The Vine: June 23, 2025

“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing”

— John 15:4-5

This is a weekly reflection on the previous week’s sermon text. Each week there will be a devotional related to the scripture for the week, along with questions for reflection/discussion, as well as prayer. Feel free to make this a part of your individual spiritual growth throughout the week or utilize in small group settings (growth groups, Sunday school, etc.)

“ As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
“Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 1Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.
”

— John 9:1-14

This story beautifully illustrates how Jesus initiated relationships throughout the gospels. The blind man did not approach Jesus or even ask to be healed, yet Jesus sought him, healed him, and ultimately restored him. As we read the rest of this story through verse 41, we cannot help but feel sympathetic towards the man who was healed. Time and time again, various people, including religious leaders, questioned him as to whether he was truly blind from birth, how he was healed, and who it was that healed him. The man was consistent in his response: “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam (which means “sent”) and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

Even the man’s own parents were questioned about him, and they half-heartedly supported him but stopped short of supporting him fully for fear of getting kicked out of the synagogue. Finally, the man who was formerly blind was kicked out of the community. When Jesus heard that he had been dismissed (through no fault of his own), Jesus found him. How encouraging it is to know that the nature and character of God is to seek, find, and love all of us, especially those who have been isolated and mistreated. The man had no one to stand with him in the end, except Jesus. We can all find great hope and joy in knowing that no matter what we endure in life, even the loss of relationships through no fault of our own, nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ (Romans 8). Jesus is with you today!

Prayer:

Loving God, we give you thanks for standing with us today. Help us to stand with those who have been discarded and mistreated in our community and world. Amen.

Questions for Reflection:

Read John 9:2 – What assumptions did the disciples make about the cause of the man’s blindness? How did Jesus respond?

Why did Jesus use mud and saliva to heal the man?

What does the refusal of the Pharisees to accept the man’s healing reveal about their hearts? What does it say about our hearts when we refuse to accept the unexplainable/miraculous?

When have you felt alone and abandoned? How have you experienced the presence of Christ in those times?

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