John 9 Born Blind

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What’s up Freedom Church!?
It is so good to be back here. I love you I love what God is doing here in Gloucester through this church!
I praise God for the way He is focusing this church on the next generation. Churches die out when the adults are totally focused on themselves the you are forgotten or isolated.
I was once at a church were there was a myth. The myth was that there were no youth at the church, so we didn’t need a youth group. The reality was that there were 14 kids between the ages of 12-18 represented by the families that attended the church. They either didn’t attend church or they went to another church’s youth group.
By the grace of God the leadership of the church was able to expose that myth, identify and train youth leaders and launch a youth ministry that is still vibrant to this day. Now they could have missed that.
It is likely that many of you are here today because of someone’s ministry to you as a child.
That church I as a part of had their blinders on. But thank God Jesus removed the blinders.
The scripture we are reading from today deals with a man who was born blind. We are in John chapter 9. We have a lot of ground to cover so I’m going to jump right in.

Chapter 9

As Jesus walks along he sees a man born blind -
A man born blind can’t see God, they can’t see anything
but a man born blind is seen by God.
If you’re here today and you’re feeling and thinking and maybe even saying to God, “Do you even see me?” Here’s your answer. He sees. He sees you.
God sees us in our brokenness.
Jesus’ disciples are walking along with Jesus, they also see the man born blind. Now they ask why was the man born blind? Did he sin or his parents?
The disciples correctly understand that the reason every evil under the sun is the result of sin.
There is a general curse of sin that creates random chaos and destruction across the entire planet.
Every sickness, disease, malformation of nature, curse, every form of wickedness and evil exists in this world because of sin.
In fact the bible says that all of creation (every living thing suffers - cries out) groans under the weight of sin
The disciples want to know specifically, who exactly is responsible for this particular form of evil. A child born blind.
The Bible says that some sins can cause people to suffer, get sick, or die.
For example in John 5:14, Jesus found a sick man in the temple after healing him and told him, “See, you are well!” Don’t sin anymore so bad things don’t happen to you.
In 1 Cor 11:30 Paul also talks about some people in the church who were sick, weak, or even died because they took the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy way.
So, it is possible that a child could be born with some physical deformation due to his parent’s sin.
There are children born today who are suffering because of the choices their parents made.
But that is not what is happening here.
The disciples incorrectly limit their view to assigning blame.
Most of the time we only see brokenness.
We need to get God’s vision!
God sees us in our brokenness and works through it anyway!
What else is broken? In verse 4 Jesus said,

4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jesus is saying this, because he knows. As soon as he heals this young man. The Pharisees are going to want to say. AHA!!! We got him! He’s working on the Sabath - he has broken Shabbat.
The 4th of the ten commandments says, “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.”
According to the Pharisees, Jesus broke the Sabbath because he healed. Healing equals work, and no work is allowed therefore he must die!
Makes a lot of sense right?
They were already plotting, and trying to figure out how they are going to kill Jesus “Lawfully”
In Mark 3:4, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. The Pharisees ask Him about it.
Jesus simply asked, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, to save life rather than to destroy it?”.
he asked them this because He knew they wanted to kill him!!
So Jesus’ argument is, “What’s better should we HEAL on the Sabbath, or should we kill on the Sabbath?!”
You give people enough time and they will show you who they are wont they?
Jesus showed us he’s the Light of this world.
John 5, Jesus said, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.” 18 Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God”
That’s because he is God.
Jesus knows his time is short so he’s going to be doing the job that his Father sent him to do.
This day, It’s about healing a man born blind in order to demonstrate God’s power and make it very clear who he is!
God sees us in our brokenness and works through it anyway.
Then - (VERSE 6)

