"I am He"

I am inviting you today to read the Gospel of John, chapter 9:1-38. This is the only story in all Scripture, both Old and New Testament where a person born blind is healed. The event takes place in the Temple of Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus encounters at one of the gates of the Temple, possibly begging for alms, a blind man. A very colorful and courageous individual who dares to confront the Jewish authorities over his testimony of who Jesus was and what He had done. He is healed and for the first time in all of his life he gets to see the world around him, his parents, his friends, his hands, his feet, the Temple, in fact everything. He also gets to experience persecution. In fact he might be the first person that experiences persecution on account of Jesus in the New Testament, to the point of excommunication. But also in the process he receives more sight than many who could see.

I could have approached this sermon from many angles, for example “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People” (9:1-3), or “How the Man Gradually Received Jesus” (from encountering the man Jesus, to acknowledging Him as a prophet, and finally as Lord) or “Jesus The Light of the World” (9:5), possibly you could see more sermon topics in the story. I chose the words of the blind man in 9:9 to focus my attention “I Am He.”

You see, I think all of us can say those very same words, “I am he/she” the one who has been touched by Jesus, the one who has been healed by Jesus, the one who has received sight, salvation, forgiveness, the one who received help from Jesus at a difficult time in life, the one who has been comforted by faith in Jesus, the one who today knows peace, hope and a future because of Jesus. His testimony begins with what Jesus had done to and for him. Where does your testimony begin? Where were you without Jesus? What was your condition before knowing Jesus?

How has Jesus touched your life? Today, in what way are you different because of Jesus coming into your life? Do you see life differently because Jesus gave you new eyes? Who do you know that needs to hear your testimony? Do you have a testimony ready to be shared quickly, less than 4 minutes long? When was the last time you shared your testimony with someone else? What stops you from telling others what Jesus has done for you and Who He is to you?

I invite you to think upon these things and let us dialogue.