Blind at Birth

0:00And he answered and said, whether he be a sinner or no, I know not. One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. John 9.25 Jesus as you move in my life, I understand that there are people who are bent on trying to hold me to my past condition. However, because it is you who has healed me and transformed me, I will stand boldly and proclaim your truth, even if it means I may be thrown out of certain circles and relationships. I declare that you came so that the blind can see and receive new life, so that those who are focused on traditions will be silenced, because you value faith, then a humble and contrite heart before pride and ego. Thank you for opening my eyes, Jesus.

1:03Thank you for taking the time to sit and talk with me when I felt so thrown out and abandoned by those close to me. Through your power, Jesus, I now walk with a new vision and a new outlook on life. My eye once was blind, but now I see that I have you to thank for it, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. Listening to these daily prayers, strengthen your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a year. Brought to you by Bibleinnear.com Bibleinnear.com is sponsored by Bible League International. All around the world, Christians long for the one thing they can't get, a Bible of their own. Daniel is a new believer in Kenya, eager to read about the God who loves him. Nora wants to share Jesus' inner village in Nepal, but she needs Bibles.

2:07$5.00 since one Bible, that's only $5.00 a Bible, $60.00 since 12. Live today at BibleLeague.org slash Bibles. Everybody has that list. The things you know you should get around to eventually, organizing the garage, updating important documents, taking care of long-term financial planning. Life insurance tends to live on that list for a lot of people, not because it isn't important, because people assume it's going to be complicated. That's why policy genius exists. Policy genius is an online insurance marketplace that helps you compare life insurance quotes from top insurers in one place for free. Their license team helps explain your options clearly, compare coverage amounts and prices, answer questions, and help you find a policy that fits your needs. No guesswork, no confusion, just clarity. And while they're helping with the shopping, you can get back to enjoying summer with the

3:09people who matter most. Policy genius has helped thousands of families find the right coverage and has earned thousands of five star reviews in the process, because some items on the to-do list are worth checking off. With Policy Genius, you can see if you can find 20-year life insurance policies starting at just $276 a year for $1 million in coverage. Head to policygenius.com to compare life insurance quotes from top companies and see how much you could save. That's policygenius.com. College football is back. So Hilton called to me the superstition concierge to make your fan rituals a reality. Need a room to match your lucky number? We got you. Want to make sure our team doesn't wash your lucky jersey? Oh, that smells lucky. Hilton's unmatched hospitality can keep up with any superstition. Even a marching bandwink up call it 555 and 55 seconds. Hit it! When you need a team that will do whatever it takes on game day, it matters where you stay. Hilton, for this day.

4:12Hilton, for this day. Blind at birth. In our last story, Jesus defended a woman caught an adultery from being stoned to death. He was drug out into the public half naked for all to shame her. Yet Jesus stood up to the religious leaders and proclaimed that whoever was without sin could throw the first stone. Since none of them had a rebuttal for Jesus, they left. And the woman was forgiven. Now we see Jesus exposing the wicked hearts of the religious elite by giving sight to a blind man. This young man would be caught in the crossfires of the legalistic Pharisees and the compassionate Christ inspired by the Gospels. Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year Podcast. But before we begin, I want to let you know about a unique e-book that shures to download

5:15absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is that it will help you conquer the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress in your life. And you're free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress. In our previous episode, we heard how Jesus frustrated the plans of religious leaders who wanted to trap him with a choice to either follow the law of the letter of the law or simply ignore what was written in the law of Moses. Instead of playing their game, he challenged them to evaluate their own sinfulness and he exposed their sin and then extended grace and forgiveness to a woman caught in the act of adultery. Today we'll hear how Jesus lovingly corrects the misconceptions of the disciples who seek to understand why a young man was born blind. And we'll see once again how the legalist attempt to trap Jesus.

