An encounter with God.

"The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvellous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

                                                                                                     

                                                                    - John 9:30-33 NKJV

These are the words of the man who had been born blind when he was questioned by the Pharisees. It was a bold statement to make to anyone, let alone to the Pharisees who considered themselves as the most eminent scholars in the things of God. The Pharisees were educated men, instructed in the law of Moses and entrusted with keeping an entire nation in right relationship with God. They were entrusted with the knowledge and the skills to make sure that Israel kept her side of the covenant. To have a man who in all probability was not educated answer them in that manner was unheard of.  Yet this man had had an encounter with God. While I am impressed by his boldness, especially as I am more timid in nature, The Holy Spirit is impressing on me that the blind man was made bold not because of his personality nor his charisma and natural ability but he was made bold because he had an encounter with Christ. How much bolder would we be to proclaim the gospel of God had we actually encountered the God of the gospel. Let us read the story from John 9.

A Man Born Blind Receives Sight

9 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 

2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 

4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 

7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

8 Therefore the neighbours and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”

9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.”

He said, “I am he.”

10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”

11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”

12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?”

He said, “I do not know.”

The Pharisees Excommunicate the Healed Man

13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 

14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 

15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”

16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.”

Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.

17 They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?”

He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 

19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” 

22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 

23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.”

25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”

28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 

29 We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.”

30 The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvellous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 

31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears him. 

32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 

33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

34 They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.

True Vision and True Blindness

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”

37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”

38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

39 And Jesus said, “For judgement I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”

40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”

41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

There are two things I wish to discuss from this passage but I will only discuss one in this post and the second in another. In this passage we see two groups of people, one set of people who are well educated and highly respected within the community, whose sphere of influence extended so far that they were just as feared for their ability to ostracise as much as they were respected for their ability to teach; the other group, the poor, the blind, those whose  value to society was to provide a means by which one could discuss theological and philosophical issues while on the way to attend to more important matters. Beggars, sinners who were allegedly the subject of God's judgement. The disciples themselves were not educated men, but even they looked upon this blind man as an object to be discussed, and rather than being filled with compassion, they actually sought to find out who had sinned, as if they themselves had not. This is a wonderful discourse on how an encounter with God can change lives, cultures and customs. Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, causing much consternation among the educated elite, was it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? Had the subject of healing ever come up in their discussion on the law? Who knows, but an encounter with God challenged the status quo. The passage describes how God can exalt the lowly and humble the exalted. God did more than just restore this man's sight he restored his value, his equality and his voice. He restored his right to be a contributor to society and his right to justice. Neither he nor his parents had sinned but as long as the man remained blind and the subject of such false judgement, he was denied all of these. An encounter with Jesus changed all of that. There are some things that education cannot get you but an encounter will.  There is saying that it is not what you know (an education) but who you know (an encounter).

An encounter is greater than education. I can educate someone about something but no education can ever replace experience, in fact I would be so bold as to say all that we call education is merely the ingemination of somebody else's past experience. The beauty of an encounter with God is that it is very rare for one to encounter God and come out of the experience still uneducated. In fact we see that the discourse between the Pharisees and this man is played out again in Acts 4 except this time it is the Sadducees that arrest Peter and John. In the course of them passing judgement the bible records their thoughts, 

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

The Pharisees and Sadducees knew about God but their education could not match the insight of those who had met God. May our hearts always desire and yearn for an encounter with God. There is so much to be learnt from an encounter with God. Next time we find ourselves lacking courage, conviction or even knowledge let us seek not to be emboldened but to have an encounter with God. How can I say this with such confidence. Look at how God responded to the prayer of the disciples in Acts 4,

Prayer for Boldness

23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

‘Why did the nations rage,

And the people plot vain things?

26 

The kings of the earth took their stand,

And the rulers were gathered together

Against the Lord and against His Christ.’

27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

- Acts 4:23-31 NKJV

God responds to their prayer by giving them a fresh encounter with The Holy Spirit! God desires and yearns to give you an encounter with Himself an encounter that will give you boldness and courage to declare that which you have heard, that which you have seen and looked upon, that which your hands have handled concerning the Word of life. Before the encounter with Jesus, the disciples had been untrained and uneducated but after they had been with Him, they spoke with wisdom and boldness! The blind man had been sat there while people used him as an example of theology, but when he encountered Jesus, he was the one to marvel at those who seemingly were experts in theology. Education is good but an encounter is better. This week spend time asking God to visit you, asking Him to make himself available for you to encounter Him. Ask Him to open your eyes, whatever you need from Him, whether it is justice, an opportunity, finances, healing, peace, restoration of anything that has been lost or stolen or broken, an encounter with God is the answer. He said to Moses I AM THAT I AM, meaning that whatever I need to be to do whatever I need to do, I AM. You cannot limit me or define me because I AM. 

Father, In the Name of Jesus I pray for us all, that we may have an encounter with You. That we may through experiential knowledge have a revelation of Who You Are, may we rest in knowing You and find our answers in the bosom of Your Presence. We ask for an encounter with You, In Jesus Name, Amen.