Jesus is never subject to our expectations of him

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“Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam.’” (John 9:6-7 NIV)

Jesus came upon a man who’d been blind since birth. The man was begging on the streets of Jerusalem. Then, this stranger knelt next to him and, perhaps, said quietly, “If you do exactly what I tell you to do, you’ll be able to see. I will heal you.”

The blind man was desperate to be healed; he was desperate for change; he was desperate for a sign from God, to know his life counted for something.

The blind beggar may have turned toward the voice, expecting the one speaking to command his eyes to open, expecting this man to speak light where there had only been darkness for a lifetime.

Just speak, Lord, so it will be done.

But Jesus didn’t give such a command. Instead, he was working his saliva into the dirt, creating mud to spread across the man’s eyes like a mask.

And only then did Jesus give a command — an unexpected one that required the blind man to get up and walk in faith.

“Go,” Jesus told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam.”

Jesus is never subject to our expectations of him, but we are subject to his expectations of us.

Our faith begins with a real and tangible step of obedience. In other words, being a disciple of Jesus doesn’t mean simply agreeing with him or even heading in the same general direction as Jesus. We’re called to sever the ties to our current lives so we can follow after Jesus into our new lives — our real lives (Colossians 3:3) — toward our destiny and purpose.

  • What do you think is the difference in committing your life to Christ and submitting it to him?
  • What step of obedience has God been telling you to take but which you have resisted?
  • What do you need to do today to move forward in obedience?

Jon Walker is managing editor of Rick Warren’s Daily Hope Devotionals and the author of Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.

This devotional © Copyright 2013 Jon Walker. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Jon Walker

Jon Walker is managing editor of Rick Warren’s Daily Hope Devotionals and a contributing editor at pastors.com. Copyright © 2017 Jon Walker. Used by permission.