This Week's Story
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Once I was blind; now I see.
This Week’s Story relives American history and the Bible through brief inspiring stories presented on mp3 audio recordings and text for reading.
I can see!
This morning I was sitting on the side of Olive Street begging. I heard someone walk up to me and spit on the dusty ground. The beggar beside me muttered, “Why is he mixing his spit with dirt?”
People gathered around us. One asked, “What is Jesus doing?”
The man began spreading mud over my eyes and I said nothing. When he finished, he told me with friendly authority, “Go to the pool of Siloam and wash off the mud.”
I did as he said; maybe something good would happen to me. Now something is happening to me. I hear children running; my cane feels awkward; and shapes are coming at me! They’re high, low, on my right, and on my left. Am I seeing for the first time in my life?
I’ll walk to the market. That’s the hole I stumbled into yesterday? Oooh, that wonderful smell! Fruited pot roast! I didn’t know it would look like that. I don’t know how to describe it. Are those lilies being sold? They’re supposed to be white. Is that what white is?
I see and hear men. “Benjamin, is it you? You look like Benjamin, but he was born blind.”
“You guys, look at me closely. Of course I am Benjamin. You’re my neighbors. You have been seeing me for many years. And yes, I see now. A man named Jesus healed me.
“Benjamin, where’s the man?”
“I don’t know.”
“You better come with us to the Pharisees. They are the religious authorities. They will check the truth of your story. Maybe you’re confused.”
“How idiotic! Either I see or I don’t see.”
My neighbors and I went to the priests. They were confused; I was not. They cross-examined me and began arguing. Some were sure that Jesus did wrong, when he healed me on the day of rest. He must not be from God. Others insisted, “Of course he is from God. If he was a sinner, he could not do a miracle of God.” None of them were happy at my news. They kept throwing questions at me, especially, “Who do you think the man was, that you say healed you?”
I replied, “He’s a prophet.”
Finally the priests announced, “You were never blind.” They questioned my parents. That was a mistake. My parents were so afraid of getting in trouble that they said little. But, they stated clearly that I was their son and I was born blind. They acted as though they did not know anything about how I was healed or who did it. They shoved the mess back on me, saying, “Benjamin is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him.”
The Pharisees’ questioning became nastier. I was ordered, “Tell the truth. That will give glory to God.”
Others said loudly, “Your story makes no sense, because we know that Jesus is a sinner. He could not do good deeds.”
I wondered, “When was healing a man’s blindness not a good deed?” I told my interrogators, “I don’t know whether Jesus is a sinner, but I do know this: I was blind and now I can see.”
That did not stop the questioning. I was asked again, “What did Jesus do? How did he heal you?”
I became irritated. “I’ve already told you. Can’t you hear? Do you want to be followers of Jesus?”
They cursed me and said, “You are a follower of Jesus. We are followers of Moses and God spoke to Moses. We don’t know anything about this Jesus.”
I refused to back down. “You say that you do not know anything about him, yet he healed my eyes. Since the beginning of the world nobody could open the eyes of someone who was born blind. This man had to be from God. God doesn’t listen to people who disobey him.”
That was the end. I was thrown out of the building. Jesus found me later and told me that it is he who gives sight to the blind. He shows those, who think they see, that they are blind. I know I believe him.
This is Barbara Steiner with the man who knew the facts and would not change them. This story is found in John 9 of the Bible. Please check out thisweeksstory.com.
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