John 9:1–15 tells us about a blind man Jesus healed at the Pool of Siloam.
👉 Read it on BibleGateway
Who Do You Think You Are—The Police or the Paramedic?
Yesterday I had the privilege again of speaking to homeless people in Manchester City centre at Barnabus at one of their regular outreach gatherings. While I was getting ready someone hammered on the door because another homeless man had been run over by a taxi driver right outside! I went out to see blood pouring from the guy’s head and a huge lump appearing on his leg as he couldn’t move. I went into First Aider mode and spoke to the emergency services to help as best I could. There were people all round shouting angrily at the driver which may have been understandable but wasn’t helping anyone much.
The police did come eventually but again they weren’t much help I have to say, then everyone breathed a sigh of relief when around the corner on his bike appeared – the paramedic who had been sent.
When something goes wrong, our first instinct is to point fingers.
Who messed up? Who’s to blame?
That’s exactly what the disciples were doing in John 9.
They saw a man born blind and asked, “Who sinned, this man or his parents?”
(Translation: “Whose fault is this?”)
But Jesus wasn’t interested in assigning blame.
He came to bring life —not a lecture.
He explained said, “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
In other words: This isn’t a crime scene—it’s a miracle zone.
Sent Like Jesus
Jesus didn’t just show up on planet Earth to observe suffering—He stepped right into it the worst of it.
“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.”
— John 9:4
Notice this is plural! If you’re a follower of Jesus, that includes you too.
“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
— John 20:21
You’re not just saved—you’re sent.
God Works in the Mud
Jesus healed the blind man with mud made from spit.
Unorthodox? too right. I don’t think I’d do the spitty mud pie thing…
Maybe that’s why I don’t see the blind seeing.
Through our closer connections with Mission24 here at Ivy I’m seeing that God’s healing often comes through unexpected, messy methods and people willing to do what God says, whatever people think. (Can’t wait to hear from Jonathan Conrathe again at LAUNCH in June – did you know one of the other speakers this year came as a delegate let year and was healed when he prayed?)
Notice:
The man didn’t come to Jesus.
He didn’t ask to be healed.
Nobody brought him.
He just sat in darkness—until Jesus showed up, sent himself by the Father – and did something strange, then sent him to a place called Siloam, which means…“Sent.”
👉 What’s the deal with Siloam?
Sent People Keep It Simple
When asked what happened, the formerly blind man didn’t give a sermon. (I write about this in my book and online mini-course Knowing, Growing, Going which is leading many to faith and you can order here. )
He simply said: “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
— John 9:25
That’s it.
Simple. Powerful. Real.
That’s your story too—I coach you on how to tell your story in that resource I just mentioned – BC / JC / AD:
- Before Christ
- Jesus Came
- After Deliverance
Don’t overcomplicate it. Just tell it like it is. The Bible calls this your testimony—and it’s not just words, but a mighty weapon!
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…”
— Revelation 12:11
Are You a Missionary?
The word missionary doesn’t appear in the Bible.
But the word “sent” shows up all over the place.
In Greek: apostello
In Latin: mitto
That’s why my friend J. John says: “A missionary is not someone who crosses the sea. It’s someone who sees the cross.”
If you’ve seen the cross, you are sent.
You don’t need to wait for a plane ticket.
You might just need to walk across the street, or lean over the garden fence. Or sitting right where you are share your story on Facebook… (yes you can be sent without actually moving I suppose!)
How Sent People Change the World
Jesus doesn’t send you to judge or condemn the world.
You’re not the police.
You’re sent as the paramedic.
You’re heaven’s first responder.
Where there’s hurt—you bring hope.
Where there’s pain—you bring peace.
Where there’s darkness—you carry light.
“The Spirit of the Lord has sent me… to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind.”
— Luke 4:18–19
But Will God Really Use Me?
Great question. Heidi Baker says:
“God is not looking for extraordinary people, just laid-down lovers of Jesus who will carry His glory with transparency and not take it for themselves.”
It’s not about being amazing.
It’s about being available.
If Jesus has saved you, He has sent you.
Sent People Carry Love
Before you go out into a broken world, you need to know this truth because this is the healing you carry:
“The Father himself loves you.”
— John 16:27
Not just tolerates.
Not just forgives.
He loves you.
Yes – He likes you! So much that
He LAVISHES love on you.
👉 See 1 John 3:1
That’s why He wants you to come to Him confidently—not as a beggar, but as a child.
“The only person who dares wake a king at 3am for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access.”
— Tim Keller
Final Word: “Do God Love You?” Oh Yes He Do!
Oliver Brockbank founded Ivy Church in 1893. We meeting where we are now in two sites because that wealthy young man went to Cambridge University. When he was there they invited an American called D. L. Moody to come and do a mission. It was controversial to say the least but he came specifically for a week or two.
Moody was a backwoods American preacher who could not speak English properly. He had a funny squeaky voice and a strange accent. It was said of him that he was the only man who could pronounce “Jerusalem” in one syllable.
When the students of Cambridge learned that he was coming to this proud centre of learning and culture they were appalled and outraged. Some students and staff determined to wreck the service by cat-calls and mocking, so they sat right on the front row.
Included in that group was the young man who, when he was an old man, told the story to Ray Stedman.
He said that when Moody came to the platform the first thing he did was look down at these young men. Addressing them directly, he said to them, “Young gentlemen, don’t ever think God don’t love you – for he do!”
They were so startled, they sat there stunned.
Moody went on to preach the love of God the Father for a broken, hurting world.
Stedman wrote “At the end of it, several of these young men, including the one who years later as an old man told me this story, came to Christ.”
I don’t know whether Oliver Brockbank was one of them. But I do know he got the message and then went, sent, into all the world with it because he know what you and I and everyone needs to know most in this broken lonely world today. “Don’t ever think God don’t love you – for he do!”
You want a love that lasts forever? People may come in and out of your life, and love you, and turn against you, and disappoint you, but come to Jesus now and ask for his forgiveness for everything you know to be wrong in your life, and he will bring you to his Father, who will become your Father, who will lavish upon you a love that will never stop and never end.
Your Turn:
✅ Have you experienced Jesus opening your eyes?
✅ Do you know that you’re loved by the Father?
✅ Are you ready to be sent?
If the answer is yes: go.
Across the street. Into your workplace. Wherever He leads. When they ask why, tell them – You are SENT by Jesus.