Articles
Healing the Man Born Blind John 9:1-12)
This article is an excerpt from Charlie Brackett’s book, We Have Seen the Lord (2007), pages 117-118, Clarion Word Publishing, Chattanooga, Tenn. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
When Jesus met the man blind from birth He taught His disciples that men suffer for reasons other than their own sins, that He is the Light come into the world, and that God's work must be done with urgency. News of this divine Light must be spread and believed that men might no longer walk as blind in this world's darkness. Now, let's notice the healing which dramatically demonstrates God's power as the Master of both Light and humanity. Jesus spat on the ground, and made clay placing it on the man's eyes. Then, He told the blind man to wash in the nearby pool of Siloam. So the man went, washed and came back seeing. All those who knew him as blind from birth could hardly believe it! When they questioned if this man were really the same blind beggar he kept saying, "I am the one."
We may witness many wonders, events which defy our understanding and explanation, but not all are caused by the miraculous power of God. Did you know that Satan also works miracles? The apostle Paul affirms it in 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10. But Satan's miracles only look real. Paul calls them lying wonders. We can be so easily fooled! Even when we know the act is fake! Who among us has watched a skilled magician and not been fooled? And what of hallucinations and memorization? If the emotional stage is properly set, these can lead dozens, even hundreds to believe in a miracle that never happened. Then there is mind power. Every year in our country thousands convince themselves they are sick when their doctors know better. The mind can be so convincing that the body may actually contract the illness or disability upon which the mind is focused. Medical science has long understood that mentally induced illnesses are as real as those from biological causes. Further, what medical doctor doubts the mind's power to heal? Have you considered that many faith healings are successful because God designed our bodies to heal themselves when the mind is convinced the body is well?
Are these so-called miracles true miracles? Has God intervened in nature to accomplish them? No! The point is, not everything, which appears to be miraculous is. There are many counterfeit miracles. Some practitioners today would have us believe they have miraculous healing powers. Most of their publicized cures are of a nature, which is difficult if not impossible to verify. This, which Jesus healed, was no backache, or pain in the thigh, or even cancer. Giving sight to one born blind is in a different league. Doubt has no place in this cure. There were many witnesses. They knew him from birth and they had daily contact with him. The man was blind, and blindness cannot be eliminated by will power. But the Savior's healing touch gave him sight. It was verifiable and, therefore, believable. What a Savior!
Please don't misunderstand. I have no doubt of God's ability to perform miracles today. The question is, when is an alleged miracle real, when is it a fake, and when is it only nature doing what God designed it to do? What God does through natural law is not miraculous. Let's not be fooled, but discerning. True miracles are those of the class performed by Jesus when He restored sight to a man who had been blind since his birth.
