Mensa Otabil - Same Man Different Story
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We’ve been looking at the story of Jesus’s encounter with a blind man. Jesus went to him and then started to apply a solution to his problem. His disciples were wondering, «What’s wrong? Did this man commit a sin, or did his father?» Jesus said, «This is just for the glory of God.» Now the man is healed, but people are wondering what’s going on, and they’re asking him questions. So, John chapter 9, verses 8 and 9: «Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, 'Is this not he who sat and begged? ' Some said, 'This is he, ' others said, ' He is like him.' He said, 'I am he.'»
You can almost see the drama that is playing out in this situation. The man is certainly known in the community; people know him. They knew him as the blind man in the neighborhood. They have seen him often, and they were also aware that as a blind man, he was also a beggar. They accepted that this was his lot: he would be a blind man forever, and he would beg forever. But something happens, and it changes the story. The community is investigating this situation; they’re trying to make sense of it, trying to figure out what has happened.
The question they ask is, «Is this not he who sat and begged?» Isn’t it the person you know? Many times, people just accept you for who you are and where you are, and they think that if this is your situation, this is how your life is going to be forever. You’re blind; you’re going to be blind forever. You beg; you’re going to beg forever. They never consider that God can intervene and change the story of people. I know that the Lord we serve is one who intervenes and changes life stories. I pray that He’ll do the same for you; that you experience Him, and He’ll change the trajectory of your life and the narrative of your life.
So, the people are now trying to figure out who he is. Is it he? Is he not? They’re saying all sorts of things, and the man responds and says, «I am he.» He answered for himself, «I am the same person, the same person you knew, the same person who was blind, the same person who was begging. God has done something great for me.»
I think it’s remarkable for us to know that God can take people as they are, the same person, and make their lives different. God can take my life as it is and change the story, and that’s what Jesus did for this man. He took him as he was and changed his story. Each one of us knows who we are. We may not be blind; we may not be begging, but we may have some other issue we are dealing with, and we’re wondering, «Is this how my life is going to be forever? Am I going to be in this situation? Is my life not going to be better or different?»
Well, it will be, because when you encounter Jesus, He changes your life. For each one of you listening to me, I pray that the same Jesus who worked in the life of this man will work in your life, that He will touch your life, that He will change your story. You can look at those who are asking and say, «Yes, I’m the same person, the same person. The difference is what God has done for me. He took me from where I am and changed my story.»
So, this man answered for himself, and the questions came to a temporary halt, but we will learn later that the questioning didn’t stop, because people are still going to try to find out what has happened; you know miracles are very difficult to accept. But the Lord will do a work in your life, and people may be confused, but you will not be confused about it. You can say, like this man, «I am he.»
Let us pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, take me as I am and do something unusual with my life. In Jesus’s name, amen and amen.»