8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”(A) 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”(B)
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Only looks like him.
Is it just me or is it strange that his neighbors and others were confused about who this man was? How could they not have known it was him?
Does that, perhaps, indicate that his countenance and appearance was so changed that he was almost unrecognizable?
Obviously, the eyes have a huge part of someone’s appearance and to be able to see — to track — and would have an unmistakable mark upon his look.
But I can’t help but think that, at the core of it all, was the fact that Jesus had brought wholeness into his broken life.
And a life touched by Jesus simply looks different. And the world notices.
ScottandAngie.org 