Today’s devotion is John 10:19-21.
“19 A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words.
20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?”
21 Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?” John 10:19-21.
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An understanding of Scripture may have helped those “others” who were supporting Jesus by saying: “”These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?” They would understand that the miracle of opening the eyes of the blind is a divine action.
Psalm 146:8
“The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous;”
“The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous;”
Isaiah 35:5
“Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.”
“Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.”
Isaiah 42:7
“To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”
“To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”
We may not be confronted to exactly respond to an accusation that Jesus is demon-possessed. But, we may hear something like: “Don’t you believe in science? Why do you believe in fable of creation, rather than the science of evolution?”
An understanding of Scripture could also help us to respond. We would understand that creation is a divine action.
Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
We would know that creation did not occur over billions or millions of years, or even over weeks. We would know that Scripture pounds the table six times in Genesis Chapter 1, defining a day of creation six times, once for each of the six days, as: “And there was evening and there was morning”.
We could then respond to such a scoffing of creation with some Scripture and reason, something like the following: ” ‘The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.’ Psalm 19:1. The intricate design and beauty and efficiency and diversity in every animal, plant, and even in snowflakes, are all compelling and cumulative evidence of the work of a creator. If you see something as simple as a footprint, you may ask: “Who made the footprint?” You don’t think: “Random movement of dirt made the footprint.” How much more consistent with both Scripture and reason is creation than evolution! And, if you do believe in some Creator, why would it be more believable that it took a Creator millions of years (compared to six days) to create? How much more consistent with Scripture, such as in Genesis Chapter 1, and even consistent with reason, is the time of creation of six days than millions of years!”
The Scripture for today tells us nothing as to the impact of the defense of Jesus by these others in verse 21. And in regards to our defense of creation, we must realize that it is by faith, not reason, that “… we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:3.
But, God can open our minds and hearts to understand and believe Scripture. “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,” Luke 24:45 “A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” Acts 16:14
We also can and should realize that more important than opening blind eyes is the divine action of opening our minds and hearts to understand and believe Scripture. We can read and quote Scripture in the hope and prayer that God will open our own mind and heart, and open the minds and hearts of others, to understand and believe Scripture.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 