John 9:24-41; 2 Chronicles 7; Malachi 4

“Then they said to him again, ‘What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?’” (John 9:26-27 NKJV) 

The Pharisees had stepped in quicksand as they sought to discredit Jesus after he healed the blind guy. Their complaints about Sabbath just weren’t connecting. They tried to build on that by noting that Jesus must be a terrible sinner if He actually worked on the Sabbath. The guy who’d been healed put things in perspective when he said, “I ain’t got no idea about that, all I know is that I can see now – and that doesn’t seem to be the kind of prayer God would answer through a sinner.” Then they asked him again what had happened and he shot back with a question that left them apoplectic: “Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” As the discussion went on, the Pharisees kept falling deeper and deeper into that quicksand. They were never able to refute Jesus’s teachings and now, they looked like complete fools when they tried to use such an amazing miracle against Him.

There are problems with people who are so “religious” that they refuse to see God working in any way other than the way they believe He should work. As a friend said about their denomination: “We believe in the Holy Spirit, we just have issues with Him.” The other side of the equation is people who don’t believe in God and refuse to see His handiwork at all in our world. The question that cuts to the chase for those hyper-religious folks and those non-religious folks is the same one the healed man asked: “Do you want to become His disciples also?” As His disciples, we’re called to proclaim God’s truth and invite people into fellowship with Him. We’re called to make disciples. We have no control over how people will react to our invitation. We may get thrown out of friendships or businesses or something else that we might have thought was important – but we’ll still keep trying to show people God’s love and inviting them to become disciples also. 

Lord, there are so many people who refuse to believe the truth You set in front of them. They are blinded by their disbelief, just like the Pharisees were. Shine Your light through their darkness and let them recognize Your presence in this world. Influence them to become Your disciples, also.