6:17But in doing so, they expose their own heartlessness and lack of love and compassion for people in need. This list now to the reading of God's Word. Everybody has that list. The things you know you should get around to eventually, organizing the garage, updating important documents, taking care of long-term financial planning. Life insurance tends to live on that list for a lot of people, not because it isn't important, because people assume it's going to be complicated. That's why policy genius exists. Policy genius is an online insurance marketplace that helps you compare life insurance quotes from top insurers in one place for free. Their license team helps explain your options clearly, compare coverage amounts and prices, answer questions, and help you find a policy that fits your needs. No guesswork, no confusion, just clarity. And while they're helping with the shopping, you can get back to enjoying summer with the people who matter most.

7:18Policy genius has helped thousands of families find the right coverage and has earned thousands of five star reviews in the process, because some items on the to-do list are worth checking off. With policy genius, you can see if you can find 20-year life insurance policies starting at just $276 a year for $1 million in coverage. Head to policygenius.com to compare life insurance quotes from top companies and see how much you could save. That's policygenius.com. College football is back. So Hilton called to me the superstition concierge to make your fan rituals a reality. Need a room to match your lucky number? We got you. Want to make sure our team doesn't wash your lucky jersey? Oh, that smells lucky. Hilton's unmatched hospitality can keep up with any superstition. Even a marching bandwink up call it 555 and 55 seconds. Hit it! When you need a team that will do whatever it takes on game day, it matters where you stay. Hilton, for this day.

8:19Whenever fall comes back around, it always feels like a fresh start. This year I've been layering in some styles from the new Louis Le Mans fall drop, because the weather is shifting and I find I have to be ready for the entire day and not just one part of it. Louis Le Mans fall line has some really versatile transitional pieces, so I can just wake up, throw on a matching set, add a jacket or a fleece, and head out, knowing that I'll feel comfortable enough to go wherever the day takes me. Check out the new fall arrivals in store and online now at LouisLe Mans.com. Fall has never looked or tasted this good. Sweet greens fall harvest menu is back with seasonal favorites dressed to impress and made to be devoured. Warm roasted sweet potatoes, crisp apples, maple glazed brussels, and crave worthy flavors in the autumn harvest bowl, maple glazed salmon plate, and roasted bacon brussel side. The season's most desirable menu has returned to sweet green. Featuring falls best dressed. Make your move. Order on the sweet green app.

9:20The town of Capernaum was bustling with life. Vendors set up their shops in the marketplace streets. Men and women went to and from their homes with their children. Jesus looked at them with fatherly affection. Though not all of them knew him, he knew all of them by name. He knew their fears, dreams, and personalities. It was his absolute joy to serve them and ultimately die for them. As Jesus and his disciples were passing through the streets, they passed by a man who had been blind from birth. He sat on a blanket on the side of the road, holding out his hands for any form of kindness from strangers. The disciples looked at the man with concern. Teacher, who sinned to make this man born blind? Was it him or his parents? Jesus stopped walking and turned to them. He was upset at their question for it revealed a poor understanding of God's character. Neither he or his parents have done anything wrong, Jesus answered.

10:20He turned to the blind man and knelt down to him. This man is blind so that God's compassion might be displayed, he said. Jesus picked up some dirt beside the man and spat in it. He began to form clay out of the spit and dust. As he was doing this, he spoke to the disciples. Night is coming. In that time nobody will be able to do the will of God, but for now it is day, and we must use that time to help others. As long as I am in the world, I will be a light for all. Jesus finished molding the clay in his hands. He took it and spread it across the man's eyes. Jesus helped the man to his feet and whispered, go and wash your eyes at the pool of saloam. So the man went a few yards east and began washing the mud out of his eyes. As he was wiping his face, light emerged from the darkness. The all-consuming blackness was replaced with marvelous colors and shapes. The man was healed from his blindness. The man passed right by Jesus and walked away since he did not know the sight of him from

11:23before. As he was walking the city streets, taking in all the new images, people began to notice him. Isn't that the blind beggar? They asked themselves. No, it can't be. They replied. The man heard them and said, you are right, I was the blind beggar that sat by the road. The people were astonished. How were your eyes opened? They asked. The man replied, the man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes with it. He asked me to wash it off by the pool and then my eyes were given sight. Where is Jesus? They asked. How would I know the man replied? I did not see him before my sight was given to me. Some of the skeptics brought the man to the Pharisees who had made themselves the enemies of Jesus. The man stood before them, wondering why he was being judged for being healed. However, it was the Sabbath and the religious leaders had made many laws preventing people from doing any sort of work, good or bad that day. The Pharisees lifted their noses high and asked, how did you come by your new sight?

