Don’t Miss The Marvelous Work | John 9:1–38

The Marvelous Work Of God | John 9:1–38

Opening Remarks: We’re back in John 9 after a couple of weeks off.

We actually looked at the first part of this account of the blind man being healed last time.

Our focus in that message was how distractions can come our way and get us off mission.

Jesus has just been threatened to be stoned with rocks by the Pharisees because He claimed to be God and they didn’t like that. When people throw rocks, that could get you off mission.

Then He comes across a blind man and His disciples want to debate whose fault it is that the man is blind. Debates can distract us from the mission as well.

Rocks being thrown. Debates being engaged. These are things that distract us from doing what we’re supposed to do.

But not Jesus. He ignored the rocks and the debates and said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

He basically says, “I’m not going to be distracted by less important things. This man’s blindness is for the purpose that God’s works should be made manifest. That’s my mission. To point to God’s glory in every situation.”

The greatest way to reveal God’s glory on earth is to ignore the distractions and focus on people’s needs.

That was Jesus’ mentality. So He spits on the ground, takes the mud and wipes it on the man’s eyes, then tells him to go wash in the pool Siloam, and the man comes out seeing.

We’ll pick up reading in Verse 8. I know it’s a long passage, but the more you can pay attention to the account, the less we’ll have to focus on the details and you’ll get more out of it. So try your best to lock into the story as we read.

READ 8:38

Key phrase in this section is Vs. 30, “Herein is a marvellous thing…He hath opened mine eyes.”

Title: The Marvelous Work Of God

I think there are times that we lose sight of what God has done or is doing in our lives because we’re so focused on the things we don’t understand.

There must come a time in our walks of faith that we stop asking questions we can’t answer and focus on what we do know.

Sometimes we need to stop making every detail make sense and just appreciate the Marvelous Work Of God in our lives.

PRAY

Introduction: It’s amazing how often in life we miss the big picture of what’s happening in a moment because we’re too focused on an unimportant detail.

I grew up in southwestern Wyoming, so most of our vacations were spent in western Wyoming visiting places like Jackson Hole, Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park. It’s a beautiful part of the country known for its mountains and rivers and waterfalls and even thermal features with hot pools and geysers.

Another draw to the area is the abundant wildlife. There are herds of Bison and plenty of deer and Elk, but the four animals that are typically the hardest to spot are Moose, Bears, Big Horn Sheep, and Wolves. I’ve seen all of them except for Wolves. That’s a bucket list animal for me.

Once, as a kid, I remember visiting the area and we drove up on a group of Big Horn Sheep grazing on a hill. So we pulled over to the side of the road to watch them. By the way, if you’re ever in that part of the country, look for the groups of cars pulled over because they’re watching animals. But we came up on this group of Big Horn sheep and I remember being so concerned that other cars were going to stop in front of us that I was looking at the cars pulling up, and at one point I missed two Big Horn Sheep ram each other with their horns. That’s a rare sight, and because I was so concerned with a less important detail, I missed it.

The irony is I was worried about something preventing me from seeing it and that caused me to miss what I wanted to see.

There’s an old saying that we’ve all heard that sums this up, “Don’t miss the forest for the trees.” That describes someone who is so focused on the details that they miss the big picture.

Like throwing a birthday party for one of your kids and being so worried about the details that you don’t simply take it in and enjoy the time.

Or being so nervous about your wedding day that you never stop to take in the moment.

Or maybe you’re looking at your phone and you miss a shooting star.

It’s easy to be so focused on the details that you miss the big picture.

It happened in the Bible at times.

Eve was so focused on the temptation of a fruit that she lost sight of God’s commandment.

David was so focused on a woman bathing on a rooftop that he lost sight of leading the kingdom.

Judas was so focused on silver that he failed to see Jesus for who He was.

And here in John 9, we see how different groups of people were so focused on details that they lost sight of the marvelous work of God.

I. The First Group was the disciples.

As we saw last week, they were so focused on who was guilty of sin that they weren’t thinking about the fact that Jesus could heal this blind man.

God is more than capable of doing a wonderful work and healing blindness, but they were so consumed with judgment that they missed it.

John 9:2 “And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?”

They wanted to know who sinned so they could shift some blame. But Jesus makes it clear that his blindness wasn’t a result of someone’s specific sin. His blindness was an opportunity for God to reveal Himself in a mighty way. For God’s works to be manifest.

As conservative Christians, sometimes we’re so black and white about things. But it’s good for us to be reminded that God can work just as much in the life of someone who is nothing like us as He can in our own lives.