6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

Jesus Spit on the ground because he is once again pointing back to the fact that he is God.
HE MADE mud.
Gen 2:7 “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”
Jesus, IS GOD. He is creator.
But he’s pointing to the fact that from the dust of the ground he created man. So, of course he can recreate new ones inside this man’s eye sockets.
WHY? Why has this happened? People’s lives are riddled, and crippled, and marked by one travesty, one disaster after another because of the consequences of sin. Sometimes by their own fault but sometimes through no fault of their own!
But God, will create something good. God will make something good come from nothing. God will give vision, where there is none.
We can ask the why question. It’s a perfectly good question. But once we have the answer… what will we do with it?
Jesus said, “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”
God is allowing all of the evil we see around us to run its course in this world. I’m not claiming to know all of the whys.
What I do know is that he’s saying, even if there is evil, I’m still going to show my power and I’m STILL going to bring about good.
Because God is good - those are his works - good.
It’s God who says,
“I’m still going to bring beauty from these ashes.”
“I’m still going to bring water from a rock in the desert.”
“I’m still going to make dry bones come alive.”
“Even though this man was born blind, I’m going to show my power!
I am going to show you what I am like!
I am going to show you how I see you!”
You look unclean, you look like a sinner, you look blind and deaf, unlovable, and unserviceable, but I am going to work through those circumstance to demonstrate my power!
God is working in contrast to the brokenness of this world to make himself known!
Jesus’ life is God’s testimony, his witness, and his example to us.
While the disciples see a man born blind and wonder about the sin,
Jesus is present,
Jesus sees the brokenness ,
Jesus heals and makes people whole (physically, emotionally, and spiritually)
God sees us in our brokenness and works through it anyway so that he can be clearly revealed.
Verse 8

8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”

But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”

10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”

11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”

12 “Where is he now?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

The man is healed, he goes and he washes, he comes back. People that know him are like what’s the deal? This isn’t the same guy. He’s like no I am the same guy. They say, “How did this happen who healed you?
That guy Jesus made some mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me to wash in the pool of the sent, now I can see!
Where is he now?
IDK?
verse 13

13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”

16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.

17 Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”

The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”

So they bring the young man to the religious leaders.
The Pharisees question him, he tells his story…
THE BIG question now?
Is this man from God or is this man from Earth?
What are the arguments?
A. This man is from God BECAUSE:
he healed a man born blind, and there are witnesses.
no ordinary man could do such miraculous things.
therefore, he must at the very least be a prophet
B. This man is not from God BECAUSE:
He healed on the Sabbath and we deem healing a work, so he must be sinning.
Why is it even a question?
It’s a question because if Jesus is not from God then no one need listen to him and the religious leaders could justify themselves in killing him.
The motivating factor is a desire for murder.
It doesn’t matter what the facts are. It doesn’t matter what happened.
We can tell when people are under the influence of the kingdom of darkness because they seek to put others under the same dark power through fear.
they use and abuse people
they murder and steal
then lie to cover it up
and while doing this they may even act as if they are doing God’s work.
but their god is actually the devil
Remember the chapter just before this one Jesus said this to them?
John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!
The Pharisees ask the man, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?” The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”
Right? I mean, if you were born blind. A man says he’s from God, and wants to demonstrate God’s power in you, comes up and heals you! At the very least, common sense would tell you, this is a prophet!!! It only makes natural sense.
They don’t care. They’re out for blood.
God sees us in our brokenness and works through it anyway so that he can be clearly revealed.
God heals our brokenness so that we will be a light to others - but we need to realize, there may be conflict.
Jesus is not only demonstrating the power of God, he’s exposing the worse kind of blindness. - Spiritual blindness.
Verse 18

18 The Jewish leaders

So no matter what the evidence is, they’re still not going to believe. In fact, they REFUSED to believe.
They heard the man, but their refusal is willful and their mission for murder is more important than the evidence. They are determined.
We don’t like what the kid said, moving on, where are this kid’s parents? What do they have to say?
They said,
Yes this is our son.
Yes he was born blind.
No we do not know how he can see.
No we do not know who healed him.
He can speak for himself.
Again, we know people are under the influence of the demonic realm, when they seek to put others under the same dark power through fear.
But when we submit to other’s fear tactics, we bring ourselves under the kingdom of the same darkness.
When God initiates a move in our life to believe in him we have to ask, is it worth it?
Jesus said, we have to count the cost of following him.
following Jesus is like a construction project, can you finish the job, or are people going to laugh at you because you can’t finish it?
following Jesus is like a war, can you win the fight, or do you need to send a delegation out to surrender and make peace?
Luke 14: 26-27 Jesus said, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”
So for now, at least, the parents aren’t willing to sacrifice their status in the community.
It’s the same way when the Holy Spirit begins to give us spiritual eyes to see and begins to draw us out from our place in the world and into the Kingdom of God, we have to count the cost.
verse 24 —>

24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”

25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”

26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”

27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”

30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”

34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.