12:25The man sighed. As I have said before, Jesus put mud in my eyes and asked me to wash them off when I did my sight was given to me. The Pharisees scoffed. They argued amongst themselves whether Jesus had done anything good at all since he healed the man on the Sabbath. They turned to the man and asked, what do you think about Jesus? Is he a sinner or a savior? I believe he could be a prophet. The man said without thinking. This answer displeased the Pharisees. They did not want to believe Jesus would do something so kind. They wanted to villainize him. So they brought up the man's parents to validate that he was indeed born blind. Was your son in fact born blind? They asked the parents. Both the mother and the father feared the Pharisees. They did not want to answer since they were known to throw disagreeing people out of the synagogues. Our son is of age, they said. You may ask him yourself. So the Pharisees asked the young man again what he believed about Jesus.

13:29The man paused for a moment and considered the question. He closed his eyes to remove distraction. A single tear fell from his face as he smiled. He looked up to the Pharisees and said, all I know is that I was born blind, but now I can see. The Pharisees shook in their seats. Did he do to you, the Yield? How did he open your eyes? The young man was beginning to grow tired of their questions. He answered and said to them, why do you keep asking me? I have told you what he did. Do you ask me because you want to be like him or become his disciples? The Pharisees stood to their feet and scoffed. Of course not. They exclaimed, we are disciples of Moses only. Jesus is a stranger. The man shook his head. This is outrageous. He replied, you say he is a stranger yet he opened my eyes. You and I both know that God does not do this sort of thing through evil men. Never have you or I ever heard of a mere man opening the eyes of someone born blind.

14:32Yet here I stand before you. If Jesus was not of God, I would not be here. You are a mutt born from hell, the Pharisees yelled. They called for the temple guards to seize him and the man was cast out from the courts. The young man was tossed out of the synagogue into the stone streets. He slowly raised to his feet and brushed the dust off his clothes. He was happy to have sight, yet sad at what he had seen. Even his own parents would not defend him. He walked to the old curb where he used to sit in beg. He watched the people pass by him, wondering if all people looked different. Of course he did not know since he had been born blind. As he let his mind wander a stranger set beside him. He looked at the young man with a warm smile. In fact, it was probably the first smile he had seen in his life. Do you believe in the Son of God, the stranger asked? I wonder who he is. I would like to believe in him, the young man answered. The stranger nodded, you have seen him.

15:35It is he who is speaking to you. The young man turned his head quickly and observed the stranger's face. It was him. Jesus, the man who had healed his blindness, the one and only begotten Son of God. Lord, I believe in the young man fell at Jesus's feet and worshipped him. Jesus propped him up and embraced him. I have come that those who are blind might see Jesus said, and those that can see will become blind. Some of the Pharisees passed by as Jesus spoke these words. They were riled up by a statement and interrupted, saying, Are we the blind ones? They asked? Jesus did not answer for a moment. He could see the concern lying behind their tough exterior. If you were blind, you would not feel the inner guilt you were feeling right now. But since you feel the need to tell me of your sight, your blindness obviously remains.

