“One Thing I Know”

You do not need every answer to tell what Jesus has done for you.

Many Christians are reluctant to talk about their faith because they feel unqualified. They do not know much theology. They could not answer every hard question. They are afraid someone will ask something they cannot explain. So they stay quiet.

John 9 tells the story of a man who had every reason to feel unqualified, and whose simple testimony still speaks across the centuries. His words have become one of the most quoted lines in the Bible: "one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25).

A Man Everyone Had Overlooked

The story begins as Jesus passes by a man "which was blind from his birth" (John 9:1). He had never seen a sunrise, a face or a color. He made his living by begging.

The disciples saw him as a theological puzzle. "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9:2). They assumed his suffering must be someone's fault. Jesus rejected that assumption: "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him" (John 9:3).

Jesus spat on the ground, made clay, anointed the man's eyes and told him to wash in the pool of Siloam. "He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing" (John 9:7). For the first time in his life, he saw the world.

Questioned From Every Side

You might expect a celebration. Instead the man was questioned. His neighbors were not sure he was the same person. The religious leaders were troubled because the healing happened on the Sabbath. They summoned his parents, who were afraid of being thrown out of the synagogue and would only say, "he is of age; ask him" (John 9:21).

So the leaders called the man again and pressed him to condemn Jesus. "We know that this man is a sinner" (John 9:24).

His answer was simple: "Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25).

He did not try to win a theological debate. He did not claim knowledge he did not have. He simply told the truth about what had happened to him. And no one could argue with it.

Your Story Is Evidence

There is great freedom in this. You do not need to be a scholar to tell others what Jesus has done for you. You may not be able to answer every objection, but you can say, "This is what my life was like, this is how I met Christ and this is what He has done since."

A personal testimony is a powerful form of witness precisely because it is personal. People may argue with your doctrine, but they cannot easily dismiss your experience. When the apostles were ordered to stop speaking about Jesus, they replied, "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).

Your testimony does not need to be dramatic. Some believers were rescued from addiction, violence or despair. Others grew up in Christian homes and came to faith quietly as children. Both stories display the same grace. Every believer once was blind in some sense and now sees.

Growing in Understanding

One of the beautiful things about John 9 is how the man's understanding grows. At first he calls his healer "a man that is called Jesus" (John 9:11). Later he says, "He is a prophet" (John 9:17). Under pressure, he boldly argues, "If this man were not of God, he could do nothing" (John 9:33).

Finally, after he has been cast out of the synagogue, Jesus finds him and reveals Himself as the Son of God. The man responds, "Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him" (John 9:38).

You do not need to know everything to begin. As you follow Christ and speak of Him, your understanding will grow. The man born blind started with one thing he knew, and it led him to worship.

The Cost and the Reward

Telling the truth about Jesus cost this man his place in the synagogue. Sharing your faith may cost you something too, perhaps a friendship, an opportunity or some comfort. But notice what happened when he was cast out: Jesus came looking for him (John 9:35). Those who stand for Christ are never left alone by Christ.

Take time this week to think about your own story. What were you like before you knew Christ? How did He open your eyes? What has changed since? Write down a few sentences. Then pray for an opportunity to share it.

You may not know everything. But you know one thing. That is enough to begin.