"How were your eyes opened?...Where is this Man?...Give glory to God by telling the truth....We know this Man is a sinner....What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" (From John 9, NIV))
It just does not matter what we do or what we say. Even if you could put the "proof," which some demand, in a test tube, all would be to no avail; some people just choose to not believe. I am always suspicious of those who, as those in our text, have unending questions.
I say that they choose to not believe, because belief is a choice, not a reasoning. You will remember that after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the resisting Jews not only wanted to kill Jesus, but they also wanted to kill Lazarus, the evidence of Jesus' power and authority. Likewise, just after Jesus' Resurrection, the Bible tells us, "When they saw Him, some worshipped Him; but some doubted." Notice, "....they saw Him,.." yet choose not to believe what, "....they saw...."
We must not look for that one supremely intellectual argument to bring someone to Jesus. Only an "accepting" faith does that.
I once briefly shared with someone about inviting Jesus into his heart. His response? "That's weird." Of course it is to the "natural mind." If you push things far enough, the whole Bible could fall under that category. Jesus reminds us, "If they do not believe Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead." We read that Nicodemus had questions, but what we don't read is that at some point he said, "Ah, now I see and understand." We do read later, however, that at some point He had surrendered His life to Jesus.
It may sound trite, even simplistic to some, but the blind man's frustrated response to those for whom no amount of "answers," no amount of proof could satisfy his inquisitors, seems like sound theology, "One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I totally agree with the blind man. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
