Is Not This He that Sat and Begged? - John 9:8

The apostle John wrote, “as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night comes, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing”, and in chapter nine and verse eight of his book John shared how the neighbors asked, “Is not this he that sat and begged?” where we read:

The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said,

Is not this he that sat and begged?

The verse reads, “The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said,” John began with the words, “the neighbors therefore” which means “the adjoining people who were by implications friends then, wherefore and consequently”, “and they which before had seen him” or “and the people who prior to and in advance saw the man” “that he was blind” which means “that he was without sight”, “said” or “uttered, declared, proclaimed and asked” the following words. John shared how the “people” who knew this “blind man” before He could see knew that he was previously without sight and asked the following question.

The verse goes on to say, “Is not this he that sat and begged?” John continued with the words, “is not this he” which means “is not this the man” “that sat” or “who was seated, fixed and established” “and begged” which means “and asked for alms and supplications”? John shared how the “neighbors” and “friends” of the previously “blind man” wondered it this man was actually the man who used to “beg” for sustenance among them.

When we consider John's words in this verse, we learn how the “neighbors and friends” of the “blind man” not only knew he was previously “blind”, but also that he was a “beggar”. Because Jesus healed the “blind man” and he could now see, it caused these people who knew him to be in wonder. Jesus is able to alter the lives of any person who puts their faith and trust in Him. To those who knew them, a person altered by Jesus may cause great wonder at the difference in their lives. God sent His Son Jesus to remove the “spiritual blindness” within every person, and when they yield their lives to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive their sins, change their vision and grant them everlasting life. Let all who are “spiritually blind” receive the Lord Jesus and “see”.

Next time John shares how some neighbors said, “this is he: others said, He is like him”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".