Month of Sundays: Witness

So the Jews again called the man who had been blind, and said to him: “Give God the praise; we know that this (Jesus) is a bad man.” “I know nothing about his being a bad man,” he replied; “one thing I do know, that although I was blind, now I can see.” (John 9:24-25)

The disciples were confused. They had been told all their lives that good things happened to good people, and bad things happened to bad people. Why was this man born blind? “‘Rabbi,’ asked his disciples, ‘who was it that sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither the man nor the parents,’ replied Jesus; ‘but he was born blind that the work of God should be made plain in him.’” (John 9:2-3) And Jesus forthwith healed him.

Then he and eventually his parents were hauled in front of the Pharisees. Who healed you? Was he a good person? A bad person couldn’t have done this! But they were stuck with one enormous fact: the man, once blind, could now see. And the man once blind clung tenaciously to his testimony.

We can and should learn how to share our faith with others. It should be a central part of every man’s discipleship process. In addition to being able to bring others to Jesus, it forces us to learn our faith, and that’s a key goal of discipleship.

But early in any gospel presentation, we give our testimony. What has the Lord done for us? How has he changed us? What were we like before? How much better is it now? These are things which people can connect with: if Jesus Christ can do it in our lives, he can do it in the lives of others. The abstract presentation of the Gospel becomes concrete when others read the Bible that God has made us into.

What’s your testimony? Write it down and commit it to memory so you can share it with others, and they will be drawn to God through it.

Let your light so shine before the eyes of your fellow men, that, seeing your good actions, they may praise your Father who is in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16)