Tell it…

Listen: Go Tell It On the Mountain

Read: John 9:1-38

The message of our song is simple, but no less important than any other beautiful and deep hymn of the faith. Our theology is vain if it does not move us enough to go and tell it. You might feel inadequate to share your faith, and that is natural. However, I want to point you toward the inadequacy of this man who was born blind and see his faith in action. 

How much experience does it take to be an effective witness of Jesus? How much theological training is required to be an effective mouthpiece of grace? Apparently, not much. The unnamed begging man who was born blind is healed by Jesus and immediately begins to tell his story. As the question came, “how were your eyes opened?”, the man explained simply “the man called Jesus…” has caused me to see. What was the theological underpinnings of his evangelism? He experienced Jesus in a life changing way that he couldn’t yet explain. At this point, the man hadn’t even fully realized Jesus’ true identity as Messiah. Yet, his message’s power did not hinge upon his blurry theology. Glory to God! The life changing power was in the person and work of Christ. This un-blind man was seeing because of a man named Jesus, and nothing would hold him back from telling people about the “man called Jesus” who changed him.

Where is this passion in us? Where has it gone? Have we become slow to speak because we have found our audiences unwilling to listen? This man told his story and was rejected. We know that feeling don’t we? No one enjoys that. No one looks forward to being ridiculed for Jesus’ sake. That’s natural. But friend, don’t yield to that natural temptation to stop telling people about the man named Jesus. In the midst of discouragement, Jesus confirms us like he did for the man of John 9 who was blind. “Go, tell it from the mountain”; Jesus is giving sight to the blind heart.