Blind at Birth

As Jesus and His disciples were passing through the streets of Capernaum, they passed by a man who had been blind since birth. The disciples, misunderstanding the man’s condition, thought that his blindness was a result of sin. But Jesus proved to them that the man was not blind because of sin but rather so God could be glorified in healing him. After Jesus had healed the man he was brought in front of the Pharisees to be questioned about his newfound sight. But as they were questioning the formerly blind man, his honest answers revealed their spiritual blindness.

In our previous episode, we heard how Jesus frustrated the plans of the religious leaders who wanted to trap him with a choice to follow the law to the letter or seemingly ignore what was written in the law of Moses. Instead of playing their game, He challenged them to evaluate their own sinfulness as he stepped in to extend grace and forgiveness to a woman caught in adultery. Today we’ll hear how Jesus lovingly corrects the misconceptions of the disciples who seek to understand why a young man was born blind. And we’ll see once again the legalistic Pharisees attempt to trap Jesus, but in doing so expose their own heartlessness and lack of compassion for those in need.