In one way or another, focusing is difficult. With all the external stimuli and internal processing going on, it is amazing that humans can stay on task! Add to all that the fact that we have some bizarre propensity to struggle to focus once we know we must focus and things get downright problematic. We turn to schedules, techniques, and even medications to assist in the endeavor of doing what we ought.
It could be said that the 9th chapter of John’s gospel is all about focus.
- The disciples have the wrong focus.
- A man is able to focus for the first time.
- Those who assume they are in focus are totally wrong.
The passage begins with the disciples asking a very normal question of Jesus regarding a blind man: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” (2). People across cultures and time desire to understand cause and effect. Jews in the first century, like many people today, sought to tie every negative life circumstance directly to a specific sin. Jesus combated that notion by reminding them that the focus wasn’t specific sins, but sin in general. More importantly, that His mission and message would ultimately undo the effects of sin.
Jesus then shows His power by healing the blind man. The Christ displays the healing found in God through a miraculous transformation that baffled the crowds and the authorities (9, 19). For this man, his newfound sense of sight is disregarded by his people because of their skepticism and antagonistic attitude toward Jesus. This rejection must have been difficult, but he gained something much more controversial and powerful than vision on that day: faith (38).
This whole account presents a spectacular parallel. The ones interrogating the formerly blind man assume they themselves have perfect spiritual “vision”. However, their skepticism and antagonistic attitude toward Jesus proves their own perilous blindness. Jesus makes this perfectly clear: “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind” (39).
This amazing story of Jesus’ ministry encapsulates the way that the kingdom of God works. His priorities and values are holy, whereas the fallen world picks and chooses from a perverted system. His focus is on His glory and the redemption of a people. A people, chosen by His grace, for His good and holy purposes.
