³⁵ When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
³⁶ The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
³⁷ “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
³⁸ “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
³⁹ Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
⁴⁰ Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
⁴¹ “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.”
Jesus is El-Roi: the God who sees us, even when we feel cast out and invisible
Thoughts
- Spiritual Sight and Spiritual Blindness (35–38) The man has just been cast out of the synagogue, socially and spiritually rejected. Jesus hears about it and goes looking for him. Just as God sought out the outcast Hagar in the wilderness (Genesis 16), Jesus seeks this man in his isolation. Hagar had fled into the desert, pregnant, mistreated, and utterly alone — feeling invisible and forgotten by everyone. But the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring and spoke directly to her. In that moment she realized she was seen by God, and she named him El-Roi, the God who sees me. Even in her lowest and most lonely place, Hagar was not invisible to the Lord. In the same way, Jesus draws near to this rejected man and asks a deeply personal question. The man’s response is simple and honest. He moves from uncertainty to wholehearted belief, and worship follows. Jesus doesn’t leave him alone after rejection. He seeks him out. In our own moments of loss or exclusion, Jesus still comes looking for us. The gospel is full of this pattern: the Savior finds us in our lowest place, reveals himself, and wins our hearts. From uncertainty to belief, that is the quiet miracle of grace. ➤ The Light of the World finds the rejected, opens his eyes to see who he really is, and receives his worship.
- Spiritual Blindness Declared (39–41) The religious leaders overhear Jesus, and realize he is speaking about them. Their self-confidence in their own spiritual sight becomes their condemnation. Jesus is the great Divider. His coming reveals true spiritual sight or exposes spiritual blindness. The most dangerous condition is thinking you can see when you are actually blind. The Pharisees were confident in their knowledge and righteousness, yet they were the truly blind ones. This pattern runs deep through Scripture. Isaiah warned that people can look but not see, and listen but not understand (Isa 6:9-10). Paul later explained that the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel (2 Cor 4:3-4). Even within the church, Jesus warned the Laodiceans that they claimed to be rich and in need of nothing, while they were actually wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked (Rev 3:17). This story should humble every one of us who thinks we “see” clearly on our own. ➤The gospel turns everything upside down: the outcast who admits his need receives sight, while the self-righteous remain in darkness.
Reflections
- When have you felt cast out, unseen, or rejected? How did Jesus meet you there?
- How does this story challenge the way you view people who seem far from God, or even, how you view yourself?
