was on earth. One of them has come down through history
nameless--we do not know who he was; the name of the other is given.
One was not only a beggar, but blind from his birth; the other was
one of the rich men of Jerusalem. Yet in the Gospel of John, there
is more space given to this blind beggar than to any other
character. The reason why so much has been recorded of this man is
because he took his stand for Jesus Christ.

Look at the account given in John ix., beginning at the fifth verse.
In the previous chapter Christ had been telling them that He was the
Light of the world, and that if any man would follow Him he should
not walk in darkness, but should have the light of life. After
making a statement of that kind, Christ often gave

AN EVIDENCE OF THE TRUTH

of what He said by performing some miracle. If He had said He was
the Light of the world, He would show them in what way He was the
Light of the world. If He had said He was the Life of the world, He
would prove Himself to be such by quickening and raising the dead;
just as He did, after telling them that He was the Resurrection and
the Life, by going to the graveyard of Bethany and calling Lazarus
forth. When Lazarus heard the voice of his friend saying, "Lazarus,
come forth!" he came forth immediately.

The Son of God does not ask men to believe Him without a reason for
so doing. We need to keep this in mind. You might as well ask a man
to see without light or eyes, as to believe without testimony.

He gave them good reason for believing in Him, and proved His
Messiahship and authority. He not only told them that He had the
power, but He showed them that He had.

These two men, then, were both at Jerusalem. One held as high a
position, and the other as low a position, as any in the city. One
was at the top of the social ladder, and the other at the bottom.
And yet they both made a good confession; and one was as acceptable
to Jesus as the other.

I

The man mentioned in this chapter was born blind. We find the Lord's
disciples asking Him:

"Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born
blind?"

Jesus answered, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but
that the works of God should be manifest in him."

When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the
spittle; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
and said unto him:

"Go wash in the pool of Siloam."

The blind man went