The Darkness That Makes You See
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION:
We read earlier from Mark’s gospel that at the crucifixion of Jesus…
“There was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”
And one thing we all know about darkness…
It makes seeing difficult—
Sometimes even impossible.
But the darkness of the cross is different.
Because this darkness…
doesn’t just make it hard to see—
It has the power to make you see.
Tonight, I want to show you that…
We can only truly see when we behold Christ in the darkness of the cross.
Now to understand this, we need to go to John chapter 9.
In John 9, Jesus heals a man who was born blind.
And instead of celebration…
It causes controversy.
Because Jesus did this on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees—these deeply religious leaders—are outraged.
So they investigate.
They interrogate the man.
They question his parents.
They refuse to believe what’s right in front of them.
And eventually…
They cast the man out of the synagogue.
Why?— Because he suggests that Jesus might actually be from God.
And then we read this in verses 35-41:
Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”
He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
Now this is fascinating because what we learn here is that while this story is about Jesus healing a blind man — The lesson is not about physical blindness — it’s about spiritual blindness.
Let’s consider briefly three things Jesus teaches us about spiritual blindness:
The Problem
The Cause
The Cure
The Problem
The Problem
First—what is spiritual blindness?
Very simply, it’s the inability to see two things:
You cannot see the reality of your own sin.
And you cannot see your need for grace.
Remember what’s happening in John 9.
The Pharisees take issue with Jesus healing on the Sabbath.
These were deeply religious men—zealous rule-keepers. This wasn’t just what they did… it was who they were.
They were so committed to keeping God’s law that they created extra rules to make sure they never broke the real ones.
So you can understand their shock in verse 40 when they realize Jesus might be calling them blind.
They ask: “Are we also blind?”
And the answer is—yes!
But they can’t see it.
That’s the problem.
They are blind…
To the reality of their own sin…
And to their need for grace.
So Jesus says to them:
“If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
In other words, their problem is not just that they are blind…
Their problem is that they think they can see.
Now understand this clearly:
Spiritual blindness is not…
A lack of morality
A lack of religion
A lack of intelligence
Spiritual blindness is false confidence about your true condition.
It’s thinking you’re okay…
when you’re really not.
And this is the most dangerous kind of blindness there is…
To be blind to your own blindness.
It’s like having a serious disease—something life-threatening—and refusing to admit it’s there…
So you never go to the doctor.
You never seek help.
Because as far as you’re concerned—you’re fine.
That’s what Jesus is exposing here.
And before we move on, we need to know this isn’t just about the Pharisees…
This is about us too.
Where might you be saying, “I can see”…
when in reality, you’re blind to some sin in your life?
Are you relying on being a “good person”?
Comparing yourself to others to feel secure?
Assuming you’re okay with God because you’re religious… or because you go to church?
Spiritual blindness says: “I’m fine.”
When in reality—you’re not.
And until that changes…
nothing else can.
Being blind to your own blindness is the problem Jesus identifies.
Now let’s consider the cause.
The Cause
The Cause
Now—we’re going to look more fully at the cure in a moment…
But before we get there, we need to see something here that helps us understand the cause of spiritual blindness.
Look again at verse 37.
When the man sees Jesus…
he believes in Him…
and then he worships Him.
What’s happening?
His worship is being redirected.
And that’s important—because while this is part of the cure…
It also reveals the cause.
The cause of spiritual blindness is misplaced worship.
The Pharisees didn’t think of themselves as idolaters.
But they were.
They didn’t bow to statues…
They bowed to their own moral goodness.
Keeping the law wasn’t just something they did…
It was who they were.
It was their identity.
Their worth.
Their righteousness.
And because of that…
They couldn’t see themselves clearly.
Let me show you how this works.
Many years ago, there was a writer featured in the New York Times who described what happened when his writing became the thing he lived for.
He said:
“When good writing was my only goal, I made the quality of my work the measure of my worth… It was my identity. It was my hope. It was my salvation.”
And then he said this:
“I wasn’t able to read my own writing well… I couldn’t tell whether it was good or bad, because I needed it to be good in order to feel sane… I lost the ability to see what was actually on the page.”
Do you see the problem?
When his writing became everything to him…
He could no longer see it clearly.
Because it had to be good.
Here’s the principle:
Whatever you live for…that thing will cause you lose the ability to see clearly.
Why? Because you need it to be true.
And this is exactly what happens spiritually.
This is why it doesn’t work to say:
“I’m going to clean my life up.”
“I’ll just try harder.”
“I’ll go to church more.”
“I’ll read my Bible more.”
“I’ll pray more… give more… serve more…”
Because if your hope is in your own goodness…
Then your goodness becomes your god.
And the moment that happens…
You lose the ability to see yourself honestly.
You will:
Minimize your sin
Justify your behavior
Compare yourself to others
Not because you’re unaware…
But because you need to believe you’re okay.
