The Pain of Sight

What is very bothersome about this story in the Gospel is the lack of compassion and empathy toward this man who is blind from his birth.

In the beginning, the disciples are making an attempt, but their only question is “who’s fault is it that he is blind?”

The same thing with the pharisees. Once this man was finally healed and able to see after so many years of life without sight, their main concern is to punish Jesus because he did this healing on the Sabbath.

These same pharisees casted this newly healed man out of the synagogue because of his association with Jesus, who they claim is not from God.

The failure in empathy or compassion we see is because the people involved end in finding the blame. Finding the cause. To see who is wrong. Whereas the most important thing at hand is to make things right.

In medical terminology, there is diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

Diagnosis is identifying from the symptoms the actual problem/sickness and it’s causes.

The prognosis is determining what life looks like after this diagnosis with the treatment you choose to take.

The diagnosis is not the solution. It’s just shown you the problem. It doesn’t give you the treatment necessary. What comes next, we’re responsible for.

You can imagine this blind man Jesus approached may have wanted to be able to see. I’m sure after living blind for 20, 30, 40 years he was probably also worried. Worried what life would be like.

Because after not seeing for most of his life, he can not longer use the excuse of “I didn’t see” or “I didn’t know.”

💡 When you begin to see, you become responsible for what you witness. We often choose not to see.

We often choose not to see because:

We don’t imagine or think it will get better.

Putting the work in means you have to trust someone outside of yourself.

Sometimes trusting the person outside of yourself is a new pain that is unfamiliar.

And many of us would rather choose a pain we’re used to and familiar, than introduce a new one hoping it’s the path to healing.

Jesus connects two things: work and light. He said he is the light of the world and we must work the works of GOD while it is day.

This means there will be a time where we can see. That’s the time to do the work! The time to thank God for the light, as bad as it hurts to see. As bad as it hurts to hear the news of what is wrong.

We must spend the most of our time in the next step. Not the diagnosis and trying to find what went wrong or who we can blame. Not the prognosis and worried about what my life will be like in the future.

But the working the works of God which is what this man did. He followed Christ’s instructions to wash in the pool of Siloam. A direction he was unfamiliar with. Most of our time should be spent here. May we not be afraid to take up this good work salvation Jesus wants to continue in us in order to see.