Winning by Losing

John 9:35-38 – Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Quite often we have to give up something of value to get something of more value. It costs to invest. We usually have to sacrifice near term pleasure to gain much more in the long term.

Earlier in John 9 the parents of the man who been born blind but miraculously regained his sight at the hands of Jesus were not willing to even admit what Jesus had done because they were afraid to lose the social acceptance they had as members of the synagogue. The man himself, though, was another story altogether.

The spiritual journey of this man through the chapter is fascinating. He started the chapter as a blind beggar with no hope for any better future. Then Jesus came, and because of his touch, the man born blind was able to see for the first time through his physical eyes. However, repeated interrogation by the Jewish leaders forced him to describe what had happened, and he began to see intellectually, as well. He recognized there was something different about this Jesus. In response, he made a bold refutation to those leaders, “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.” (vv 32-33) Those leaders did not want anyone to talk back to them, and they kicked him out. The very price his parents were not willing to pay, this man paid.

Yet in his getting kicked out, he got something more. Verse 35 above says when Jesus heard about the man’s loss he came to him. The rejection by a group of self-centered, uncaring men was replaced by the sincere love of an all-powerful savior who took the effort to meet him at his point of greatest need and offer him a gift worth far more than what the man gave up: himself.

The once blind man’s response shows he made the complete journey to not only seeing physically but also spiritually. In his act of worship he understood Jesus was the divine Son of Man who fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel 7:13. Whatever little he had given up in the acceptance of an uncaring club was replaced by eternal life granted by a truly loving savior. If you have not yet made a similar response in faith to Jesus, do not hesitate. It is the greatest trade off of all time.

The Price of Acceptance

John 9:20-21 – His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”

Imagine you and your spouse are getting ready for the birth of your first child. The joy and excitement for the day delivery far outweighs the pain and discomfort of carrying a baby for nine months. You know you will love this child with all of your heart. You dream together of what kind of person your child will be. You envision great opportunities for a wonderful life. Then the birth occurs, and something seems different about the baby. You love him anyway, but as he grows you realize he cannot see. The dreams of great career success in your culture are now replaced with the awareness his life will be one of dependence on others.

There is always a hope something will change. You love your child, so you do everything you can. You pray. You see doctors. You ask others to pray, but nothing changes. You try to find a way for him to provide for himself, but in your society there is only one way, to beg. As he becomes a young man, begging is what he does. You still love him. You would love to see his life different, but life goes on.

Then one day you get word that your son is now seeing. The most popular and powerful people in your community call you to a special meeting, and there he is. It is your son, and he is looking you in the eye for the first time in his life. You are filled with overflowing joy. All of your dreams for him that were dashed when you discovered he was born blind come rushing back. You go to him, hug him, and ask him what happened, and he says to you, “The one called Jesus made mud, put it on my eyes, told me to wash, and now I see.” Suddenly that joy is turned to fear.

You know you must choose between celebrating an incredible life change in your son and losing acceptance by the powerful and popular in your community. You know they have said, “Anyone who confesses this Jesus as the Christ will be put out of the synagogue.” (John 9:22) That would make you cultural rejects.

You ask yourself, “Is it worth losing acceptance by the popular people who don’t really love us to celebrate the change in the one we truly love by recognizing the one who did it?” What would you say? The parents chose the acceptance of people over giving credit to Jesus. 

So many of us today are like the formerly blind man’s parents. We have experienced dramatic life change at the hands of Jesus. We have received from him what so much of the rest of the world truly desires and Jesus willingly gives to those who ask, but fear of the rejection of others keeps us silent. We would rather have the acceptance of others than share the story of what Jesus has done for us and risk their rejection. When we stay silent we may keep their approval but we lose Christ’s. We also lose the opportunity to see some of their lives changed if they respond to what we share. How much is acceptance really worth?