Quickly now, without thinking about what’s the “right” answer, tell me this: How do you react to Jesus? Suppose you hear a bit of his teaching or some of his life story. What’s your knee-jerk response?
For me, it depends on the context. But I do recognize some basic tendencies I have. And they’re remarkably like the reactions that people in the Bible had to Jesus.
A good example is the time Jesus healed a man who was born blind. The healing itself was simple. Jesus put mud on the man’s eyes, told him to wash it off, and he could see. But the uproar that followed revealed three reactions to Jesus.
Reaction #1: The Pharisees’ rulebook
The Pharisees were religious teachers who took pride in carefully obeying God’s law. When they heard about the healing, they investigated. They evaluated Jesus to see how his actions fit their rulebook. Some concluded, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath” (John 9:16). Even those who favored Jesus based their arguments on how he fit their religious understanding.
I often act the same. I figure I already have a pretty good grasp of God, so I study the story of Jesus to collect extra “truth bullets” for my arsenal. On a good day, I might even tweak my understanding of God or adjust a few religious habits to fit what I learn from Jesus. But even then it’s all about me being right. It’s a doctrine, not a person.
Jesus answered the Pharisees by suggesting their attitude made them the true blind men. Ouch!
Reaction #2: The parents’ caution
The blind man’s parents were summoned to give their opinion. But they sidestepped questions about Jesus because “they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue” (John 9:22). They had their social standing and comfortable life to consider. They knew Jesus threatened these.
I can act like the parents, too. I know that Jesus teaches hard stuff, like how I must give up everything to follow him. And I know that if I let the good news of his life and death really sink into my soul, it might make me loose control enough to actually obey his teaching. So I react to Jesus carefully. I take him in small doses, leaving enough space between encounters to let any uneasy feelings fade.
The parents are not heard from again in this story. Jesus seems to ignore them as they ignored him.
Reaction #3: The blind man’s worship
But the blind man himself told the truth about his healing, and got thrown out of the synagogue:
When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
“You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
“Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus (John 9:35-38).
Worship. The reaction Jesus is after is more personal than doctrinal. It is heart-changing before it is behavior-changing. It is devoted rather than distant.
But wait, you say. The blind man had an unfair advantage. Of course it was easy for him to worship Jesus. Jesus had made him see.
Yes, and I think that’s the point. To truly worship Jesus is not natural. My heart swings toward either the rulebook reaction or the cautionary one. I only become able to love him as he changes my reflexes by loving me first.
John Newton’s beloved hymn, Amazing Grace, reminds each of us who trusts Jesus that we too can sing, “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” I can’t speak for you, but I need to sing words like those more often. They are the roadway to true worship.
Jack Klumpenhower is a writer and communications consultant living in Colorado. He has authored Bible study lessons and a family devotional guide.
Read More: Another account of a rule-abiding Pharisee and a person who’d experienced grace from Jesus occurs in Luke 7:36-47. Which of these two people is best equipped to worship Jesus? What does Jesus say is the source of our love for him?
This article appears in the passage studies column on the New Living Translation website. For more information,
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