Soon after Jesus healed the blind man, He revealed to the man that He was the Son of God. The man told Jesus that he believed Jesus was God's Son and then worshiped Him (John 9:38). The man received both his physical sight and His spiritual sight that day. He became a follower of Jesus! The Pharisees were not pleased. They threw the man out of the synagogue. They did not believe that Jesus was sent by God. They told the man that they were disciples of Moses and not Jesus (John 9:28). Why did they refuse to believe in Jesus? The answer is that the Pharisees could see with their physical eyes, but they were blind spiritually. They did not see Jesus as a gift from God, the Messiah (chosen or anointed one). Jesus said, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” (John 9:39). The blind man could now see. The Pharisees claimed to see, but Jesus said they were blind (John 9:41). In John 8:12, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." When we see Jesus as our Savior, we no longer walk in darkness. We have the light that leads to eternal life with Him!

Jesus and His disciples left Galilee. As they walked, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am? The disciples said, John the Baptist, Elijah, or a prophet, like Jeremiah (Matthew 16:14). Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah (anointed or chosen one), the Son of the Living God.”(Matthew 16:16). Jesus first asked a general question to His disciples. Then, Jesus made the question personal. He asked, “But who do you say I am?” In this world you will hear and read many different ideas and opinions of who Jesus is. But, that doesn't matter. Jesus wants to know who you say He is! Every person that lives on this earth must decide who Jesus is to them. In John 9:35 said, Jesus found the blind man that He healed. He asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe!” and He worshiped Jesus (John 9:35-38). Peter said that Jesus was the Messiah – the Son of the living God. Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.” (Matthew 16:16-17). Who do you say Jesus is today? Is He your Lord and Savior? If not, ask God to reveal the truth to you about Jesus. You can become a follower of Jesus today!

The answer is that God's Word is alive and it is powerful! (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus did not touch the blind man - He simply spoke and told the man to go because his faith had healed him. (Mark 10:52). Jesus does not walk the earth today, yet God’s Word is still alive and just as powerful as it was in Jesus’ day. When we read or hear God’s Word, and believe it by faith, we can be healed! God’s Word produces results every time - it never fails! It accomplishes whatever God sends it to do (Isaiah 55:11).

Many people believe to take up their cross means to carry around a burden. The burden could be a sickness, disability, or any negative thing in their life. You may have heard someone say, “That’s my cross to carry or bear.” This is not what Jesus was talking about in Mark 8:34. “Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. Following Jesus is not difficult when life is smooth. But what happens when trials or suffering come? Are you willing to follow Jesus if it causes you to lose a friend? What if you are teased or ridiculed because of your faith? What if God’s plan for your life is different than your plan? Are you willing to follow Jesus if you face persecution? Taking up your cross means to follow Jesus in good and bad times. It means to completely surrender your life to Jesus. Romans 12:9 tells you to give your body to God as a living sacrifice. Why? Because of all He has done for you! Jesus did not promise that following Him would be easy. Yet, we receive a priceless reward for doing it. Jesus said, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” (Mark 8:35)

We know that God performed miracles in Bible times. How do we know if God still performs miracles today? The Bible tells us that God does not change (Hebrews 13:8). That means that He still does today what He did in Bible times. God can choose to perform a miracle to do His purpose on earth. Miracles also point people to God and reveal His power (Psalm 77:14). The power to perform miracles is a spiritual gift that God gave to the church (1 Corinthians 12:10). Jesus said that miraculous signs will follow those who believe in Him (Mark 16:17-18). This tells us that God still performs miracles through believers filled with the Spirit today!