Blind man converted

Blind man converted

John 9:35-41

June 2, 2024

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I use movies reference from time to time to get people to understand where we are going. I am reminded of a particular movie. There was a kid named Daniel who was new to high school. He was being picked on horribly and it was physical. He kept getting beat up. One day, the bullies took it so far that an old Japanese man jumped in and took care of the bullies.

Daniel was so impressed that he wanted to learn what the old Japanese guy knew. After constant pressure, the old man agreed and said, “be at my house at 6 am and we will start your training.” When Daniel got there, he had the kid spend an entire day, sanding floors, “up, down.” The next day, an entire day wax on, wax off” of cars. The final day, “paint the fence.”

In a fit of rage, Daniel came to the old man after day three screaming, “all you want from me is do your chores! I thought I was going to learn to defend myself?” In one of the most impressive scenes I have ever witnessed, the old man said, show me wax on and wax off. As Daniel performed the move, the old man threw punches of which the kid blocked every one by using the moves from wax on, wax off, paint the fence and sand the floor.

What the old man taught through intentional education saved that kid. Today, there is something worth learning far more important than defensive moves of protection. Today we are learning a very important lesson of how God overcomes unbelief in the heart of a man who does not believe and may not recognize the lesson being taught.

I want us to see the spiritual progression from unbelief (that we talked about last week) to full and real belief. The blind man’s journey is one of the best examples of spiritual new birth. The journey from skeptic to believer shows a clear work of God.

Context: The blind man: Healed (vs 7); left to answer for himself (15); interrogated (17); insulted (28); thrown out (in prediction) of the temple because he educated the experts (34). But just as He had a physical journey, his spiritual journey is what we now look at.

We will follow the blind man’s journey and then compare his to yours. If we look at this entire chapter, we see a very clear progression of understanding and salvation. We will find that it all starts with and ends with Christ. He is responsible for this spiritual journey.

1. He is a man called Jesus (vs 11)

John 9:11 “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.”

Now, we know that the blind man did not know what Jesus looked like before this encounter. We know that because, wait for it, he was blind. He may know what Jesus sounded like, but there was no way he knew what he looked like. Even if someone would have described Christ to him, how would he have understood the description. “Jesus has a black beard, dark hair and long Roman nose.”

Think about that for a second. Would he understand “black, brown or any other description? No, he would need to learn that after being healed. But, look closely at how he described Jesus. “the man called Jesus.” Jesus or joushua was a very common name. It would be like “John or Caden” today.

However, If ever a name was packed with significance, it is the name Jesus. Scripture says Jesus has been given “the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians 2:9–10). Why is our Lord’s name so powerful? What does the name Jesus mean?

The name Jesus, announced to Joseph and Mary through the angels (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31), means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.” Transliterated from Hebrew and Aramaic, the name is Yeshua. This word is a combination of Ya, an abbreviation for Yahweh, the name of Israel’s God (Exodus 3:14); and the verb yasha, meaning “rescue,” “deliver,” or “save.”

The blind man’s understanding of Jesus was only intellectual and non-emotional at this point. That is why when the neighbors ask, “where is He” (speaking of Jesus), he honestly could respond “Don’t’ know.” He wouldn’t have recognized Him if He was standing with the neighbors. There is an important application here for all of us. When we start our spiritual journey, it is very important to know that we all start blind. We all start with an intellectual deficit. A man named Jesus is all we got.

For some, “knowing” everything is a requirement. Research is your friend and companion. For some, the details of how things work must be completely in place before you come to a knowledge of something. I understand your minds and appreciate it. But, do you not see in our text that Jesus is in those details?

Vs 9:1 “As He (Jesus) passed by, He saw a man blind from birth…vs 6 “Having said these things, He spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Than HE anointed the man’s eyes with mud…”

Look at who did the action steps. Christ! The blind man did not have it all figured out to be healed. For the intellect who is searching for all the facts and needs all the details; I would like to show you who is the one searching. Who is the one pursuing and finding the blind man? It all starts with Christ. We will get into this next week in more detail but for today, it is so important that this first step belong to Jesus.

For the first step in our blind man’s journey, we must understand that the only true understand of Jesus that he started with was intellectual at best. He had yet to take the important step of faith. Unfortunately, this is where we find many people in our lives. Even well meaning people will say, “Yea, I know Jesus so I’m good to go with the heaven thing.” But, unfortunately this is where they stay. They never move to the next part of the plan of redemption.

To be clear, to stay here is not salvation. It is not understanding who He really is. It is only a shadow of what is to come. For the blind man, Jesus is more than just a man.

2. He is a prophet sent by God

John 9:17 “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… vs 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.”

How the blind man was trained or taught intellectually we do not know. What we do know is that He was educated. He did have a base knowledge of a man sent from God. The blind man, on this phase is still in an intellectual level, however. You may ask how. Look closely at his claim that Jesus was a prophet.