We’ve got this grown man, he just got healed of being blind. Why is anyone mad about this?
But here they are. The pharisees are re-questioning him as if he’s some kind of criminal because they didn’t like what he said the first time and then they didn’t like what his parents had to say about it.
Imagine what this kid is going through. He can see - for the first time ever! It should be the happiest day of his life.
He’s like well you’re asking so many questions I guess you want to be his disciples too.
They start raging - calling him names.
He knows almost nothing about Jesus except that Jesus healed him and starts dropping truth bombs on them.
So Jesus not only shows the power of God by healing this kid but by also turning him into a preacher and a teacher of the Pharisees on day one.
He’s sitting here making the same arguments that Jesus has.
He says, “A healing of blindness has never occured in our whole history and you, the teachers of the law can’t even figure this out? You think this man isn’t from God? He has to be!”
So now we see what it looks like to become a light for Jesus.
When God does a work in our life…
He’ll show his power in our life through what’s broken!
He’ll do a work and demonstrate his power as a beacon to all who might see HIM, hear HIM, and believe!
For HE, is the light!
And HE, makes us who believe to be a light!
We can expect opposition, to be misunderstood, we can expect opposition and uncertainty. We can expect satan to try to use people to reject us and try to turn us away from Jesus.
If you follow Jesus, you’re likely going to experience rejection from some people somewhere.
Listen to this… verse 35
35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The title “Son of Man” is a biblical prophetic code word for the Messiah.
36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
God sees us in our brokenness and works through it anyway so that he can be clearly revealed.
God heals our brokenness so that we will be a light to others - there may be conflict.
But let’s look at this young man’s journey with Jesus over the course of a day…
He goes from calling Jesus “the man” to calling Jesus “a prophet” to calling Jesus “Lord”.
that’s a revelation only God can give.
When the Pharisees sincerely don’t want to know the LORD, he let’s them stay blind.
When this young man truly wants to believe, he gives him vision and further revelation.
If you don’t believe this young man’s witness and testimony and worship of God.
Let me give you a bit of mine. When I was 21. I was in the Army. I was living a very extreme lifestyle. I was a very lost young man.
I was wrestling with the idea that I was probably going to end up dead soon because of the way I was living and the things I was doing… I certainly wasn’t going to stop on my own. I had experienced so much that, this world, all of society and all of the influences on culture had told me and that the people around me had said would fulfill me. But I was empty… and I knew if I stayed on the path I was on I wasn’t going to live much longer.
I got this idea though. I was going to pray. I had already had a few experiences over the last year or so that were pointing me in this direction. So I prayed, “God, I’m getting tired of this life I’m living. I’m about to put in my contacts and they will make me see clearly physically. But, if your real, will you show me what you see? Will you show me the world through your eyes? Because if you are real, I wanna know.
That night God showed me the night club I went to was a temple where people worshiped various false gods.
He showed me that people were making themselves their own gods and worshiping themselves.
He showed me that my friends gave me a false friendship and that he wanted to show me a true friendship and love.
He showed me that I was steeped in sin and needed to repent.
He showed me that I needed to turn myself in to the police and go to jail.
When I got to jail he showed me that the cell block I entered had holy people, that that cell block was a holy place.
As I read the bible for the next 4 days he showed me, just like this young man born blind that He - Jesus - is the man, the prophet, the priest, and my King - the LORD GOD MOST HIGH.
He showed me I could laugh at the bars of the jail cell because I was more free in this jail than I had ever been outside of it.
I’ve never been the same since.
I would invite everyone here to make it a spiritual practice to ask God to show you the world through his eyes. When you read the bible pray that prayer. When you start your day and throughout your day. Ask God to give you vision from his perspective. He will change your life, if you let him.
If you want prayer I would encourage you to come forward I’d be glad to pray with you about God giving you his perspective and his vision for you and your life. We can pray for each other. I still need vision too.
But let’s enter this time of worship and prayer together seeking Him and his vision his perspective his kingdom and his glory. Amen.
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