I’m thankful that God doesn’t limit His work to those who have it all together. Some of the best testimonies I’ve ever heard were from people who came out of significant lives of sin. And sometimes they’re the ones God uses the most.

Illustration: Michael Scott, killed a man and spent 16 years in prison, now serving on a church staff. I know people that used to be on drugs or were drunks or lived wicked lifestyles and God’s Marvelous work changed their lives.

Sin isn’t greater than God’s Marvelous works.

He forgives sinners

His grace is greater than sin

He can transform sinners into useable vessels to manifest His glory

Let’s not be so hasty to get caught up in casting judgment or placing blame. That’s the message Jesus sends His disciples.

Sin doesn’t prevent God’s Marvelous works. In fact, when sin is overcome by God’s work, it further confirms that His works is greater than sin.

Don’t miss the potential for Marvelous works by focusing on the presence of sin.

Another group of people so focused on details that they missed the Marvelous works of God were

II. The Man’s Neighbors

Vs. 8-10 - This man had neighbors that knew him. And you can hear the doubt and confusion in their words:

“Aren’t you the beggar?”

“Aren’t you the one that used to sit outside of my house?”

Some said, “I think this is him,” and others said, “It’s like him, but it can’t be him.”

They couldn’t believe that his eyes were opened.

They weren’t consumed with judgment. But they were definitely consumed with doubt.

“You’re not different. I remember what you used to be. I have my doubts that you’re different now.”

“Sure, you’re standing here looking me in the eyes, but I know what you were yesterday.”

God did a Marvelous work in this man’s life, but the people that had known him the longest downplayed the change in him.

We can allow someone’s past to cause us to miss what God is doing in their lives.

Think about the Apostle Paul. He was a persecutor and murderer of Christians. And look at what God did through Him.

People tried to write Paul off, “Oh, but his past. He’ll never be used.” But God delights to have His Marvelous works overcome a sketchy past and manifest His grace and power.

God’s marvelous works can overcome our past. Don’t

Illustration: Raising children, friends have kids our kids’ ages, we’ll see them after some time not being around them and I’m blown away at how much their kids have grown. Mine have too, but I forget that other people’s kids grow too.

Just because I didn’t see it happen doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

This is true for the Christian life as well.

Just because you remember how someone used to be doesn’t mean God’s Marvelous works haven’t changed their life.

If God can work in you, He can work in somebody else. You may not believe it, but maybe we ought to be more willing to give others the benefit of the doubt.

Give someone the same benefit of the doubt that you’d want them to give you.

Don’t miss the potential for Marvelous works by focusing on someone’s past.

The Third Group of people that missed the Marvelous works of God were

III. The Pharisees

This is the longest exchange. They had lots of problems with this man

He’d been healed on the Sabbath Day (vs. 14). That was a big no-no to the Pharisees. The Sabbath Day had become a sacred cow to them.

Vs. 16 - The Pharisees say, “This man isn’t from God, if He healed on the Sabbath Day. Everyone knows that our rules about the Sabbath are like God’s own commandments.”

They accuse Jesus of being a sinner (Vs. 16). What blasphemy. But they’re so caught up in their self-righteousness that they’re blinded to the truth.

Vs. 17 - They give the former blind man an opportunity to give his take on Jesus and he says, “He’s a prophet. He told me something would happen with my eyes, and it did!”

You’d think this would convince them, but it doesn’t.

Illustration: Neighbors accusing Steve Aldridge of not being blind because they saw him walking without a cane

So the Pharisees call the man’s parents and say, “Is this your son that used to be blind? Explain to us how he now sees!”

Read Vs. 20-23

They make it clear that their son was born blind, but they are trying to protect themselves from backlash, so they say, “Ask our son. He’s of age.”

Vs. 24-25 - What a statement.

As you read this account, there’s one person who isn’t so focused on the trees that he misses the forest - one person that hasn’t lost sight of the significance of what has happened. The blind man.

“I don’t have the answers to every question, but I know that a Marvelous work of God has changed my life. There’s a lot I don’t know, but this I do know.”

What an answer, and we’ll explore it more as we go, but it’s not good enough for the Pharisees.

They keep turning the screws. And when the man says, “Why do you keep asking? Are you going to become one of Jesus’ disciples?” that is the final straw.

They revile him. Abuse him. Accuse him of being a heretic for following Jesus instead of Moses. And this man gives the answer in vs. 30 that is the apex of the whole account:

John 9:30 “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.”

