I think that this is a wonderful reflection of what we do at Lois' Lodge. We provide for the practical needs of our clients but we also seek to lead them to the true source of healing and redemption. Debbie
Connecting Evangelism and Social Ministry: I Once was Blind . . .
By Beth Holmes
Let’s take a look at one of the many instances recorded in Scripture where Jesus healed a person both physically and spiritually. Take a few minutes to read John 9:1–41. As you read, imagine how the blind man felt both before and after he gained his sight. Try to place yourself in his sandals as he encountered Jesus.
Our story begins with Jesus’s disciples asking a question. Jesus used the opportunity to teach His followers more about Himself and the reason God had sent Him. But in the middle of this object lesson, something wonderful happened to an unknown, unnamed man who had been born blind—he can could for the first time in his life!
While talking with His disciples, Jesus began to make what we might call a “mud pie.” He spit on the dirt to make some mud, put this mud on the eyes of the blind man, and gave the man further instructions about where to wash it off. Imagine the surprise and joy when this man opened his eyes for the first time to see the amazing world around him!
Verses 8–9 tell us the man was so changed by his encounter with Jesus that his neighbors did not even recognize him! Before reading any further, consider this: Have you been so changed by Jesus that others who knew you before He touched your life would not recognize you now? The radical transformation experienced by the blind man is also available to us today. If meeting the Savior has changed you, take a moment now to thank Him for His amazing love. However, if you cannot remember a time when He totally reorganized your life, find a godly friend who can help you meet Jesus for the first time. I promise you will never be the same!
The Pharisees had much to say about this man’s healing. After the legal authorities questioned him, verse 25 gives us this man’s bold testimony: “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” Because of his strong belief in Jesus, the Pharisees threw him out of the synagogue.
When Jesus heard how the Pharisees reacted to the man whom He had healed, He sought out this once-blind man. This time, Jesus opened not only his physical eyes but also his spiritual eyes. When the man asked Jesus to show him the Son of Man, Jesus declared that He was the One whom the man was seeking. Now his testimony was complete: “Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him” (v. 38).
As we minister in our communities, people with whom we share Jesus should be changed by their interactions with us because the Savior has changed our lives. While I cannot heal someone of blindness, I can offer a bowl of soup to someone who is hungry, provide shelter for someone who is homeless, or help find medical care for someone who is sick. But while I do these things, I must also share with them the Savior who has changed my life and enables me to help them.
If Jesus had only healed the man’s eyes, but had not revealed Himself as Savior, the man would have been able to see the creation around him, but he wouldn’t have known the Creator. We must minister to physical needs, but without Jesus people are still trapped in their sin and destined for an eternity apart from God.
If we follow Jesus’s example, we will minister to all of the needs of a person—that includes both offering a helping hand and giving a verbal witness to the gospel.
Father, thank You for changing my life. Thank You for opening my spiritual eyes to Your radical love. Lead me to someone today who needs to know You. Show me ways to minister to their needs, both physical and spiritual. Give me boldness as I share my testimony. Let me say with the blind man, “I was blind but now I see!” Amen.
