Mensa Otabil - A Strong Defense
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John 9:10 and 11. Therefore, they said to him, «How were your eyes opened?» 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, washed, and I received sight.»
Very simple answers. The remarkable thing about Jesus Christ and His ministry is that He worked in plain view of the people. His miracles were not done in secret. He worked with people who were known, so you could tell that this is how people are, and they could tell what had happened to them. The before and after was very clear. It wasn’t like they just appeared on a stage or on television telling a story and nobody could verify the authenticity of it. They knew the people, they knew who they were; they had neighbors, they could tell their problems, and then they could share what Jesus had done for them. That was the remarkable aspect of the miracles of Jesus Christ.
So, the neighbors were full of questions. Of course, blind people don’t just get up and start seeing. So they asked, «How were your eyes opened?» What a question to ask! How is he going to answer that question? He doesn’t know; he just knew that he was blind and then his sight got better. The important thing to learn is that people will always want you to give a firm reason for your faith. If you say God has done something for you, they want you to explain it to them: «How did God do it? How did the miracle happen? How can we be sure this is not a sham? This is not fake? How can we be sure?» That’s exactly what they are asking.
So, the man’s answer is very refreshing: " A man called Jesus.» He knows the name of the person. Now, if you read the story, you wonder when did he get to know the name of Jesus? Because the earlier part of the story says Jesus saw him, made the clay, and told him to go and wash. So, there’s no exchange of identity between him and Jesus. But apparently, what is recorded in the scripture is probably a summary of what happened. So, Jesus might have gone and introduced Himself, saying, «Listen, I’m Jesus, and I want to help you.» He starts making the clay; the man was not seeing, so Jesus might have told him, «This is what I’m doing. I’m making clay,» touched his eyes, and told him. That tells you the personal touch of the ministry of Jesus. He didn’t take people for granted; he respected the people he was ministering to. He took time to explain what was happening to them so that they could understand what had happened when it happened. That’s something we note about the ministry of Jesus.
And so, he said, «Well, Jesus said, 'Go to the pool called Siloam and wash.' I went, I obeyed, and I received my sight.» The lesson we pick up from this passage is that people are going to ask you the reason for your faith. It may not be for your healing. If you tell people, «I’m saved, I’m born again,» they’re going to ask you questions about that. If you tell them, «Oh, God has done something for me,» they’re going to ask you questions about it.
So, be always ready to defend your faith. Be always ready to have an answer for the things that God has done for you. Don’t complicate or embellish the story. If you look at the man’s answer, it’s exactly as it happened. He didn’t exaggerate it; he didn’t try to make it look nicer. He actually told it in a matter-of-fact way: «A man called Jesus made clay, touched my eyes, told me to do this; I did it, and this is what happened.» You know, many times people think if they can exaggerate a bit and make their story sound sweeter, then it’s better. Let God be God. Tell the story as it is and let the glory be to the Lord. Don’t exaggerate it, and that’s what we learn from this man.
Well, let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, thank You for all the things You have done to make me who I am today. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»