I Was Blind, But Now I See

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Today we are going to finish our study of John 9. I encourage you to open your Bibles to John 9, and follow along.
Jesus has just come from the temple after clearly declaring that He is God by using the very name that God gave to Moses.
The Jews were incensed that Jesus would claim to be God, and tried to seize Him, but He slipped away.
As Jesus was leaving the temple area, He saw this man who was born blind.
The disciples were distracted from the suffering and were more interested in the philosophical question of who was at fault, when they had Jesus there who has already healed people who were blind. Jesus tells them that this man was there that God would display His work in Him.
Then, Jesus told His disciples that while He was in the world, He was the light of the world.
We looked at that portion of John 9 the last two weeks. Today we are moving through the rest of the chapter.
John 9:6–7 NIV
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

Why this method?

Why did Jesus spit and make mud? Why put this on the man’s eyes? Why tell him to go wash it off?
In the past, as Matthew recorded it in Matthew 9:29, Jesus touched two blind men and they could see.
In Matthew 12:22, Matthew 15:30 and Matthew 21:14 Jesus healed multiple blind people, and no mention of any ritual is made.
In Matthew 15:34 Jesus healed two blind men after touching their eyes.
We know that Jesus could just speak and people would be healed. Sometimes He touched people and healed them. I think that touch was a way of showing the people how much he cared, especially when he touched the lepers.
But, why, on this occasion, did Jesus make mud and tell the man to wash?
I think there are two answers here.
One: Jesus did not go about creating a ritual.
People are too quick to latch onto rituals and think that the rituals have power. It is not any ritual that has the power to heal. It is Jesus who has the power to heal.
Acts 19 - rituals, talismans, incantations, words of power
Second: I think Jesus was using this man to fulfill His role of being the Light of the world. He had a purpose for sending this man to the pool of Siloam.

Why the Pool of Siloam?

Remember that Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Tabernacles. During this feast, the priests would make trips from the Pool of Siloam to the temple to pour water at the base of the altar. “Pilgrims to the feast watched this ritual, which Jews throughout the Roman world thus knew; it was even commemorated on souvenir jars they could take home with them.”
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Jn 7:37.
Jesus knew that people and priests would be there, and He the Light of the World, wanted them to know what He had done.
Here was a man who was commonly known to be blind from birth, and he was going to be healed for all to see, one of the three Messianic Miracles! (The healing of leprosy, the casting out of a mute demon, and the healing of one born blind)
Also, during this last day of the feast, Jesus had been repeatedly tellling the people that God sent Him.
Sent
John 7:16 NIV
Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.
John 7:18 NIV
Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.
John 7:28–29 NIV
Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
John 7:30 NIV
At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
John 8:16 NIV
But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.
John 8:18 NIV
I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”
John 8:26 NIV
“I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”
John 8:29 NIV
The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”
John 8:42 NIV
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me.
Now, this man would show up at the pool called sent, and be healed from His blindness! Something only the One sent by God; that is, something only God, the Messiah could do. This was Jesus showing clearly that He is God the Messiah!
But how did they react?
John 9:8–10 NIV
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

The people’s reaction

First, denial. This couldn’t be the man. It just looks like him. Why? Because no one born blind had ever been healed. It just doesn’t happen.
But yet, here he was! It was him! So, how did this happen?
John 9:11 NIV
He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
I love his answer. the man they call Jesus. He had never seen Jesus. He had only heard about him. But he knew that Jesus healed him.
Well, this was a Messianic miracle! What could this mean?
This goes back to chapter seven when the people were wondering about Jesus, “Is he the Messiah?” John 7:26.
How did the Pharisees respond to this?
John 9:13–16 NIV
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

The Pharisees’ reaction

He does not keep the Sabbath. This could have been because Jesus spit, which was work because you are watering, or because he made mud which was work of kneading. The Pharisees were know for coming up with rules about what was work so they would not break the Sabbath.
But, on the other hand, this was a miracle. How do we answer that?
John 9:17 NIV
Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
I love the man’s answer! He is growing in his understanding. Before, he said the man Jesus. Now, he realizes he is more than a man. He is a prophet, one sent by God!
Well, this did not satisfy the Pharisees, who were really out to get Jesus. They already tried to seize Jesus twice during this festival. How, do they stop the crowds from following this Jesus and calling Him the Messiah?
Ah! maybe he wasn’t really blind!
Deny the miracle!
John 9:18–19 NIV
They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
John 9:20–23 NIV
“We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

The parents’ response

They were afraid. Being cast out of the synagogue would make one a social outcast. It would basically drive them away from friends and family. They would lose everything. And if they livelihood depended on buying and selling, they would likely lose their customers.
While I imagine the parents had to be thrilled about what Jesus did for their son, their fear of man kept them from opening up.
John 9:24–25 NIV
A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
John 9:26–27 NIV
Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
John 9:28–33 NIV
Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

