The man had carefully counted his steps and felt his way past houses to the place by the large building that he claimed as his spot early that day. Though the sun was shining brightly in the blue sky overhead, he settled himself on the soft dirt by the roadside in the same comfortable darkness he had always known. Begging was not what he would have chosen as a career, but the alms given by those walking to the temple brought in enough to buy food to eat. He sighed , leaned back against the building, and waited.
The day passed slowly as he listened to the shuffling feet of people walking toward the temple. A few coins fell onto the cloth spread before him as passersby tossed them down before hurrying on. He nodded his thanks before gathering them into the small bag tucked inside his robe for safekeeping. The crowd seemed to be in a hurry today, the pace of the narrow street was quicker than yesterday. That was fine with him, more people meant more coins.
Occasionally, the man caught snatches of excited chatter as people walked past him. Though they seldom spoke to him, he could not help but overhear words like “Messiah” and “miracles”spoken in hushed tones. He wiped the sweat from his brow and wondered who and what the people were so fired up about.
A sudden coolness told him that someone had stopped before his beggars cloth, standing between him and the hot sunshine. He listened as a voice asked whose fault it was that he had been born blind. He had heard conversations like this before and steeled himself for the stinging words that usually followed. He was shocked as the Man told the group He was with that there was no sin to blame for his condition. The kind words and gentle voice were a welcome surprise.
He felt more than heard the Man stoop before him and scoop up a handful of dirt. The air around him felt charged as He spat onto the small mound in His hand and smeared it on one sightless eye and then the other. The Man rose and grasped his hand firmly, pulling him to his feet. He could hear the smile in the voice that bid him, “Now go, wash in the pool Siloam.”
Slowly he walked down the street, feeling his way along buildings and counting steps. One corner, thirty steps, another corner, almost there. Finally, he heard the splashing water and knew he had reached his destination. Bending slowly and carefully, the man put his hand into the small pool of water and began washing away the mud that was drying on his face.
As he scrubbed the dirt away, he opened his eyes and squinted as brilliant light pierced the darkness that had been his home his entire life! He looked at his hands and turned them over watching the drops of water fall onto the stones below him. He jerked his head around and gazed in wonder as he heard a child laughing nearby. Turning his face toward the sky above him, he gasped at the azure expanse spread above. Trees stretched their limbs toward heaven and leaves gently swayed in the breeze.
Every direction he turned, wonders awaited his discovery. Tears welled up in his eyes. The impossible had happened and he could take no credit at all. He had not even known enough to ask, but the miracle had come to him. Messiah had not gone to the powerful rulers in the temple or the palace where the Roman prefect sat. He had come to him, to the dirt in which he sat, and gave him a gift no one else could have given–his sight.
This blind beggar did not know the Lord was walking by. He did not know enough to ask for his miracle. He was just sitting in the dirt on the fringe of a life that he could hear but in which he not fully participate or interact. He was limited by his disabilities and had no hope or expectation that anything would ever change. Jesus could have kept right on walking that day, and this guy would have been clueless that He had even passed. The most anyone would have expected was a coin to help a beggar. No one expected Him to stop and spit on the ground. Certainly, no one expected Messiah to take notice of and bend in concern over a helpless blind man.
This account moves my heart, because I can identify with this man. I was going through the motions of life, blind to the presence of God and His love. I did not know enough to cry out for Him to change my life. I was just feeling my way along the highways and byways of life, hoping for a little mercy that I could not earn. That is when Jesus stooped down to help me.
There was no reason Jesus should have concerned Himself with me. I wasn’t important. I wasn’t even expectant. But Jesus stooped down low to show compassion on me. He took the dirt of my situation and put Himself in the middle of my mess. He did not shy away from my limitations, my brokenness, or my immaturity. He just drew near to me, spiritually blind and powerless as I was, and opened my eyes to His glory.
And you know what He gained from that? Just me. The Lord just got me–but I got eternity, a waiting heaven, a glory that floods my life. He has afforded me love I could not earn, kindness I cannot deserve, and a revelation of a God bigger than my life can hold. I definitely got the better end of that deal.
So please excuse me if you see me celebrating and making some noise about what He has done for me. I am the recipient of a miracle. It is not just a song that I sing, it is my testimony. Now I see.
♫Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost
But now I’m found
Was blind, but now I see ♫
