Jesus Passed By

As I read through the ninth chapter of John this morning, the first few words struck me. “And as Jesus passed by, he saw…” (John 9:1, KJV).

It’s not as if Jesus was just out for a stroll. The last verse of chapter eight tells us he had just passed through the midst of people picking up stones to kill him.

Still, Jesus, on his way, saw.

What did he see? He saw a blind man. He saw a man who had been blind from birth, a man who had suffered.

The disciples were with him. They saw the man, too. But they saw someone who was probably a sinner, and they questioned Jesus about the man’s sin, not his suffering.

Jesus passed by and saw a suffering man.

Every day I pass by people. Sometimes I see them, and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I’m like the disciples and judge by their appearance that they must have some awful sin in their life. Sometimes I just pass by.

When Jesus passed by, he saw the man’s need and he saw an opportunity for God’s glory to shine on that man. The timing was not ideal. Jesus was already in a lot of trouble with the religious rulers of the day. The disciples were probably nervous as they followed him.

If you read the whole story in chapter nine, even the man’s parents feared ramifications from the rulers of the day. But Jesus stopped and reached out to the man. He healed the man anyway.

He interrupted his day to minister to the man’s need.

Because Jesus passed by and saw.

I love what the blind man later told the rulers when they questioned him over and over about the healing. “I don’t know whether he (Jesus) is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” (John 9:25, NLT).

Jesus passed by and saw, and a blind man received his sight. What a story!

I want to be more like Jesus when I pass by. I want to intentionally see the people around me. I want to see them with love and allow God’s love to reach out to them through me.

I believe this can change the world. I know it will change me.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another (1 John 4:11, KJV).