The Blind Man John 9:1-41

-Jesus reveals the blindness of unbelief.

A 67-year-old woman scheduled for routine cataract surgery in November thought it was just dry eye and old age causing her discomfort, she told her surgeons.

But what doctors at Solihull Hospital in the UK found to be the real cause of her discomfort was much more concerning: 27 contact lenses, stuck in the woman’s right eye in a “blue mass.”

The incident was described in an article published in the BMJ earlier this month.

Sometimes, we have no idea just how blind we really are!

I. Jesus Heals vv. 1-12

In our passage this morning, we see Jesus perform a powerful and very visual miracle, with important Messianic implications: He heals a man born blind (See Isaiah 35:4-5)

His situation causes the disciples to ask a question that I think a lot of us ask when we face difficulty: Whose sin caused this?

We are always looking to assign blame, even if we are attempting to assume responsibility for what has taken place. However, Jesus makes it clear that this man’s blindness is not a punishment at all

It turns out, the man’s blindness is a vehicle for the glory of God to be displayed

We must understand that God is not capricious or malicious or aimless in our suffering; He never wastes one ounce of it!

Psalm 116:15

[15] Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his saints. (ESV)

Psalm 56:8

[8] You have kept count of my tossings;

put my tears in your bottle.

Are they not in your book? (ESV)

2 Corinthians 12:8–9

[8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. [9] But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (ESV)

A few things come into focus through this miracle:

First, we see that this kind of problem is exactly the sort of thing that Jesus came here to deal with; He must do the works of God while the time is available to Him

Second, we see that Jesus is fully capable of bringing healing, even to one dealing with an issue as profound as blindness

Third, we see that Jesus works a transformation that is so astounding that people do not recognize the man standing before them as the beggar they had so often seen before

We can trust Jesus to heal and to use our suffering for His glory!

Bruce Waltke, one of my mentors in my student days at Dallas Seminary, tells a marvelous story about the day that he and his daughter were walking in the forest. They came upon something you rarely see. It was an almost -born butterfly. The little cocoon was spinning and spinning and part of one fabulous wing was already out. This was right at the eye level of his daughter, so Waltke bent down and looked at the little cocoon at her level. She said, “Oh, Daddy, he’s just struggling to get out.” Bruce thought “Ill just help it.” And he said, “I reached down ever so carefully and gently and took the bottom of that cocoon and split it. And it all dropped in a blob and killed the butterfly.” He said, “I learned a lesson; they need the struggle of emergence to survive.” (Charles Swindoll).

II. Jesus Divides vv. 13-34

A beautiful thing has taken place here, so we should expect there to be unity and joy from the people; sadly this is not the case at all

The man is brought to the Pharisees who immediately take offense at what has taken place

From their perspective, Jesus is rule-breaking sinner who doesn’t observe their Sabbath

They reject the healing that has taken place and the Healer because it has not taken place on their terms

A division rises amongst the people: some see the miracle as the evidence of Jesus’s identity others reject Him completely. Confronted by the same light there are radically different responses!

Think about what they learn about the Pharisees from this episode:

They reject Jesus’s work and condemn Him as a sinner v. 16

They divide a family through fear of removal from the synagogue for their recognition of Jesus vv. 20-23

They cast out a man who has experienced the glorious power of God poured out in his life v. 34

However, we also need to see the beauty of the newly healed man’s arguments:

He is compelled by his own experience of healing; he cannot deny what the Lord has done for him v. 25

He recognizes that there is an invitation to become a disciple and he shares that invitation v. 27

He follows the evidence and recognizes that Jesus has come from God and we should listen to Him! v. 33

The lines are stark between the healed man and the Pharisees

The lines are not cultural

The lines are not ethical

The lines are not political

Jesus is the dividing line!

Matthew 10:34–39

[34] “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. [35] For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. [36] And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. [37] Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. [38] And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. [39] Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (ESV)

III. Jesus Reveals vv. 35-41

Alone and cast out of the synagogue, the man meets the someone who changes everything.

Jesus comes with a question: “Do you believe?” and he is ready with an answer!

Jesus reveals Himself to the man and he becomes a follower of Christ, worshipping Him

Jesus makes a shocking statement: “For judgment I came into this world”

What in the world does He mean? Just last week we heard Him say that He doesn’t judge anyone!

There’s a distinction in what is being described:

Jesus does not come to condemn

However, when He shines His light into our lives He will reveal the state of our hearts towards God

The Pharisees recognize that He is talking about them and ask a question:

Are we also blind?

The answer is a resounding yes!

If they had been like the blind man who came to Him in faith, they would have spiritual eyes to see

However, in the arrogance of their hearts towards Him, they remain in their guilt!

What might happen if they recognized the truth of their spiritual condition? They would see and they would find eternal life in Jesus!

Revelation 3:16–18

[16] So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. [17] For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. [18] I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. (ESV)

The famous agnostic Thomas Huxley was once lovingly confronted by a very sincere Christian. This believer stressed to Huxley that he was not in any way impugning Huxley's sincerity. Nevertheless, might it not be possible that mentally the great scientist was color blind? That is, some people cannot see traces of green where other people cannot help but see it. Could it be that this was Huxley's problem--that he was simply blind to truth that was quite evident to others? Huxley, being a man of integrity, admitted that this was possible, and added that if it were, he himself, of course, could not know or recognize it.

Have you ever paused to consider the possibility that you are blind?