The man’s response

The same thing the Pharisees already said and knew from verse 16. This man knew it, and came to the logical conclusion, This man is from God!
The Pharisees were unwilling to accept it. This man accepted it!
This man had not see Jesus. He did not see what Jesus was doing. But he knew Jesus healed Him. He accepted what he knew. He had faith! Don’t believe the lie that Christianity is a matter of blind faith. Christianity is a matter of faith because we see what God has done. We may not see all, or understand all, but we have faith because God has shown the light of the truth of who He is and what He has done upon us.
John 9:34 NIV
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
They could not argue the facts, so they resorted to what many still resort to today… character assassination.
John 9:35–38 NIV
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Growing in faith

I love the progression. The blind man first tells the people, the man Jesus healed me.
Later he tells the Pharisees that Jesus is a prophet! He is certainly sent by God!
Finally, when he meets Jesus, He believes that He is the Son of Man. He believes He is God.
Son of Man is from Daniel 7:13
Daniel 7:13–14 NIV
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
The Son of Man in Daniel was distinct from the Ancient of Days, yet in other passages, He is God who has this everlasting dominion. Just another way the Old Testament gave evidence to the Trinity, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit, the great three in one who is God.
Jesus brings this whole matter to a conclusion.
John 9:39–41 NIV
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

Jesus’ Conclusion

For judgment I have come into the world. Does this contradict John 3:17-18 where Jesus says that God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him?
No, Jesus did not come to judge at this time. But, His coming and His work are the basis upon which men will be judged.
What is the basis for the future judgment?
John 3:17–19 NIV
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
Interestingly, in both passages, you have Jesus being referred to as the Light of the world.
The basis for the judgment is what men do with Jesus. If they believe that He is the savior who came to save them from sin, they will be saved. If they refuse to believe, they will be condemned.
If Jesus had not come into the world, they could not be judged for whether they accept Him or reject Him. He had to come to give the basis for the judgment.
Now that He came and showed that He is the Light, He is the One that shines the way to go, which is faith in Him, men will be judged by whether they accept or reject Him.
The reason people reject such a wonderful offer of eternal life… their deeds are evil, and they do not want to admit it.
That is what the Pharisees dealt with. They were willfully ignorant. They refused to admit their own weakness. They refused to admit their own selfish ambitions and desires. They refused to admit their own need for a savior.
Because they thought they saw clearly, their guilt remained.

What about me?

There are a number of ways to apply this passage to our own lives.
Salvation -
Fear, Anxiety - as long as I try to do it myself, I will remain anxious
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXX Sight for Those Who See Not (No. 1,798)

It is not our littleness that hinders Christ; but our bigness. It is not our weakness that hinders Christ; it is our strength. It is not our darkness that hinders Christ; it is our supposed light that holds back his hand. It is easier to save us from our sins than from our righteousnesses. Our self-righteousness is that hideous boa-constrictor which seems to coil itself round and round our spirit, and to crush out of us all the life that would receive the gospel of the grace of God.

Homework
Read John 9:1-7. Why would John make reference to the Pool of Siloam, and the word “sent”? Do a search through the gospel of John for the word sent. How significant was this word to Jesus’ description of His ministry. Why is it so important that God, the Ancient of Days, sent Him?
Read John 9:8-34. This time through, pay attention to the people’s reactions to Jesus’ work of healing the blind man. How did his neighbors react? How did the Pharisees react? Many today refuse to believe in God working supernaturally. How are their reactions similar to the neighbors, or the Pharisees? Sometimes, we can deny that God worked. Sometimes we would rather give the credit to medical science, or other rational explanations. Ask God to open our eyes to see Him at work this week.
Read John 9. Pay attention to the man’s growing understanding of Jesus. What did he say to the neighbors about Jesus? To the Pharisees? To Jesus? The “Son of Man” title comes from Daniel 7:13. In that passage the Son of Man is given dominion, glory and a kingdom. He is basically given the kingdom and sent to rule. Jesus claims to be the Son of Man. What is the man’s response when Jesus makes this plain? Was this man’s faith a ‘blind-faith’? Is your faith a ‘blind-faith’?
Read John 9:18-23. How did the man’s parents respond to the Pharisees? Why? Put yourself in their shoes. Do you think they knew how their son received his sight? Why would they not speak up? Are you ever afraid of what people think? Are you ever afraid of being an outcast? How does the blind man’s courage inspire you? Why was he able to speak so boldly? What did his parents focus on? What did the blind man focus on?
Read John 9:39-41. Those who claimed to see so clearly, the Pharisees were called blind by Jesus? Why? The Pharisees were confident that they were righteous by their own efforts. Is there any area of your life where you seek to get by on your own efforts? Fear? Anxiety? Anger? Depression? Addiction? Are you done struggling in that area because of your efforts? How might realizing our blindness help? If we realize we are blind, what can Jesus do? He is the Light of the world. Ask Him to show you the way to deal with your issues of life. Talk with a friend, elder, pastor and seek what Jesus says, the direction He gives, and find His help for your struggles.
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