The blindman had been blind from birth. No doubt his only means of income would be begging. It is highly likely that he lived with his parents and as he left home that morning, being led to his begging spot, he would have little idea that when he returned home, he’d be able to see. One would have thought that everyone would have been delighted for the blindman. But no! The Pharisees, in their blindness, were annoyed, because, ‘it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened the blindman’s eyes.’ These religious zealots, not able to see beyond a violated Sabbath, quizzed the healed man and then called upon his parents. They were aware they needed caution in answering the Pharisees questions. A wrong answer would see them turfed out of the synagogue! This is what eventually happened to the healed man! ‘And they cast him out’ (v.34). Out of the synagogue but into Christ!
‘And they cast him out’ -
Many of the great Christian hymns have been spawned by life’s adversities. One such hymn is IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL penned by Horatio Spafford in 1873. Spafford had planned to travel from USA to England with his family on the SS Ville du Havre, to help with D. L. Moody's upcoming evangelistic campaigns. In a late change of plan, Spafford sent the family ahead while he remained to see to business problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship collided with another vessel, the Loch Earn, and sank rapidly. All four of Spafford's daughters died! Only his wife Anna, survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone …". Spafford was inspired to write these words – ‘When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know, It is well, it is well, with my soul ... Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul’
‘And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD …’ -
George Matheson was born in Glasgow, 1842. At the age of twenty, when he was engaged to be married and studying for the Christian ministry, he discovered that he was going blind. Sadly, his fiancée told him she could not go through life with a blind man, and she broke off the engagement. She ‘LET HIM GO!’ He completed his studies and managed to minister to churches in Glasgow. His sister cared for him for the next twenty years old, but then she got married and left the family home. Matheson was sad and was reminded of the heartbreak and loss he’d suffered twenty years earlier. On the evening of June 6, 1882, he sat down and composed within just a few minutes, a hymn he said “was the fruit of his suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life.” The first line, highlighting the unfailing love of Christ, reads, ‘O Love that WILL NOT LET ME GO, I rest my weary soul in Thee.’
‘‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’ -
One story that gripped the world in 2010 was the amazing rescue of the 33 Chilean miners who had been trapped 2,000 feet underground for 69 days. Winched up slowly through a bored rescue shaft, all were to eventually enjoy liberty and light. This story has many parallels with the Gospel story. We like them, are in darkness and powerless to affect our own deliverance from sin, but on a shaft of divine love, the Son of God came down from His throne of glory to set us free by His death upon the cross and His glorious resurrection from among the dead. His aim is to bring us to His marvellous light and for this to happen we need to trust Him personally.
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” -
In Rocky Mountain territory, lived two young men now in their early 30s. They had
grown up together, gone through school together and had remained firm friends. Don
was an atheist and Dave was a committed Christian. Don admired the gentle Christian
character of his friend Dave. One day, while out in the forest Don was being pursued
by a grizzly bear. Feeling the beast’s hot breath on his neck and knowing his time
was short, Don the atheist prayed as he ran! In desperation he cried out, “O Lord,
please make this grizzly a Christian.” Almost immediately he noticed the bear had
stopped chasing. When he looked behind him, he saw the grizzly kneeling, lips moving
in obvious prayer. Greatly relieved at this turn of events, Don cautiously approached
the grizzly. When he was near enough, he could just make out what the bear praying
-
“Let your light so shine before men” -
The third of the four Gospels was a private letter written by Luke the doctor to
one he called, ‘most excellent Theophilus.’ Luke’s intention was to give his own
well-
‘the CERTAINTY of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed’ -