Dear Parishioners, after being cast out of the synagogue, the blind man has a second encounter with Christ, who has a question (Himself) for the blind man. He asks him if he believes in the Son of God (verse 35), and the blind man asks who the Son of God is. Jesus tells the blind man that He (Jesus) is the Son of God (verse 37). Upon hearing this, the blind man says, “Lord, I believe,” and immediately worships Christ (verse 38). This situation is not only a case of faith coming after the healing, but a healing tied into who Jesus is, the Son of God. The blind man shows he has trusted and believed Christ by worshiping Him. Jesus makes a further point with this by telling the Pharisees that they are really the blind ones and thus remain in their sin (verse 39-41), implying that the blind man, who now sees, has had his sins forgiven as well. The Pharisees refused to acknowledge Christ as the Messiah and cast out those who did.
Why are not all who believe in Christ today completely healed of illness? Fair question. We are in bodies that bear the seed of death. When Jesus walked the earth, His healings were complete and immediate to demonstrate His power and authority as the Messiah, the Son of God. He was fulfilling the prophecies that the Messiah would heal the sick, make the lame walk, and make the blind see. This authority and power marked Him as the Messiah. However, even those people whom Jesus healed had to eventually die, including Lazarus and others who were raised from the dead. That is because sin, illness and death remain in the world until the day they will be vanquished by Christ (1 Corinthians 15:25; Revelation 20:10, 14). Then there will be a physical redemption of the saved, whose bodies will be transformed into spiritual bodies, which will, however, still be physical (1 Corinthians 15:42-49).
Jesus resurrected in a spiritual body that was His physical body; He was not a spirit. Accounts of Jesus after His resurrection include: And they came and took hold of his feet and worshiped Him, Matthew 28:9; Jesus walks and breaks bread with two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-31; Jesus shows His hands and feet to the disciples, saying, “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have,” Luke 24: 39-40, and He eats broiled fish before them in verses 42 and 43; in John 20:17, Mary clings to the risen Jesus outside the tomb; and Jesus cooks breakfast for the disciples by the sea in John 21:12, 13. Our bodies are not just temporary shells, but were created for us by God as part of who we are.
Happy Family Sunday to you all!