John 9:24–34

John 9:24-34 - Daily Devotion - 30 April 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 24 So a second time they called for the man who had been blind and said, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”25 He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. There is one thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see!”26 “What did He do to you?” they asked. “How did He open your eyes?”27 He replied, “I already told you, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”28 Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.”30 “That is remarkable indeed!” the man said. “You do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will. 32 Never before has anyone heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, He could do no such thing.”34 They replied, “You were born in utter sin, and you are instructing us?” And they threw him out.REFLECTIONSWritten by Dania MouradWhen I read through this passage, I had many lightbulbs turn on. While it seems like a simple case of “Jesus restores a blind man’s sight,” this miracle unveils so much more. What was first clear to me was the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees – how they saw and heard the man’s testimony, yet they still did not believe. It reminded me of the Israelites in Numbers 13–14, when they were on the border of the promised land and God commanded them to enter and take possession of it. They had seen God part the Red Sea and provide food and water for them in the wilderness, yet they refused to trust him when facing Canaan. It struck me that unbelief is often not a matter of lacking evidence, but of resisting what is already clear because it challenges our control, assumptions, or pride. My prayer is that God removes the veil of unbelief and pride from all non-believers, whether they are atheists or modern-day religious Pharisees. My prayer is also that God continues to strengthen the faith of all believers as we journey with him in this life. I also found myself reflecting on how easy it is, even as believers, to slip into subtle forms of spiritual blindness, by forgetting God’s power and kindness in rescuing us and giving us eternal life through Jesus’ death and resurrection.Another valuable angle of this passage I reflected upon was the testimony of the believer. I believe that despite others’ unbelief, there is still power in our testimony. So often we underestimate our Christian testimony, thinking it’s too little, too basic or too dense, and that people will be scared away by it. But God has brought us to him and healed us in different ways that are powerfully reflective of who he is. My prayer is that even when we share our testimony and others don’t turn to faith, God will grant us the comfort and courage to continue sharing it and trusting in his work. The healed man boldly stood his ground in testifying to who he knew Jesus to be, despite the pressure of the Pharisees. May our faithful God continue to give us his strength to keep sharing our testimony and ultimately sharing the gospel to bring many to Jesus. ABOUT THE AUTHORDania is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.