16:35Everybody has that list. The things you know you should get around to eventually, organizing the garage, updating important documents, taking care of long-term financial planning. Life insurance tends to live on that list for a lot of people, not because it isn't important, because people assume it's going to be complicated. That's why policy genius exists. Policy genius is an online insurance marketplace that helps you compare life insurance quotes from top insurers in one place for free. Their license team helps explain your options clearly, compare coverage amounts and prices, answer questions, and help you find a policy that fits your needs. No guesswork, no confusion, just clarity. And while they're helping with the shopping, you can get back to enjoying summer with the people who matter most. Policy genius has helped thousands of families find the right coverage and has earned thousands of five star reviews in the process, because some items on the to-do list are worth checking

17:35off. With policy genius, you can see if you can find 20-year life insurance policies starting at just $276 a year for $1 million in coverage. Head to policygenius.com to compare life insurance quotes from top companies and see how much you could save. That's policygenius.com. College football is back. So, Hilton called to me the superstition concierge to make your fan rituals a reality. Need a room to match your lucky number? We got you. Want to make sure our team doesn't wash your lucky jersey? Oh, that smells lucky. Hilton's unmatched hospitality can keep up with any superstition. Even a marching bandwink up call at $555 and $55 seconds. Hit it! When you need a team that will do whatever it takes on game day, it matters where you stay. Hilton, for this day. When fall comes back around, there's a sense of a reset. And new pieces from Lululemon's fall drop are an inspiration to push your goals and elevate your routines.

18:37As your calendar fills, easy to layer styles meet the demands of your day. And as you challenge yourself to try even more, versatile sets transition with you. The Lululemon fall lineup brings new levels of comfort and confidence. Whether you're starting something fresh or starting something over, check out the latest arrivals in store at on Lululemon.com now. Brussels clean up nicely at Sweet Green. Maple glazed, roasted and edges perfectly caramelized. Sweet Green's fall harvest is back on the menu, and the season's most overlooked little green vegetable is dressed to be devoured. You know what to do? Order on the Sweet Green app. Today's scripture begins in the public market just as our last episode did. This time Jesus was with His disciples walking through the streets on the Sabbath. They come upon a young man who has been blind since birth. Seeing him, the disciples pose a question to Jesus. But their question is different from the Pharisees.

19:40They are seeking to understand and to find wisdom, not to trap the teacher, but to truly understand why this man was in his condition. They ask who sinned to cause this man to be born blind, because this was the prevailing idea of the time. Sickness and disability happened as a direct result of some sin or wrongdoing as punishment from God for bad behavior. The question of these men was sincere, but it revealed a deep understanding of the true loving nature of God. So Jesus gently corrected them, saying his parents had done nothing wrong. He didn't mean that they were without sin, of course. Only that the blindness, this man's blindness, was not a result of punishment for anyone's sins. In fact, difficult as it was for this man, his blindness had a purpose to show God's power and his compassion. The truth is, we often can't answer the why question, why something is happening, why something bad happens to bad people or good people.

20:42We can understand maybe why bad things happen to bad people, but why does it happen to so-called innocent people? When we face a why question, something that we cannot answer, we should really begin to ask the what question, God, what are you doing in this situation? What is your purpose? What is your plan? Jesus then spat on some dirt and rubbed it in the man's eyes and told him to go washten the pool of salon. For the first time ever this man could see the world around him, a world that up to that point had been filled only with darkness. Just think how incredible, how amazing this would be to see for the very first time a whole new world had opened to this man. When those who knew him saw this man, they were incredulous. How could this man born blind who begged in the street so long now see? But he insisted, yes, it was him. A man called Jesus cured his blindness. He had never had a chance to see Jesus though, so he could not point him out to anyone.

21:45This man's story was so amazing that they took him before the Pharisees, who rather than praise God for the healing of a man in need immediately began to find fault. The man had been healed on the Sabbath and in their limited vision of God, they believed that this was somehow against God's law. The Pharisees could not agree, however, if this man named Jesus was good or a sinner. So they asked the beggar what he thought and he told them he believed Jesus was a prophet. This didn't help matters. They still weren't satisfied, so they asked the man's parents if he was truly born blind. The parents refused to get involved for what reason we don't know, but in this moment the blind man found himself standing alone, being questioned by these religious authorities. What was meant to be a joyous day for him has somehow now become a battle, a burden, because of the lack of insight and compassion of the legalists. But he stayed with his story because he knew it was true, saying that all he knew was

