Daily Prayer Devotional for Women and Men | OnlinePrayerJournal

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For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.

Spiritual Blindness 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said,[a] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. Read full chapter Footnotes John 9:39 Some early manuscripts do not have Then the man said … 39 Jesus said. New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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At Easter, we witnessed the baptism of a Brazilian student who had nervously set foot in church just weeks earlier. Raised by a fiercely atheist father, he described his agonized search, ‘I had a hunger inside me for meaning and for what is Good, which I now realize I could only attain through faith. I felt some sense of shame in being drawn to Christ because I saw mockery of faith when I was young. But today I want to earnestly, publicly declare, without any ounce of shame or hesitation that Jesus Christ is Lord, and I totally submit myself to him.’

The light has been dawning, too, for the healed man. From simply knowing Jesus’ name, to supposing he is a prophet, to insisting he must be from God, the identity of Christ is taking shape in his mind. Ironically, the dark opposition and loneliness of his position have sharpened and clarified his understanding. However, although he has heard Jesus’ voice, he has never set eyes on him. Now, fresh from being harangued by the religious authorities and his expulsion from the synagogue, he meets Jesus, who has come to find him.

After the hubbub of debate and insult, a hush descends. The scene is empty but for Jesus approaching the man. Can you glimpse Jesus’ delight as he searches out the heart that is ripe for the next step of faith? This is the climax: a beautiful, intensely moving personal encounter. The once blind man gazes into the eyes of the One he could only imagine before: at last, he sees the One who saw him and gifted him with vision. He meets the One who gave him everything and for whom now he has lost so much. He hears him. He sees him. He worships him. Light of the World.

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