The Manifest Works of God
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Human drama attracts attention. It seems that many people—perhaps most people—enjoy watching drama, whether it’s on TV, in the imagination via a book, or best of all, in the lives of people all around them. Some folks are “people watchers,” meaning that they enjoy paying attention to the behavior of others, and watching the human drama unfold.
There are many elements that comprise a good drama. Some of these elements are: distinct actors and their characteristics, a plot that is defined and is going somewhere, clear protagonists and antagonists, clear moral values, interesting dialog, and tension that ebbs and flows. A good drama also usually has a climax close to the end.
One thing that isn’t usually desirable in a drama is predictability. Viewers like to be surprised! And as I think about surprise and unpredictability, I’m reminded of the saying, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” This is often what we find, isn’t it? Out of all the unexpected and creative plots that have been written, they seem to invariably pale in comparison to things that have actually happened to people. It seems that the human imagination is no match for the twists and turns of reality.
In today’s Scripture passage, we find many elements of a good drama. We find protagonists, antagonists, the rise and fall of tension, moral values, interesting dialog, and a climax with a satisfying ending. And best of all, it’s not fiction! The passage of Scripture that we will examine this morning records a true account of God’s work in a man’s life. And God’s reason in it all was not to create compelling drama, but to make manifest, or visible, the works of God in one man’s life. Please stay with me, and in a moment we will discuss The Manifest Works of God.
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Good morning, and welcome to Truth for Today, a weekly radio ministry of Bible Baptist Church in Grand Forks, North Dakota. My name is Ethan Custer, and I serve as the assistant under Pastor Mike Custer, the regular host of this broadcast. We at Bible Baptist Church desire to be a spiritual blessing to you however we can. Our building is located west of I-29 at 6367 Gateway Drive in Grand Forks. We meet several times each week to worship God, and our purpose in life is to obey and please the Lord Jesus Christ in all that we do. Our source of truth and guide for living is the Authorized King James Bible, the Word of God in the English language. In it He offers solutions for every one of life’s problems! If we can help you in any way, please let us know. We desire to have that opportunity. I’ll be giving our contact information at the end of the broadcast, so I hope you’ll stick around.
A moment ago, I mentioned that the best dramas are usually not fiction, but things that really happened. Today’s Scripture passage in John chapter 9 is just one of those accounts. This morning, we’re going to move through the Scriptural account and consider the different parts of the human drama before us. God included it in the Bible for a reason; may we learn truth about Him and about ourselves this morning!
A drama often introduces its characters in a certain order, for a particular purpose. We find the characters in today’s drama introduced in a certain order that is instructive.
Let’s begin reading in the beginning of John chapter 9. Verse one says,
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
Notice that the first introduced character of this drama is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Christ is the central character from beginning to end in the ultimate drama, the whole of human history!
Revelation 1:17–18 (KJV 1900)
And when I [the apostle John] saw him [Christ], I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God; He IS God. He is the Creator, He is the Saviour, and He is the King of kings. Although many sinners do not acknowledge Him, He still loves them and desires to be the central Person in their hearts. It is fitting that John chapter 9 begins by making Jesus Christ the first character mentioned in only the third word of the account.
But there is another character mentioned in verse 1 of chapter 9.
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
In just 15 words, we learn a lot about this drama that has begun to unfold. We see Jesus Christ as He is on the move, working to fulfill the will of His Heavenly Father. We see a man who was not just blind, but blind from birth. This man had never seen the light of day. But on this day, Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, passed near him.
Let’s continue reading.
And his disciples asked him, saying, 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 made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
Now we meet Christ’s disciples. The Scriptures show that most of these men were common tradesmen who forsook everything to follow their Lord Jesus Christ. Only Judas Iscariot was a lost man; the other eleven were men who truly loved God and desired to bring Him glory. These Godly men knew much spiritual truth! Yet notice their question to Jesus about the blind man:
John 9:2 — “And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?”
We learn things about a drama’s characters based on how they act and speak. The disciples’ question reveals some things about them. Note these things in particular:
They considered the man’s blindness to be an evil thing
This is understandable! I don’t know anyone who wishes to be blind. But just because something is difficult and undesirable doesn’t mean it is evil, as we’ll soon point out.
Next, they concluded the man’s blindness was God’s judgment
Because the disciples viewed the blindness as evil, they reasoned that the blindness was God’s act of judgment. Notice that their first conclusion—that physical blindness is evil—influenced their second conclusion! This happens to us, doesn’t it? We make a string of related conclusions, and it’s possible for every single one of them to be wrong, because our first conclusion was wrong. We should be careful and humble about the conclusions we make! We are often wrong.
On a positive note, it’s interesting that the disciples readily assumed that God was involved in the man’s blindness. Today, it seems that many people want to deny God’s very existence; many others want to dispute that God is involved in the events of human life. But while the disciples were making wrong conclusions, they did have the foundational belief that God is closely involved in the affairs of human life. And as we’ll see, they weren’t the only ones with this belief.
Jesus Christ answers their question about the cause of the man’s blindness, and His answer ought to give us hope in our trials and difficulties.
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Friend, no matter what you are going through, God wants to use your circumstances as a means of making His work manifest or visible in your life! What a good God He is! As God in the flesh, Jesus Christ came into that man’s life for a reason…and it was to make God’s works visible to everyone around.
In the next two verses, we see the first significant action of this real-life human drama.
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, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
This amazing miracle was not a hard thing for God! Jesus used His saliva to make clay from the dirt, which He then put on the man’s sightless eyes. He then told the man to go wash off the clay, and when the man did, he received his sight. Christ could have healed the man in any way He chose, but in this chosen manner, He interacted with this man on a very personal level. He also required that this man demonstrate faith in the form of being willing to walk to the pool of Siloam with clay on his face! (We read that this man was a beggar and probably used to being looked down upon, but I imagine it was still somewhat humiliating for him to walk through the city streets with this clay on his eyes. Yet this man did it in faith, obeying a man he had never met before.)
So far in this drama, we have seen Jesus Christ and a blind man. We have seen Christ’s disciples, and we have seen the man receive his sight simply by washing some dirt off his face. It’s already stranger than fiction! After this man could see, we may imagine his elation, and rushing home to show his family. Christ was not there, but this man could see for the first time!
We meet more characters in verse 8.
The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.
The man’s neighbors knew him, at least somewhat. They identified him by his past behavior—“he that sat and begged.” They recognized him, but the fact that he was no longer blind made them confused. This sort of thing can’t happen! But he assured them it had.
Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
What a strange sequence of events! Christ meets this blind man, puts clay on his eyes and tells him to wash it off in the pool of Siloam, and then disappears. When the man receives his sight, he has no one to thank. His neighbors see the change in him, but they probably find his story a bit hard to believe.
They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
In these two verses, we meet new characters, and we learn some important context for the part that these characters will play in this real-life drama.
First, we meet the Pharisees. The Pharisees were religious leaders, known for their great piety and strict adherence to Judaism. However, they could be described as nearly as political as they were religious. They were a powerful sect in Israel, and they were intent on keeping it that way.
In Israel, when a person was healed of different sicknesses and diseases, they were required to show themselves to the priest in order to be considered healed and clean. (We find this in the example of the ten lepers that Jesus healed in Luke 17.) However, when the former blind man’s neighbors saw that he was healed, they didn’t bring him to the priest, but to the Pharisees. This wasn’t obedience to Jewish law that motivated them, but perhaps a desire to stir up some sort of controversy.
The Pharisees were interested in this miracle for two major reasons: it concerned Jesus, and it happened on the sabbath. The Pharisees, as the Gospels record, were obsessively jealous of Christ’s power and fame. They hated what He preached, and they spent unmeasured time and energy seeking to destroy and discredit Him. They thought they found their opportunity in the fact that Christ had healed the man on the Saturday, the sabbath.
The sabbath is the day of rest for the Jews, and in Exodus 20, the LORD God told them to keep that day holy. It was supposed to be a day of rest, not work, to commemorate the fact that after creating the universe in six literal days, God rested on the seventh day. Yet the Pharisees contended that Christ had violated the sabbath by working, because He had healed a man on the sabbath!
Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
The Pharisees were eager to implicate Christ, and so they pressed this man to tell his story. As we read, there were differing opinions over what this miracle meant. Some Pharisees claimed that Christ was a sinner and enemy of God, because He violated the sabbath with this miracle. Others reasoned that this miracle could only come by the power of God! Can God violate His own sabbath?
They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
The Pharisees couldn’t come to a consensus, yet they obstinately pursued the issue. The former blind man’s conclusion was reasonable: this man Jesus is a prophet. (And he was entirely correct! Christ is a prophet, and much more.)
The Pharisees investigation continued with them calling the man’s parents.
But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.
In these verses we both meet two new characters in this drama, and we learn important details about them and other characters.
The man’s parents aren’t described to us in detail, but they appear to be ordinary, inconspicuous people. They were apparently God-fearing Jews, because they participated in worshiping God at the synagogue. However, it appears that they did not know Jesus Christ as their Saviour, because when their son came saying that Christ had healed him, they did not reveal any personal knowledge of the Lord. And on top of that, they were afraid of saying too much in front of the powerful political party of the Pharisees. They knew the Pharisees did not like Jesus, and they knew that if they confessed Christ, they would be excluded from synagogue worship.
What an appalling opposition by the Pharisees toward Christ! Jesus is the Son of God, come to earth to save men from their sins, and the religious leaders are leading the charge to oppose Him! But so it is today. There are countless religious leaders who enjoy the power and riches that their position brings, and they are not interested in meeting and knowing the true Christ. They are only too glad to preach unscriptural things to try to preserve their position and its luxuries. All such deceivers will one day answer to God for their deception!
Another reason that the Bible seems to indicate that this man’s parents did not know Christ as their personal Saviour is their fear of the Pharisees. It wasn’t wrong for them to want to avoid being thrown out of the synagogue, but when a sinner becomes a child of God and Christ becomes their Lord and Master, they want to please Him more than they fear men!
In Acts 5, Peter and the apostles were brought before the Jews council for preaching Christ. We read this:
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
It’s not easy to defy men in order to obey God, but for a born-again child of God, that is their desire! This former blind man’s parents feared the Jews, and were careful to avoid saying anything that would make it appear that they were proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah.
Our drama continues in John chapter 9, verse 24.
Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
These Pharisees were driven to distraction over this miracle! They were unwilling to believe that Christ was from God, but they couldn’t find anything to prove otherwise, and so they continued reviewing the same details over and over. In the process, we find their logic to be lacking. They attempted to save face while simultaneously diverting the attention from Christ by telling the man to “give God the praise.” There’s nothing wrong with praising God for His blessings. In fact, it is commanded in Scripture! However, these Pharisees were attempting to glorify God while denigrating His only begotten Son by saying, “this man is a sinner.” The healed man answered very simply, “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” Those were the facts.
Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
A good drama sometimes has elements of farce in it, which are exaggerated or absurd forms of comedy. This reali-life drama in John 9 wasn’t being acted out for comedy’s sake, but it has a definite absurd and ironic form of humor nonetheless. The Pharisees weren’t interested in the truth; they were only interested in their agenda! They had heard the facts, and the conclusion pointed unerringly to the fact that the power of God was at work. Only God can make a blind man see; the claim that Christ was a sinful and wicked man was absurd. But that didn’t stop them from making absurd and even humorous claims.
“We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.” These words of the Pharisees demonstrate unbelievable stubbornness and willful spiritual blindness. These men claimed to believe the written words of Scripture, and so they “knew” that God spoke unto Moses. But when the power of God was visibly at work in the life of a blind man standing in front of them, they claimed to not know where Jesus came from!
Many folks believe that they would be convinced by the power of God if it were visible to their eyes in the form of miracles, but the Pharisees’ example show that faith doesn’t come this way. Faith is a choice, and when you choose to not believe in God, no amount of visible evidence will sway you.
In response to the Pharisees’ staggeringly illogical and perverse words, the healed man offers what appears to be some sarcasm in the midst of his simple, solid logic.
“Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.”
