. I knew the time was short. I knew they could repent — truly change from the inside out — if they would give themselves over to the Father’s will and follow Me. For three years, I taught, told stories, preached, counseled, visited, healed, shepherded, and cared for the needy, the broken, the outcast, the sinner, and the commoner. Many were coming to faith in Me. I went to the houses of the rich, and I met with powerful religious leaders to discuss truth. I even healed valued family members of both Jewish and Roman leaders. Some of these people came to faith in Me. The problem was that I also confronted the religious establishment. I rightly called them hypocrites. I challenged their legalistic answers that departed from the Father’s will. Then, I called them to repentance. John the Baptist, My cousin whom Herod executed, spent time warning of the need for repentance and preparing the people for My coming. Many had changed their hearts and their lives to be ready for Me. Not so for most of those in power. In the verses that follow, you will read two stories about disasters and then you find a parable about a fig tree. The stories about disasters are reminders that bad things happen to good people. If destruction can befall them and they are undeserving of their hardships, how much more will destruction come to those who ignore, resist, and try to extinguish the Voice of God — Me, Jesus of Nazareth, God come in human flesh! In the parable about the fig tree, I shared a not-so-subtle warning: God’s people needed to repent, or our precious city of Jerusalem would face destruction. Such a thought gave Me great anguish. Salvation was on the doorstep of My people, and they chose the power of Rome and the security of the status quo over Me. Rome, the seat of power for that terrible lion of an empire that had oppressed them for decades, would tear them apart, and leave no stone standing. With My heart breaking for such impending disaster, I shared a parable about asking the owner of the vineyard — a reference the people in My time would recognize as God (the Father) — to give the people more time to turn their hearts toward Him. As the “vineyard keeper” in the parable, I asked for one last season for the people of Jerusalem — the “fig tree” — to bear fruit for God. I worked to bring My people to repentance and save the city of David. I gave My people another opportunity to turn their hearts toward Me and find the salvation the Father wanted to bring them. Unfortunately, they would not. Verses to Live You face a hard challenge as you read the verses that follow. The warnings that I gave were not heeded, and destruction came to Jerusalem. So how do you apply these verses? Let My words fall on your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to use them to speak to those things in your own heart that you have not yet surrendered to Me. Any other sources on which you rely for salvation will prove false. Any other source of ultimate meaning and purpose for your life will prove shallow. So let these words remind you of a previous theme: urgency! Your commitment to the holy transformation that everyone needs should be immediate and permanent. No one should waste time in making that commitment! As He [Jesus] said this, some people told Him the latest news about a group of Galilean pilgrims in Jerusalem — a group not unlike Jesus’ own entourage. Pilate butchered them while they were at worship, their own blood mingling with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus: Do you think these Galileans were somehow being singled out for their sins, that they were worse than any other Galileans, because they suffered this terrible death? Of course not. But listen, if you do not consider God’s ways and truly change, then friends, you should prepare to face
Today’s Verse – Proverbs 16:9
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes his steps. —Proverbs 16:9 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… We’re now a week and a half into the new year. How are you doing with those changes, commitments, and resolutions you made for this year? Don’t give up or quit on them, even if you’re having trouble staying on track. Remember that only one commitment is essential for this year: Asking the LORD where he wants us to go and what he wants us to do, then we go there and do it. Let’s ask the LORD to lead us by his Holy Spirit and establish our steps! Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… Holy God, almighty LORD, my Abba Father, thank you for being wondrous, holy, and mighty. Thank you for tenderly caring about me, my life, my decisions, and my struggles. Please guide me by your Holy Spirit as I seek to understand your Scriptures and discern your will for my life. I want to have you fully establish my steps. In Jesus’ name, I ask for this guidance. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
**Can’t You See the Urgency?
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, You need to treat the issues of the kingdom with a sense of urgency. There is never a time to be complacent. As you read the verses below, you will see that I emphasized the need for a great sense of urgency. For those who first heard My words in the verses below, there was going to be an important moment of decision. My rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection were going to lead to a moment of supreme decision for everyone. This moment of supreme decision for all who knew and heard Me was coming sooner than anyone wanted to recognize. This decision would tear families apart because some would wholly reject Me, considering Me a blasphemer and a troublemaker, while others would see Me as I AM — the Holy One of God sent to save them. For you, this decision is one you must make continuously: What will you do with Me? Am I a liar and a lunatic or Lord? And if I am Lord, how then will you live differently from those around you? Yes, this is a decision of continuous urgency! Verses to Live While you don’t face exactly the same scenario as these first hearers of My message, you are confronted with a challenge by the things I’ve said. You must feel a sense of urgency about where to invest your life. Your attachment to the world can easily lead you to live in apathy and approach important spiritual matters with complacency. So I’m challenging you today with passionate and serious language and strong images because you must decide what you are going to do with Me. Jesus to His disciples: This is serious business we’re involved in. My mission is to send a purging fire on the earth! In fact, I can hardly wait to see the smoke rising. I have a kind of baptism to go through, and I can’t relax until My mission is accomplished! Do you think I’ve come with a nice little message of peace? No way. Believe Me, My message will divide. It will divide a household of five into three against two or two against three. It will divide father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (speaking to the crowd) You see a cloud arise from the sea in the west, and you can say, “Here comes a shower!” And you’re right. Or you feel the hot wind blowing in from the desert in the south and you say, “It’s going to be really hot!” And you’re right. Listen, hypocrites! You can predict the weather by paying attention to the sky and the earth, but why can’t you interpret the urgency of this present moment? Why don’t you see it for yourselves? Imagine you’re being sued. You and your accuser are on your way to court. Wouldn’t you do everything in your power to settle out of court before you stand before the magistrate? After all, he might drag you to stand before the judge, and the judge might hand you over to the police, and they might throw you in jail. Once you’re in jail, it’s too late: you’re not going anywhere until you’ve paid in full. (Luke 12:49-59) Response in Prayer Almighty God, I confess that I can become complacent, sometimes even apathetic, about my life as Jesus’ disciple. There are so many things crowding into my heart for my attention. So today, I pray the prayer Moses offered many centuries ago: Lord, “teach us to number our days so that we may get a heart of wisdom.”* I want to live every moment for Jesus with passion and courage. I don’t want to waste any moments You give me and fritter away my life on what doesn’t matter eternally. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. * Psalm 90:12 ESV, from a psalm described as “A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God.” ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – Isaiah 2:22
Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? —Isaiah 2:22 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… “If only I had a friend.” “If only my father hadn’t left.” “If only she was more supportive.” “If only…” Even though we know deep down that people can and will often fail us, we still pin so many of our hopes on them — or excuse our failure on not having the right ones of them in our lives. However, people are fallible and mortal, just like we are. So, while we are involved in other people’s lives and we’re connected to other believers in Jesus, let’s also remember to keep our hopes connected to the Son of God, who “destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light” (2 Timothy 2:11) and who will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6; Romans 8:37-39). My Prayer… Dear Father, please forgive me when I have pinned my well-being and happiness on being accepted by a particular group of people or supported by another special person. Even more, dear Father, I ask for your forgiveness for excusing my weaknesses and for strength to overcome my bitterness because I blamed you for not having the right people in my life. I know my only lasting hope is in Jesus. So, I pray this in the name of the always faithful, LORD Jesus. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.