John 9:24-25 — Can You See? — Aneel Aranha

Hello and welcome to the Bite-Sized Gospel with Aneel Aranha. Today we will reflect on John 9:24-25. Listen.

A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

In this passage, we witness a man's life-changing encounter. Faced with the Pharisees' insistent questioning, he responds with a simple yet profound truth: "One thing I know. I was blind but now I see!"

His words stand as a testament to the undeniable power of personal experience in shaping belief. This man, once blind, now sees—and this new reality defies any intellectual or theological challenge. The man doesn't engage in doctrinal discussions or defend Jesus' methods; he simply states an unarguable fact of his experience.

This relates to us in a deeply personal way. Each person's encounter with faith is unique and often marked by a defining moment or a series of moments that collectively shape our understanding of God and our place in the world. For some, like this speaker, it might be a dramatic conversion experience. For others, it might be a gradual awakening. And for yet others, a deep inner assurance that manifests quietly over time.

However, we all have a personal testimony. We don't need to have all the answers or be able to explain every mystery of faith. Instead, we simply need to have a reason for our belief. When someone asks us why we believe, our most compelling response may not be a well-reasoned argument but a simple recounting of where we were before and where we are now—how we have been changed, healed, or given new sight.

Moreover, the man's account reminds us that faith is less about intellectual accumulation and more about heartfelt and life-altering transformation. It's the practical expression of our beliefs in everyday life. As the man's sight was physically restored, so too can our spiritual vision be opened in deeply personal and indescribable ways.

In a society that often demands tangible proof and logical justification, the man's declaration boldly affirms the legitimacy of personal experience. It invites us to consider how we have been blind and now see—how we have been touched, changed, and healed by our encounters with God. It also invites us to consider our own "one thing" that we know for sure in our journey of faith.

God bless you.