What a statement. The man, whom Christ said would have the works of God manifest in his blindness, knows what kind of Marvelous work has been done in life. He doesn’t have have every answer, but he knows something big has happened.

Look at the rest of his statement in John 9:31-33.

In summary, the man says, “If you hadn’t notice, not a blind folks get healed. But this man healed me, so He has to be God.”

But the Pharisees are looking at the trees and they miss the forest. All they can do is cast him out of the Temple.

The Pharisees were missing God’s Marvelous works because it didn’t match their expectations.

They had a box that they wanted God to fit into. And when Jesus came a different way, they weren’t happy.

“No one works on the Sabbath Day!”

“Only God can heal the blind!”

But God’s work is not obligated to meet our expectations.

Their expectations were off:

They didn’t expect God to work on a day they valued, so they missed His work.

They didn’t expect God to pick some no name blind man to manifest His glory, so they missed His work.

They didn’t expect God to come in the flesh and have a human body, so they missed God working.

They didn’t expect God to come out of Nazareth, so they missed Him.

They missed God working because God’s work didn’t look like they wanted it to.

There will be times that God is working but it doesn’t look like we thought it would.

We ask questions like:

“Why would God allow this trial in our family?”

It’s a natural question. But I want to encourage you today not to get so consumed with that question that you fail to see how God is working.

This man could have asked, “Why did God allow me to blind.” But instead of asking questions he didn’t have answers to, “I don’t know everything, but one thing I know is I was blind but now I see.”

“I’m not going to focus on what I don’t know. I choose to focus on what I know. God healed me.”

Be careful, in a season of difficulty, of focusing on unanswerable questions. Focus on what you know:

God loves you and He proved it on the cross.

If you’re saved, God has already worked in your life.

He has brought you through difficulties before.

We’re better at asking unanswerable questions than we are focusing on knowable truths.

“How is God going to work this situation out? I don’t see it.”

“Why would God allow those things things to take place in my past?”

“How is God going to provide for our finances?”

“How is this health situation going to work out?

“Why, how, when?”

All natural questions. But you may never know the answers.

One thing you can know is that God is working. This wine man could’ve asked many questions for decades. But like Jesus said at the beginning of the chapter, the whole time God was planning to use his situation to manifest God’s works. I’m glad the blind man didn’t miss it by focusing on unanswerable questions

Don’t miss the Marvelous works by focusing on questions you may never get an answer to.

What we can take away from this is God wants to make His works manifest through our trials. But we often miss it because we’re focused on unanswerable questions.

This blind man saw more clearly than people that had seen their whole lives.

“There is lots I can’t answer, but one thing I know, What God has done in my life is a Marvelous thing. I choose to focus on this one thing I know rather than the thousands of things I may never know.”

You may never know why you lost someone you love, but you can know that God never leaves you or forsakes you.

You may never know why someone did that thing, but you can know that God loves you and wants what’s best for you, even if someone else doesn’t.

You may never know why God would love you, but you can know that He does and He proved it on the cross when He sent Jesus, the Son of God, to die for your sins. You may have millions of questions, but instead, focus on what you know. You’re a sinner, you deserve to be separated from God, but God proved His love and sent His Son. And all He asks is for us to cry out to Him for salvation.

Some people never get saved because they focus on questions with no answers. But their greatest need, forgiveness of sins, has already been answered. Don’t miss salvation by focusing on unknowable things.

Don’t miss the forest for the trees.

If we finally get our eyes off of unknowable questions and focus on what we know, what might happen?

Vs. 35-36 - This is the blind man’s first time seeing Jesus. When Jesus sent him to Siloam with the mud on his eyes, he couldn’t see yet. So when Jesus comes to find him, He’s not sure this is the same man.

Vs. 37-38 - The man had many unanswered questions. But he wasn’t concerned with what he didn’t know. Instead of asking questions, he believed and worshipped Jesus.

CIT: God can do Marvelous works in our lives if we will shift our focus from asking unknowable question to worshipping a knowable Savior.

There’s so much we’ll never know. And if we’re not careful, it will drive us crazy.

Instead, have this mindset, “I don’t know much, but I know Jesus, and I believe He wants my best so I choose to worship.”

You can either ask questions or you can worship.

When you’re at the end of yourself, stop asking and start worshipping.

Just focus on Jesus Christ. Worship Him. Realize the Marvelous works He’s already done. He died for our sins. He offers us eternal life. He’s proven He loves us. If we’re saved, He’s already done a Marvelous work. Focus on that instead of unknowable questions.

When you don’t know what else to do, believe on and worship Jesus.