In his book This Way, Please, Roy McClain tells the story of an old Chinese man who was healed in one of the hospitals of the China Inland Mission started by the missionary Hudson Taylor. The old man had been blind for 50 years. For more than five decades he had not seen anything. Medical examinations at the missionary clinic revealed that he had acute cataracts on both of his eyes. After surgery, with the aid of corrective lenses, 75% of his sight was restored in both eyes. For the first time in five decades he could see. He not only regained his physical sight, but he also gained his spiritual sight. He was born again. And there wasn’t a happier man in the compound.
Then one day the old man just vanished. Without telling anyone, he was suddenly gone. No one could understand why because he had been so happy and grateful. The days, weeks, and months drifted by and the old man did not return. Then one day the old man came back. Those who saw his return tell it this way: “He had a large rope, about two inches in diameter and about 150 feet in length, hanging over his shoulder. Holding on to the rope and stumbling behind him were nearly 50 blind old men. He had gone back to his own province in inland China and he had spoken to every old blind man who would listen to him. He had told them the story of what had happened to his eyes, and better yet, what had happened in his heart. One by one, he had put their hand on his rope so he could become their eyes as he led them to the place where he had found sight.”
That’s about as fine a definition of what it means to be a Christian as I know. It is our job to find those who are spiritually blind and bring them to the place where we found sight.