That’s exactly what the Pharisees were doing.
They were the most disciplined, committed, morally serious people in the room…
And they were completely blind. Why?
Because they were living for their own righteousness.
Now let’s make this personal.
What are you living for?
What is it that defines your worth?
Being a good person?
Being respected?
Being liked or popular?
Being religious?
Being right?
Being in control?
Because whatever that is…
That’s the place where you are most likely to be blind.
The cause of spiritual blindness is misdirected worship.
It’s when you live for something other than God…
And let that thing become the measure of your worth.
And until that changes…
You will not be able to see clearly.
Now—let’s look at the cure.
The Cure
The Cure
Remember what Jesus asked the man when He found him:
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The man responds:
“Who is he…that I may believe in him?”
And Jesus says:
“You have seen him…in fact, He is the one speaking to you.”
And the man says:
“Lord, I believe.”
And he worshiped Him.
Do you see what’s happening?
He sees Jesus for who He is…
Then he believes…
And then he worships.
That’s how sight comes.
Now listen to how Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 4
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Friends, we have a real enemy…
And his aim is to keep you blind.
To keep you from seeing Christ clearly.
But then Paul says in verse 6:
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
So yes—our enemy blinds…
But God is in the business of opening eyes!
He opens your eyes to see:
The reality of your sin
Your need for grace
And the glory—the beauty—the worth—of Jesus Christ
And tonight, we see the light of Jesus most clearly…
Not in His miracles.
Not in His teaching.
But in His darkness.
Remember what happened at the cross.
The sky went dark.
But there was an even deeper darkness.
Because right after that, Jesus cries out:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Church, there is no greater darkness than this.
The Son of God…
Forsaken by the Father.
The Light of the world…
Entering into a darkness we cannot comprehend.
And when you look at Christ there—
in that darkness—
You begin to see what it took to save you.
Not your effort.
Not your goodness.
But this:
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
A Christian poet named Luci Shaw captures this so beautifully:
“Blind in my womb to know my darkness ended,
Brought to this birth
For me to be reborn,
And for him to see me mended
I must see him torn.”
That’s it.
To see yourself clearly…
You must see Him torn.
To see your sin clearly…
You must see what it cost.
To see the love of Christ clearly…
You must see the darkness He entered for you.
And when you see this…Something changes.
You no longer need to prove yourself.
You no longer need to defend yourself.
You no longer need to pretend.
Because your worth is no longer based on you…
It’s anchored in what Christ has done for you.
And that’s how you know your eyes are beginning to open:
Because your worship starts to shift.
From yourself…To Christ.
So let me ask you tonight:
Have you seen Him?
Not just heard the story before…
But have you seen—
what it took to save you?
Have you seen Him in the darkness of the cross…
Torn…
Forsaken…
And bearing your sin!?
If so, stop looking to yourself.
Stop trying to prove that you’re okay.
Stop measuring your worth by your performance.
And turn to Christ.
Trust Him.
Worship Him.
Because you can only truly see…
when you behold Christ in the darkness of the cross.
CONCLUSION:
So, we learned three things about spiritual blindness tonight:
The problem…We are blind to our own blindness
The cause…Our worship is misplaced
And the cure…Our eyes are opened when our worship is redirected—when we see Christ in the darkness of the cross
Remember: The darkness of Good Friday…
Is not just something that makes it hard to see.
It is the very place where we begin to see clearly.
Because at the cross, we finally see the truth:
We see our sin—
Not minimized… not explained away…
But paid for.
We see our need for grace—
Not as an idea… but as a necessity.
And we see the love of Christ—
Not in words alone…
But in His body torn…
And His blood poured out.
Now as we come to the Lord’s Supper tonight…
You are welcome if you’re eyes have been opened
and you have turned to Christ by faith for the forgiveness of your sins.
Now, let’s come to the table—and look to Christ together.
COMMUNION:
CLOSING SONG: When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
CLOSING WORDS:
What a perfect song to end with tonight.
We’ve just done what Isaac Watts invited us to do—
We have surveyed the wondrous cross.
We’ve looked again at Christ crucified…
At His love poured out…
At His body torn…
At the darkness He entered for us.
And when we truly see that…
We say with the hymn:
“Love so amazing, so divine…
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”
But spoiler alert: tonight is not the end of the story.
Because our hope…
And our joy…
Are not found in a crucified Christ alone—
But in the risen Christ.
The cross is where our sin was paid for…
But the resurrection is where our hope is secured.
The cross shows us His love…
But the empty tomb shows us His victory.
So I invite you to join us again this Sunday morning at 10:30…
To celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ—
To rejoice that the One who was crucified…
Is now alive forevermore.
BENEDICTION: 2 Corinthians 13:14
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
Amen
Go now in quiet reflection…
But come back this Sunday ready to rejoice!
