Removing the Mud

As we continue the Exalted Christ series, in John 9 we find Jesus performing one of his most noteworthy miracles in the gospels as he heals a man who was blind. One of the things that makes this memorable is that Jesus spat in the mud, rubbed it together, and upon placing that mud on the blind man’s eyes, that man was then able to see.

Mud is something that the world looks at as making us dirty, but God established in the beginning of time that dirt is what he was going to use to make His finest creation. In Genesis, he gathered the dust and breathed life into it to make us. So, while the world may perceive someone as dirty, Jesus uses it to emphasize that He is not finished with the work He is doing in us. Jesus gives us sight in order to be able to see ourselves for who He made us and so that we can see Him for who He is. Jesus removes the mud of our past identity with the light of our mission.

Questions for Meditation

1. The blind man was labeled as cursed because of his blindness. Why did they label him this way? What was their perception of him? Have you ever been mislabeled?
2. Jesus counteracted the crowd’s thought that the man was cursed by telling the crowd, “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Is there any lack in your life that can be a platform for God’s glory to shine in your life?
3. The blind man was viewed as a victim, but God gave him a vision and a mission. In what areas have you thought too small about your life?
4. As you remove the small thinking in your life and no longer focus on the limitations of your surroundings or fears, God can raise your vision. What are some of the greater plans God has started to reveal for your life?
5. The blind man was rejected by his family, by his neighbors, and by society. But Jesus showed him that the rejection he felt was a lie; in reality, he was adopted. Why do we often believe the lie from Satan that we are rejected, when in fact we are loved?
6. How does this affect us, and how can we change our way of thinking? How will changing our thinking in this way change the way that we live?