Here is the climax of his growing vision:

`A man', `A Prophet', `The Son of God'.

The man born blind however did not immediately confess such a faith.  He

rightly asked Who such an One might be, and to this most rational request

came the answer:

`Thou hast both Seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee' (37).

`Seen Him'.

`One thing I know ... now I see'.

This was enough:

`And he said, Lord, I believe.

And he worshipped Him'.

Here then are instances that help us in our appreciation of the figure

of restored sight as a symbol of faith.  This requires at least some comment

on Hebrews 11, even though that portion demands as many chapters of

exposition as it contains verses.  To this aspect of truth we now turn.

Hebrews 11, the great chapter on faith, stresses the fact that faith

encompasses the invisible.

`Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things

Not Seen ... through faith we understand ... that things which are Seen

were not made of things which do appear ...' (Heb. 11:1 -3).

Recent discoveries among the papyrus, for so long buried in the sands

of Egypt, throw light upon the intention of the apostle in the use of the

word translated `substance'.  It has been found to mean `title deed', and the

writer appears to be saying:

`Now faith (which looks forward to a glorious inheritance, a heavenly

city, but which is not yet enjoyed) is of itself the title deeds of that

inheritance.  You may, with other believers, die in faith not having (at the

moment) received the promises, but you have seen them afar off, and this has

influenced your whole life and walk; you have become in consequence strangers

and pilgrims on the earth (through which you pass on the way to the place

prepared for you)'.

Noah also manifested this peculiar quality of faith, a faith which,

while it brought down a deal of ridicule upon him for building such a ship on

dry land as he did, yet nevertheless saved his house:

`By faith, Noah, being warned of God of things Not Seen as yet, moved

with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house' (Heb. 11:7).

Abraham, too `went out' (by faith) `not knowing whither he went ... for

he Looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God'

(Heb. 11:8 -10).  The faith of Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph all have this

same quality, but the power to see the invisible is most prominent in the

faith of Moses.  At some period in his life Moses resolutely turned his back

on an offer to be adopted into the royal family of Egypt; he chose rather to

suffer affliction with the people of God who were reduced to the condition of

slaves.  He esteemed the reproach of (or for) Christ, greater riches than the

treasures in Egypt for he had respect unto (a future and then unseen)