“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.” (Luke 7:22)
As in every country, there were blind people in Israel. Some had lost their sight through accident or disease, but others were blind from birth. Many assumed that such a disability was a punishment from God. So did Jesus’ disciples when they saw a blind-born man sitting there. Jesus corrected their assumption. He said that this happened so that the works of God might be revealed in this man (John 9:3).
Someone who is blind from birth cannot be healed. That is simply impossible. Therefore, it is remarkable that the prophet Isaiah says that the eyes of the blind will be opened when God comes to bring salvation to His people. Jesus refers to this prophecy in Luke 7:22, when John the Baptist is wondering whether Jesus really is the expected Messiah. Jesus simply says to John: see for yourself what happens. Blind people can see again, lame people can walk, deaf people can hear. This information was enough to convince John that the age of God’s redemption had arrived, even though Jesus did not (yet) meet all his expectations.
The healing of blind people is not just evidence of Jesus’ power and mercy. It is also a sign of God’s work of redemption.