Have you ever with someone who completely missed the point of a story or event?  It seems that often the Pharisees miss the point.  They are so concerned about losing power and influence to Jesus that they miss the fact that the Messiah, the Son of God is doing amazing things in their midst.  Let’s look together at their reaction right after Jesus uses mud to heal a man born blind found in John 9.

Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” 18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” 20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” 26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” 28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

The Pharisees so badly want Jesus to be wrong, to be guilty that they miss the thing that is obvious to the uneducated man who was born blind.  The blind man knows that this man obviously comes from God or He could do nothing.  Sometimes I wonder if we also can get distracted by our own agenda and what we have going on in life and miss the things that Jesus is trying to tell and show to us. My prayer for myself and for all of us is that we would have the eyes of the man born blind.  That we would recognize Jesus and how He is leading, guiding, and directing us.  We would see Him and follow Him.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave