So the Works of God Might be Displayed
Notes
Transcript
Anointing
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
Following the frustration of the Pharisees and their questioning:
I’ve had a terrible day/meeting or maybe a discouraging conversation, what is the best thing I can do? Pour out. Minister. Do what God put us here to do:
...proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
The question in v2 is rooted in
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
It looks to me the disciples were just trying to understand better what they saw. To filter this experience through the word. Jesus was ready to show them truth. Shine light into their minds and hearts so they could see as He saw.
So He told them ‘that’s not how this works’. Obviously I’ve taken some liberty to phrase it this way, and in some ways it is how this works. Just last week we made the point sometimes we suffer for the sins of those around us. Sin has consequences. But the MUCH BIGGER point: God has a plan.
Redemption not destruction. Life not death. If we had read just a little bit further in Isaiah 61 we would have seen the words RENEW, REBUILD, RESTORE. If eternal death is the ultimate end of a man’s life, its because he chose it.
Sin is what allowed there to be blindness in the world but Jesus points us away from committed sin (his or his parents’) and to original sin. If original sin had never happened this whole scenario would not have happened. Nor would it have been necessary. But let’s pay close attention to Jesus’ response to the effects of sin: we must do the work we have been sent to do. Isaiah 61 again. Or maybe 42:7 this time (open blind eyes…)
As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world. Let’s shine some light in this man’s eyes. Jesus brought physical healing which would result in this man’s spiritual eyes being opened. So the Works of God Might be Displayed. The process He chose to work here is worth noting as well. Spitting in the dirt and making mud. Putting the mud on the eyes of the blind man. Sending the blind man to Siloam to wash.
This could have gone off the rails when He required something of this man. In the offer of salvation is often does. Some want the relief of escaping hell but not the surrender to the King. This fellow could have walked away and doubted. He could have reasoned “I look ridiculous! I’ve got mud on my face. I’m a big disgrace…” But he both went and washed. And he received his sight!
Oh what blessing awaits the one who obeys! He came back SEEING. Coming back brought BELIEVING. He left full of FAITH!
Seeing - remember Paul’s story, the scales falling from his eyes? When Jesus takes up residence inside the new believer He opens our eyes to the lie of sin. He opens our eyes to need around us… One of the best things God does for the mature believer!
Believing - Do you believe in the Son of Man?.. I believe! The Light of the world has shone into the heart of one who was in darkness. And at the same time, this Light is incompatible with those whose conceit convinces them of their self-righteousness.
Full of Faith - His faith was built on a real encounter with Jesus. Upon receiving his sight he is put thru the ringer with questions of who and how. “I dont know who the fellow was, but I was blind and now I see. Until his understanding could be complete he simply knew the Healer to be a prophet.
And then he was completely ostracized by the Jews. Cast out. So while he is reeling from this news, Jesus comes to find Him. Isnt this just like our Jesus? He goes to find him to the point of belief. Coming to us in our hour of need. We know in this world there will be trouble… But He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. A very present help in time of need.
V.33 if this man were not from God, He could not do anything.
If I am not from God, I can do nothing.
