John 9:17

In light of the disagreement amongst themselves, the Pharisees turn to the man who claims to have been blind. “What do you have to say about this man who allegedly gave you sight?” they ask. “He is a prophet of God!” the blind-man-no-longer-blind declares without hesitation.  John 9:17 EFP 

I love it! The “blind man”, as John refers to him, is standing before a gathering of seasoned teachers of the Scriptures. He has been dragged into their gathering due to the disconnect between the blind condition he claims was his since birth and his present state of total sight. The religious leaders cannot agree, so they turn to the man at the center of the controversy. I do not know what these men of learning expected this simple man of the streets to answer to their question. Perhaps they expected him to waffle and vacillate given their political and religious power over him.

But the man answers boldly and powerfully. “He is a prophet!” he replies to their query. He did not even preface it with “I believe” he is a prophet. His words are a declaration of faith, a conviction based on personal experience. Many of the men gathered in the room cannot claim the same personal experience. Theirs is a learned truth—oral tradition passed on from one generation to the next. They know well the story of God working on their behalf since the time of the patriarchs, the prophets, and the kings of Israel. But when they see a living example of God at work in their midst they are divided.

Miracles are hard to relate to in a world that values science and measurable facts over the unexplained and supernatural. This is where I find myself. Faith is a measure of the spiritual world. Beliefs can be systematically arranged and dissected ad nauseam, but they do not produce faith, just conviction of correctness and accuracy compared to others submerged in the same pursuit. If my focus is solely on doctrinal purity and religious clarity, I may find myself unwittingly defending my theological construct up against Jesus—The Truth!