Prophet prophetes “someone who speaks in behalf of and interprets the will of a supernatural being, (GOD).”

He recognized something that the “experts” did not. No one could possibly do what Jesus did in the act of healing unless God was in it. He could never heal the blind man unless God had orchestrated it. As we look at this event, it is important to remind us, Satan can only masquerade as an angle of light. He can never create like God. He can only take what is already created and distort it for his gain. Only an act of God can take eyes that have never been used or functional and breathe life into them.

To know this is the basis for recognizing Jesus’s origin. No matter how many times Jesus said, “I came from the Father.” Or in John 5:19 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing.” I am wondering if, while blind he heard the people talk about the feeding of the 5,000. Their response was:

John 6:14:

“14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”[1]

By this time of Christ’s ministry, He was well known. His popularity was vast. Today it is not much different. No other person in human history has been written about or more well documented. Even those who do not profess Him as prophet, know that He was real and existed.

But, to say that He came from God is a big step from the first one of just knowing His name. I would like to put some clarity around this second step of recognizing that He came from God. I want to be very clear. The understanding that He was a prophet sent by God DOES NOT save you!

Allow me to prove my point. Did you know that the the quran mentions Jesus by name or title more than 78 times and confirms that He was a prophet and God’s servant? Matter of fact, this is the very best way to witness to a muslim. They have to recognize where He came from. So, if He came from God, that makes it mandatory that what He said is truth.

But, understanding that He was a prophet is only part of the picture of who He is. It is a necessary, but the lesson is not finished! We have much more to learn.

3. He is master.

Now we get to our text today. Let’s look closely at how the interaction went between the Healer of the world and the blind man.

Vs 3535 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?[2]

Again, who came to who? Was the blind man looking for Jesus? If he was, we do not know it by reading this passage. But, even if He was, who found who? Jesus went to him hearing that he had been cast out. Just like searching for the lost sheep, as the Good Sheppard, He goes to find that lost lamb. When he found him, he asks, do you believe in the Son of Man.

Remember, the “Son of Man” is Jesus’s favorite term He uses for Himself. He uses it as a title speaking of His Deity and humanity. Some manuscripts do not say “Son of Man” rather Son of God. Both will work here. Jesus is asking Him, “do you recognize me?” Not just a personal recognition but a spiritual recognition.

To that, the blind man responds like a lot of us do today, “and who is he, sir…”

Unfortunately, many of us who “know” intellectually who Jesus is stop here. We call Him sir instead of “Father.” Allow me to explain, when the blind man says, “sir” it is:

Sir: kyrios or “a title of respect for someone in a position of greater authority or stature.”

I hate to admit, many of us fall into this trap. Many pastors, teachers and Sunday School teachers fall into this trap. He quickly becomes your boss and not a loving savior. Jesus is boss, but He is not in any way a “sir”. He is a loving savior. Church, I’ll admit, this is a temptation for me all the time. I do my devotions, do my sermon prep and I try hard to do everything I can to honor Him. But in so doing, I often forget the side of Him I need the most. The Loving Father.

Some of the greatest preachers of modern history fell into this trap temporarily. Martin Luther was a full blown monk, preaching and teaching before He became saved. John Wesley was a traveling preacher who had been winning people to Christ and one day, Jesus moved from master to savior. Abraham in the Old Testament was a full blown pegan, (worshiped other idols) when God called Him but we have 3 full chapters of history before he was saved in Genesis 15:6.

It is 100% possible to be doing the things of God as boss and never be saved. To the person who is locked into this, you are relying on your knowledge of Him as a man, prophet or your boss? To make Him boss is attempting to use filthy rags to please Him (Isaiah 64:6). Your best efforts to serve the “boss” is bloody rags to Him. Think about this! My best sermon my best advice, my best moral standing, my best is garbage in comparison to His perfect standard.

To me, this is the saddest stage. These people have miss lead themselves to think they are right with the Lord and yet have missed it. The harder they try to measure to His standard on your own, the more they have to work. It is a spiral of death. To be clear, they have knowledge but not a savior.

You may ask, how in the world do I get off this downward spiral? He must be your Savior.

4. He is Savior.

Vs 38: “38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.[3]

The word “LORD” is still kyrios but look how it is partnered with the next two words “I believe.” That is so important! Look at how He has moved from an intellectual (the man Jesus) than was a prophet followed by master is now the master that he believes in. Jesus reveals to the blind man His true identity.

The word BELIEVE: pisteuo and means to trust in Jesus as in the Gospel. Meaning, to believe, is to make HIM LORD! Meaning the salvation and freedom a life full of sin in exchange for a life found in The Christ! The blind man has now become born new, a new birth only found in Christ Jesus. The intellect has moved to the Spirit. The head knowledge has opened the door to the heart knowledge that is ever lasting and continual. Pisteuo is lasting. It is never going backwards.

