John 9 Devotional

Found After Being Thrown Out

“When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, He found the man and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?””John 9:35 (BSB)

The disciples see a man blind from birth and ask whose sin caused it. Jesus says it was neither the man's nor his parents'; this happened so that God's works could be put on display in him (9:1-3). He puts mud on the man's eyes, sends him to wash in the Pool of Siloam, and the man comes back seeing (9:6-7). What follows is not celebration but interrogation. Neighbors question him, the Pharisees question him twice, his parents are too afraid to answer, and finally he is thrown out (9:34).

Then Jesus goes looking. Hearing this, he finds the man and reveals himself as the Son of Man, and the man believes and worships him (9:35-38). His understanding has grown step by step, from the man called Jesus (9:11) to a prophet (9:17) to the Lord he worships. Those who claim to see remain blind (9:41). Jesus is the light who opens eyes and the one who seeks out the rejected. If following him has cost you a place among others, he has not lost track of you.

To think about: When following Jesus costs you something with other people, how does it help to know that he comes looking for you?