“I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind, but now I see”. Almost anyone who has been to church in the English speaking world (and many who haven’t) will be familiar with those words from John Newton’s iconic hymn Amazing Grace. Far fewer will be aware that, in a sad irony, Newton actually did go blind in old age.
Newton’s hymn is clearly drawing inspiration from our passage this Sunday (John 9). Ordered to denounce Jesus as a sinner, the man in the passage says “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25)
A closer look at today’s passage, however, reveals that the sign Jesus performs points to a much deeper and more devastating spiritual blindness than the loss of eyesight John Newton suffered from. And, disturbingly, one of the surest symptoms of this blindness is thinking you can see. If we understand what Jesus is saying rightly, we should all be asking for him to open the eyes of our hearts.
Ed