We are saved by grace alone, through faith (pisteuo) alone, in Christ alone. The belief in Christ that is given to us by God is NOT a past tense thing for the believer. Allow me to explain, belief in Christ as the Word of God presents Him is not something we look back on. It is a continual vehicle we enjoy today.

1 John 5:1 “5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? [4]

This is a continual action provided to us by the Lord. We are to continue in faith as we are sanctified by the Spirit of God. To believe is a continued venture in partnership with the Spirit. It is a process that He is guiding me through.

But, let me add some more clarity on our passage in 1 John. Please look at that word “born”. 1 John 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God…”

Please look at that word “born.” Born there is gennao and it is complete. It is a one time deal. This is not a process rather it is done. We don’t get born repetitively. No, we are born twice. 1. The physical birth, 2. Born again in Christ the second time.

The idea is that a person is “born of God” FIRST and then they believe in Jesus as the Christ. A spiritually dead person is born new in Christ and then the process of spiritual growth happens.

This is key to understanding where we are in the process. Where do you stand with God? Are you viewing Him as Jesus the man, Jesus the prophet, Jesus the boss or do you believe that He is your savior and new birth?

5. Understand your conversion.

As we gather today to celebrate the baptism of these two brother and sisters in Christ, I have to ask, do you understand your conversion? Some of you may still be struggling with understanding it and some may be saying that it really doesn’t matter. I would passionately disagree! We need to understand this order because if we miss it, we start to interject ourselves into parts that we don’t belong.

Again, who found the blind man and who found you?

John 6:44 “44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day[5]”

Interesting who does what in that verse. The FATHER draws us and Jesus saves or “raises” them on the last day. The order is right there! God draws/calls, Jesus saves and we are raised up! Guys, we should never make it more complicated than that! We respond in obedience to what God the Father has done and in response what Jesus is going to do for us. Look closely at your salvation order. If we put yourself ahead of any of that, that is removing a major act of the Father.

We have a responsibility! We have an action step in all of this but it is in response to what He has already done. Our responsibility is in partnership with the Holy Spirit in response to His salvation. But pastor, how do I know that I am saved if I am not in charge of those first steps? Great question!

John 11:26 “25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”[6]”

If we believe this, do you desire a life of holiness? Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Do you morn over your sin and beg for forgiveness? Do you understand your spiritual need for Christ? Do you understand your position under His Lordship? Are you slow to anger and quick to be patient? Are you willing to set aside your ego for the sake of your brother and sister? Are you able to show others the way to Christ? Can you show mercy to others? Do you speak peace?

These are the result of believing in Christ as LORD because as His child, we do what He did. We live like He did. We will fail, fall and mess up, but when we do, we morn over our sin and repent? Resentence is your greatest indication of salvation.

You may be here today and be saying my journey did not look like that. Mine was slower or mine was faster. I want to be very clear. The spiritual process does not change. God draws, the Son saves and we respond. What is all over the map is how fast that process happens. For some, it was violently fast. God shows up and bang! They are saved. Others, it takes years and it is so gradual that one day we get to a point in our lives when we look and we recognize what God has done.

My point is this, comparing your journey is deadly. Just because you didn’t come to the Lord in a bang does not mean your journey is not as valid. If you can answer those questions and say honestly that you do morn over you sins, pursue righteousness, love the things of God, repent when you sin, those are great indicators that your journey is valid!

As I close, this entire message has been the Gospel. You can’t sit here any longer and wonder, who He is and what He did! If you are not a believer and are resting in the knowledge that he was a man name Jesus, that He may have been a prophet, and is out there Lording over the world, I’ll tell you, it’s like you having a shadow of the real thing. You are missing it.

Your next step is the biggest and most important. Do no turn your back and rest in steps 1-3! The path for these steps leads to hell! The last step is the only step that secures your place with Him!

Call on the name of Jesus and believe that He is LORD and you will be saved!

Baptize Wyatt and Mackey!

We do baptism as a show of this process. Baptism is a sacrament, where in the washing with water in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, signify the seal of what God has done in the hearts of the believer. Baptism is not to done unless the person knows that they are saved. This is an act of obedience and this is what Mackey and Wyatt are doing.

This water is nothing unique other than it is warm. The water does NOTHING spiritually speaking. The action of baptism is a result of what God has done. We don’t do baptism to be saved, we do baptism because we are saved.

Ask them:

Do you recognize that this water is not going to save you? If so, say I do.

Do you believe that Jesus was exactly who He said He was according the scriptures? If so, say I do.

Do you believe that Jesus has paid for your sin completely and you no longer owe a debt for your sin? If so, say I do.