26-27 The Jews said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28-29 And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”

30-33 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36-38 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe”, and he worshipped him. 39-41 Jesus said, “For judgement I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see’, your guilt remains. John 9:26-41 English Standard Version

An old English proverb says “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” The website 'English Daily' says this proverb was initially in a book authored by John Heywood published in 1546. Heywood's version of the proverb read: "Who is so deafe, or so blynde, as is hee, that wilfully will nother heare nor see." Today's incident in John's gospel is a good example of that proverb. Following the miracle of restoring sight to a man who'd been born blind, those who felt threatened by what Jesus was doing and saying still stubbornly refused to believe their own eyes! It led to the exchange of words in vs 26-27 which, if the subject were not so serious, would be quite funny.

The man who'd been blind went on to say the challenging words we read in vs 30-33. “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” Sadly, those who were confronting him were so blinded by their opposition to Christ that they couldn't see the truth of what he said. This led to the strong warning Jesus gave when He said: “For judgement I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

What a challenge those words are to men and women who profess to be wise, and who claim to have deep understanding of life. Many people are so proud of their knowledge that they can't see the evidence of God's existence, glory and power, even when His works of creation are all around them. They are blinded by their prejudice towards God. But what a big reason this is for those who are Christians to thank and praise God for opening their eyes to His grace. How does vs 35 show just how amazing this grace is?

For me, it's the fact that Jesus took the trouble to go and look for the man who had been cast out by the religious leaders, and open the eyes of his heart to God's salvation. It was a merciful miracle that opened his physical eyes, now it was God's loving grace that enabled him to see who Christ is, and to say 'I believe', and to worship Him.

Don't let feelings of guilt overwhelm you if people reject your attempts to tell them of Jesus. Don't think that it must be your fault for not having explained the matter clearly enough. A person’s heart can be so full of their own standing and merits that they just can't see their need of a Saviour such as Jesus. Let such people hear the solemn words of Jesus: “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see’, your guilt remains.”