Jesus the Healer

Introduction

-It’s amazing how two different people have the same information or experience the same event and have completely different views of it (optimism vs. pessimism can both be realists, they just view things from different perspectives). (what story can I tell to illustrate this?)

A. Jesus has proven that He knows the ways of God (put in introduction)

1. He was never stumped with a question or a challenge

a. By comparison, the Pharisees looked foolish

b. This inspired His disciples to ask more questions of Him, knowing that He alone has the words of eternal life (John 6:68)

2. Jesus was now in Jerusalem for the Passover

a. The people tried to stone Him for blasphemy of claiming to be God (8:57-59). He simply walks away from the situation

b. He walks by a blind man and His disciples asked a theological question, but He gave a practical answer (vs. 1-5)

-Jesus is teaching His disciples a lesson in faith, obedience, and in His own Nature through this event. (put in introduction?)

I. Jesus Shows the Light (vs. 1-12)

A. Who sinned? The blind man or his parents? (vs. 2)

1. Jesus’ answer is “neither” (vs. 3)

a. Not everything negative is the result of someone’s specific sin

b. We are in a sin-fallen, cursed world. Sometimes bad things happen with no explanation

c. Here’s what we do know, God can use it to show His power and glory. If only we would turn to Him

2. God allowed this man to be born blind so that Jesus could do the works of the Father: being the light of the world by healing and doing good (vs. 4-7)

a. Why didn’t Jesus just say “Open your eyes” and heal the man then and there?

b. The man did not ask to be healed, the disciples were questioning his standing with God. So, Jesus tested his faith by commanding him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam

c. The man’s obedience showed he trusted Jesus’ words and the result was he came back seeing

B. Anyone who knew this man instantly realized the change (vs. 8-12)

1. They recognized him but were confused. The crowds were divided in understanding what happened to him (vs. 8-9)

2. He assured them that it was Jesus who opened his eyes (vs. 10-12)

3. Here’s a man who everyone knew was blind and can now see. His own testimony says that it was Jesus who restored his sight. He believed in Jesus’ power and bore witness. How did others feel about it?

II. Persecution from the Darkness (vs. 13-34)

-Here’s a man who everyone knew was blind and can now see. His own testimony says that it was Jesus who restored his sight. He believed in Jesus’ power and bore witness. Surely, everyone else would believe him, right? Wrong

A. There was a vast division among the people about who Jesus is (vs. 13-18)

1. There was a wide range of beliefs about Jesus

a. The Pharisees could not overcome their preconceived notions (vs. 13-16a)

1. Based on their definition of “work on the Sabbath” they accused Jesus of sin

2. Therefore, Jesus could not be from God because His “good works” were on the Sabbath, thus, sinful

b. Others argued that Jesus could not have done this miracle unless He was from God (vs. 16b)

c. Still, the seeing man believed Jesus was a prophet (vs. 17)

2. We must be careful about deriving our understanding of God from our bias/preconceived ideas. We need to look at the evidence (the Word) and see what it tells us

a. We tend to listen to people we respect and seem intelligent on the matter, they can often shed a new perspective on certain things

b. However, we ought not blindly follow someone’s ideology. We must get familiar with God’s Word ourselves

1. Always test the spirits against the Bible to see if what is being said is true. (1 John 4:1-6).

2. Proverbs 18:17 “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” Get the whole story before jumping in the deep end

B. To settle the debate (and authenticate the seeing man’s testimony) the crowd did research (vs. 19-23)

1. The parents were questioned if this was their son and how he now sees (vs. 19-23)

a. They affirmed he was their son and was in fact born blind

b. They denied knowing anything about how he was healed because of fear

1. If they confessed Jesus as the Christ they would be put out of the synagogue

bb. Their entire livelihood was at stake

2. Which means they probably believed in who Jesus was, but they denied Him

2. They lacked courage and conviction. They answered out of fear, not faith and shifted the heat back onto their son

C. Standing up in faith (vs. 24-34)

1. The Jews brought the seeing man in and told him to “give glory to God”

a. This could mean one of two things: Give God the glory for your healing, not Jesus. Or, take an oath before God that Jesus is a sinner (Achan was called to do the same, Joshua 7:19)

b. Either way, the goal of the Pharisees was to belittle Jesus

2. The seeing man never claimed to know Jesus’ spiritual status. All he knew was that he was blind and now he sees (vs. 25)

3. The Pharisees tried to find something they could pin on Jesus or the former blind man, but they were quickly in over their heads (vs. 26-33)

a. The seeing man calls them out. “Why are you asking? To be disciples of Jesus?”

b. They respond by insulting the man and belittling him, saying, he doesn’t even follow God’s Laws presented by Moses

c. The man presented a strong case for Jesus being from God:

1. It’s apparent God heard Jesus’ prayers

2. No one has ever opened the eyes of the blind in human history

3. If He were not from God then He could do nothing

4. How did the Pharisees respond? By insulting the seeing man, rejecting him as a sinner, and cutting him off from Judaism

D. There’s an important principle about debating: if someone resorts to insults they lost the argument

1. Why? If they had a winning argument they wouldn’t have to resort to trying to discredit anyone. They would let the facts speak for themselves

2. What are the facts? Jesus performed a miracle: healing the blind man

a. Miraculous signs are not the message, they merely: gather attention (vs. 8-9), peak interest (vs. 10), point back to Jesus (vs. 11), and give credibility to His message (vs. 35-41)

b. Apart from God He could do nothing. The good that Jesus does always points back to God, shows who Jesus is, and reveals His purpose (vs. 30-33)

Conclusion: Jesus is the Light (vs. 35-41)

A. Man may reject the believer but Jesus welcomes them with open arms (vs. 35-41)

1. The seeing man demonstrated great faith and conviction by standing up for Jesus. Thus, Jesus revealed Himself more fully to him

2. The man believed and worshiped Jesus while the Pharisees claimed to know the right way and still rejected Him

a. He is the Light of the World and shows the way to God

b. Those who look to Jesus in faith may see spiritually, even if they are blind physically. But those who reject Him are spiritually blind even if they see perfectly fine with their eyes

c. Those who reject Jesus are judged already, but He opens the eyes of the blind to find life eternal

3. Where do we stand when faced with Jesus?

a. Do we believe He is the Son of Man and Light of the World? Or, do we reject Him?

b. Are we like the Pharisees or the seeing man?

B. You know the key difference between the man born blind and the Pharisees? The man acknowledged he was blind and that he needed help to see

1. The point of Christianity is that you can’t earn eternal life. You can’t find your way. You’re a sinner and you need Jesus to pay that price and show you the way to life

2. Following Jesus as the Light means admitting that we can’t see and need to have Him as our guide. Not just once, but continually

3. Humble yourself before God and pursue Him through the Scriptures. Learn at Jesus’ feet. Don’t get lost in the darkness, follow the Light