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By Mike Caton

John 9:26, Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

Why do you keep asking the same question to the same people? Maybe a detective thinks the suspect is lying and hopes he will slip up and change his story or miss a detail that will reveal the truth. (What did you do, exactly, when you left the bar that night?) A parent might ask a child the same question hoping they will tell the truth. (Are you sure you didn’t eat any cookies, as they have chocolate smeared all around their mouth.) A child might ask a parent the same question over and over hoping for a different answer. (Can Billy come spend the night?)

We can’t know for sure what these men were thinking, but it is clear they want a different answer. Their minds are made up and they have decided to punish anyone who disagrees with them and their assessment of Jesus. The man’s story is very simple: I was born blind, Jesus made mud and put it on my eyes, he told me to go and wash, and when I did, I could see. A miracle had happened to this man, something outside the bounds of normal, something that had no physical explanation, something that only God could do. If you were the man, would you have changed your testimony? Would you have sided with these men instead of Jesus, the one who had healed you?

We face that same kind of question, that same kind of test every day. Are we going to be faithful to God, are we going to stand for him or are we going to go along with the world and the people in the world? It probably won’t come from a formal inquiry, but it will happen anyway, in seemingly unimportant ways. Jokes you are told, gossip shared with you, unethical shortcuts that are offered, it is so many little things. But we need to stand firm, we need to remain committed to the Lord. And we need to be prepared for the tests when they come. And the time to decide what you are going to do is now, while the pressure is off. So that, when the pressure is on, you have already decided.

Father, help me always stand with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works part time with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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