This man is essentially saying, “This is amazing! You don’t know where he came from, but he is powerful enough to heal my blindness! We know that those who are unregenerate sinners don’t have power with God. Only those who worship and obey God see Him answer their prayers.”
This is good logic and sound theology! Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear me:” Dear listener, are you seeking the Lord with all your heart? If your loyalty and priorities are divided, you won’t see Him transform your life. If you are harboring your pet sins in your heart, you won’t see Him answer prayer. He wants to be your Lord and your God. He will not be your “genie in a lamp.”
This healed man was demonstrating that he was pondering all that had happened to him, and he was coming to sound conclusions about the nature of Christ. The Pharisees noticed that, too. And they could not permit it.
They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
Remember the question asked by Jesus’ disciples at the beginning of the chapter? “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” They interpreted blindness as God’s judgment, and so they concluded that sin was the reason for God’s judgment. These Pharisees appeared to have concluded the same thing. (You know, just because a lot of people believe the same thing, doesn’t make them right. Christ says plainly in verse 3 that the reason for this man’s blindness was so that the works of God could be made manifest in Him. Things aren’t always as they appear to be.)
Also notice that the Pharisees could not refute the man’s logic, and so they made personal attacks. “Thou wast altogether born in sins...” This is a common tactic! They also lifted up their own accomplishments. “…and dost thou teach us?” Instead of responding with Scripture and truth, these religious experts responded with pride in the form of personal and professional comparisons. The truth has nothing to hide. Pay attention to how people respond to challenges to their beliefs. The natural response to one’s own revealed error is to be defensive and make personal attacks. The Pharisees had an opportunity see this man’s logic and acknowledge the truth about Christ. Instead, they clung to their self-deception.
Verse 34 tells us, “And they cast him out.” This is the climactic ending to this tense scene in the synagogue. Perhaps the worst social outcome for this healed man had come true: he had been condemned by the Pharisees for heresy and cast out of the synagogue. I wonder if he was tempted to feel discouraged…and yet, he had been healed of his blindness. It had been a good day! And it wasn’t over yet...
Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
I picture Jesus finding this man, who was perhaps a little dejected, but pondering the implications of his newly-received sight. When Jesus asked him the simple question, “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” The man answered with an equally simple question: “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?” This man was ready to believe on Christ. He knew it was God’s power that gave him his sight; he could see the pride and rebellion on the part of the Pharisees. He wanted God in his life…he just didn’t know how.
Friend, have you ever truly wanted to know God, more than you wanted anything else? Have you ever desired Christ more than you desired your sin and your life’s plans? That’s where each of us needs to end up before we can be saved. We aren’t saved by good works, otherwise the Pharisees would have been God’s children. But their pride and rebellion proved they did not know God.
When this healed man heard the words of Christ, he simply believed Him. He wasn’t suspicious or skeptical. He didn’t ask for more proof. He just believed what God said, and his words and actions confirm this. “Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.”
When did you meet the Saviour? When did you repent of your sins and trust Christ alone for your salvation? Do you know where you will be after you die? You may know it…but you must come to God through Christ alone.
As this drama closes, we read a sad exchange between Christ and some of the Pharisees.
And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
These Pharisees were not God’s children—that’s what Christ was telling them. They were proud, claiming great knowledge and righteousness, but they were in rebellion to the Scriptures. And so it is with so many today. Many people are religious and devout, but so few know the Lord personally. So few are going to Heaven. Are you like these Pharisees, dear listener, or are you like this healed man? If you are yet in your sins, come to Christ. He wants to manifest the works of God in your life.
If you have any questions about this broadcast or about other truths from the Bible, we at Bible Baptist Church would be glad to visit with you! You may contact us in a number of ways. First, you may contact me via email by writing to truthfortoday@bbcgf.org. You may also find our website at www.bbcgf.org. Bible Baptist Church is located at 6367 Gateway Drive in Grand Forks, and we have regular Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening services. You are welcome to attend any of them. If you would rather watch the livestream of our services, or if you would like to watch archives of past services, you may find them on our website as well.
Thank you for listening today! Please tune in again next week at this same time for more truth from God’s Word, on Truth for Today.