(Translated version, original article written in Chinese by Pastor Mickey Hsiao)
Worship
By singing praises and hymns, awake your soul, open your heart to the Lord, and prepare yourself to welcome the presence of God and receive the Word of God that will be given to you.
Thanksgiving
Petition with thanksgiving to God for a wonderful day and pray sincerely for a focused Scripture reading time! (Do not rush into reading the Bible without starting with prayers!) (e.g., you may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what will you be speaking to me today?)
Scripture Reading
Get the following items ready in advance: your devotional notebook, paper, pen, and/or electronic devotional articles so that you can easily write down the Bible verses, questions, and thoughts you have noticed! You are encouraged to open your Bible and vocally read out the scriptures (Try to practice this reading method daily or once a week)!
Scripture Reading: John Ch. 9 (ESV)
Meditation
Take a moment to quietly reflect on today’s Scriptures. Through such exercises, let God’s Word be gradually written into our hearts and be inscribed to our mind.
Devotional
Read the devotional articles prepared by CBCLWA (*Read the Bible first before reading any devotional materials.)
(vv.1-12) In the time that Jesus lived, there was a general notion among the Jews that illness is a result of sin. When the disciples of Jesus saw a man born blind, they asked Jesus “Who had sinned, this man or his parents?” Jesus said “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. But this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in this man”. Jesus also said as long as it is the day, we must seize the opportunity to do God’s work earnestly. Jesus healed this blind man by making some mud with the saliva and putting it on the man’s eyes. He told this man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. The blind man did what Jesus said and then his eyes opened. At that moment, this blind man only knew that a man named Jesus had healed him (v.11).
The question asked by the disciples was: who had sinned and caused this man to suffer like this? We must admit that sometimes bad things happen, indeed because of sins. As stated in Isaiah 59:12, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” But today’s scripture reading indicated to us that sometimes it is not necessarily a matter of sin, but of God’s display of His actions in this matter. Jesus came not to condemn the world, but to save us. If we see people suffering around us, let us not to convict them, but seize the opportunity to do God’s work as long it is the day. Let us evangelize to them so that they can experience Jesus and give glory to Jesus.
(vv.13-41) Once again because Jesus healed the blind on the Sabbath, the Pharisees were intimidated by Jesus. There was a dispute among them, which is: why could Jesus, who did not observe the Sabbath, perform miracles? The argument is that whoever is not keeping the Sabbath is a sinner and a sinner will not come from God. How can a sinner perform miracles? These Jews not only summoned the blind man and his parents, but even decided if anyone were to acknowledge Jesus as Christ, that person would be thrown out of the synagogue.
Let’s see how this blind man tackled questioning from others and the increase of his knowledge about Jesus. At first, this man knew the name of Jesus. Facing the Pharisees’ questioning, in verse 17 he said Jesus is “a prophet”. The second Time the Pharisees asked, and in verse 25 he answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” Then, in verses 31-33, he went on saying, “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” Later, when Jesus heard that they had driven this man out, Jesus found him. Jesus asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” This man answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said, “You have seen Him and it is he who is speaking to you.” The blind man said, “Lord, I believe” and he worshiped Jesus right away.
Although the blind man was expelled from the synagogue and was not accepted by the Jews, he became a child of God. Does the story of this man about how he was accepted by Jesus sound familiar to you? Everyone who comes before Jesus does not always fully understand who the Lord is and cannot even believe that He is God. Once they have experienced God in their lives, their personal testimonials can prove that Jesus came from God and they can assure us that Jesus is the Savior. May we always remind ourselves that, besides reading the Bible rationally and storing God’s Word in our hearts, we shall remember and recall what God has done in our lives. Knowing the unbiased truth, coupled with our personal experiences, we will be able to stand firm on our journey of faith, not being tempted to sin. And we will witness Jesus and strengthen our brothers and sisters who are weak.
Compared to the blind man, this group of Pharisees/Jews were blindsided. Even though their eyes are well enough to see everything, they did not acknowledge Jesus. They were super familiar with the Mosaic Laws and claimed to be the disciples of Moses. When they saw the miracles that had happened before them, they were trapped by their tradition for keeping the Sabbath. They did not understand where Jesus came from and did not acknowledge that Jesus was from God. They wanted to convict Jesus. No wonder Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains so your sins are still there.” Their eyes were indeed blind!
Pray
Give thanks to God for His enabling us to read the Scriptures and for our response for living out the Word of God today! (e.g., You may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what/where are you going to lead me to today?”)