22:50once he was blind and now he could see what a powerful testimony. And it was Jesus who gave him his sight. So the Pharisees angrily sent him away refusing to believe in Jesus or this man, who to them was nothing but a worthless sinner. Jesus then shows up. He spoke to the man who did not know him yet since he had never seen his healer. Jesus asked him a simple question. Do you believe in the Son of Man? We hear the man's response of eagerness to believe, as he asks, where is this man that I might believe in him? And Jesus reveals himself to the man whose response found in John 938 reflects perfectly what our response should be to Jesus. And he said, Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him. When we believe in Jesus, we bow before him and give our lives to him. When Jesus opens our blind eyes, our response is to say, yes, Lord, I believe, and I worship

23:54you. As for the religious crowd, Jesus spoke to them, saying that they were not blind to their own sin. They knew it very clearly. Their blindness was spiritual, a blindness that though they failed to realize it, Jesus was and is the only one who can heal. Dear God, thank you for today's scripture and the power of Jesus to open our eyes. That we may see you. Thank you that you came to this earth to heal our spiritual blindness because you are the light of the world. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening to today's Bible and a Year podcast. Before we go, I want to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is that it will help you conquer the daily task and pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by visiting jaggram.org-stress

24:58that's jaggram.org-stress. Everybody has that list. The things you know you should get around to eventually, organizing the garage, updating important documents, taking care of long-term financial planning. Life insurance tends to live on that list for a lot of people, not because it isn't important, because people assume it's going to be complicated. That's why policy genius exists. Policy genius is an online insurance marketplace that helps you compare life insurance quotes from top insurers in one place for free. Their license team helps explain your options clearly, compare coverage amounts and prices, answer questions, and help you find a policy that fits your needs. No guesswork, no confusion, just clarity. And while they're helping with the shopping, you can get back to enjoying summer with the people who matter most. Policy genius has helped thousands of families find the right coverage and has earned thousands

25:59of five star reviews in the process, because some items on the to-do list are worth checking off. With policy genius, you can see if you can find 20-year life insurance policies starting at just $276 a year for $1 million in coverage. Head to policygenius.com to compare life insurance quotes from top companies and see how much you could save. That's policygenius.com Whenever fall comes back around, it always feels like a fresh start. This year I've been layering in some styles from the new Louis Lumin fall drop, because the weather is shifting and I find I have to be ready for the entire day and not just one part of it. Louis Lumin's fall line has some really versatile transitional pieces, so I can just wake up, throw on a matching set, add a jacket or a fleece, and head out, knowing that I'll feel comfortable enough to go wherever the day takes me. Check out the new fall arrivals in store and online now at LouisLumin.com. Fall has never looked or tasted this good. Sweet Greens fall harvest menu is back, with seasonal favorites dressed to impress and

27:04made to be devoured. Warm roasted sweet potatoes. This apples maple glazed Brussels and crave worthy flavors in the autumn harvest bowl. Maple Glazed salmon plate and roasted bacon Brussels side. The season's most desirable menu has returned to sweet green. Featuring falls best dressed. Make your move. Order on the sweet green app. Now at Ralph's, your point set up to more ways to save every trip. Use them your way to take dollars off groceries at checkout or save at the pump. You can even save up to $35 on your next fill-up. Same points, more choices. And with low prices on fresh quality food, plus digital and personalized offers tailored to how you shop, your dollar goes further. Redeem your points online or in the app. Ralph's, fresh for everyone. Restrictions apply, seaside or store for details. They're running a cover 2D fans. But you're running to get game day deals on Uber Eats. Get everyone at tonight's watch party fed with deals from your go-to restaurants.

28:08Or stock up with deals on your favorite snacks and groceries. Whatever the occasion, get game day deals on Uber Eats all season long. It's not football, without food. Uber Eats. Order now. Terms apply product availability varies by region. See app for details.