God’s Transformative Work (9:1-41)

I’m the man born blind. Let me tell you my story.

Born blind. I was born blind, either because of my sin or my parents. I know this because it was often the topic of conversation for those who would walk by me as I sat outside the temple. Awkward! I always assumed my parents were to blame. That made it easier.

I know this now. I didn’t understand then. While I was physically blind from birth, I was also spiritually blind from birth. Both Isaiah and Zephaniah prophesied of how the Messiah would come and give sight to the blind. I always appreciated these verses. Of course, I was more focused on the physical aspect of these verses than any spiritual aspect. Jesus, on the other hand, as I would come to find out, physically healed many of my blind friends and I, but more importantly, he transformed my spiritual blindness into spiritual sight.

At the time of my healing my parents were still alive. I was a young adult. In this culture you may have considered me a youth still. For nearly two decades I had supplemented my parent’s income by begging at the temple. They were poor, and this was the only way we got by.

Couldn’t worship. I had never seen, so I didn’t really know what I was missing as far as my sight was concerned. I was aware, however, of a lot of things I couldn’t do. Of course, I missed out on all the things you might expect of a blind child. I couldn’t play with the other kids. I couldn’t get around by myself. I needed help getting ready and doing normal daily activities. But, one thing you may have not considered was that I couldn’t worship.

You may recall that Jesus came to me after he had fled the temple. I always sat outside the temple because I couldn’t sit inside the temple. The blind and the lame were not allowed in the temple. They thought we would defile it.

This goes all the way back to Moses’ writings in Leviticus. Moses told the Jews that no blind or lame could serve as priests (). Of course, this didn’t mean that I couldn’t worship in the temple, but only that I couldn’t be offer sacrifices as a priest.

The problem had more to do with David than with Moses’ law. The reason I couldn’t worship in the temple goes all the way back to when David sieged Jerusalem back when the Jebusites were in control. The Jebusites wanted to embarrass and ridicule David, so they placed the lame and blind on the walls to defend the city. Ever since then, David loathed the lame and the blind and said, “the blind and the lame shall not come into the house of God” ().

Of course, the Pharisees took this as law and ever since then have prohibited us from coming in.

John’s primary purpose in his book is to prove that Jesus is the Messiah so that unbelievers will believe in Him and have life (). John accomplishes this by offering three sets of seven, 7 signs, 7 witnesses, and 7 I AM statements. In , the apostle John introduces one of the seven I AM statements, “I am the light of the world” (). In chapter 9, John offers a physical illustration of this spiritual reality. In similar fashion to this man being born blind and receiving physical sight; all mankind was born spiritually blind, and Jesus can give us spiritual sight.

Now, I don’t think that’s what Jesus wanted. I say that because I can remember a day. It was after the first time he cleansed the temple of all the merchants. He was in the temple. Of course, it was more empty than normal because of all the people he had just chased out. While in the temple, he called many lame and blind to himself and he healed them in the temple. I remember how mad the Pharisees were because of that ().

So, while I was daily by the temple, I had never actually gone in and worshipped like everyone else.

Relationship with fearful parents. My parents and I had a strained relationship for a while following Jesus healing me. They had been so afraid of the Pharisees that they had barely even acknowledged I was there son. They didn’t stand up for me at all. I get it though.

They were afraid of the Pharisees. The Pharisees has already warned that if anyone talked about or believed in Jesus that they would be cast out of the synagogue. This was a really big deal. There were three ways in which they would cast some one out of the synagogue.

For smaller offenses, they would kick you out for 7 days. This was obviously not good, but you were able to come back if you repented to them. The second form lasted for 30 days. The final form was the worst by far. Not only were you kicked out of the synagogue, you were cut off from all social interaction as well. You couldn’t talk with anyone. No one could even give you directions. While you could buy food and necessities, you were forbidden from eating and drinking with anyone. And what was worse, since our eternal salvation was contingent on our connection to the Jewish people, we feared eternal damnation as well.

So, obviously it was a big deal if you got kicked out of the synagogue. So, we were all afraid of the Pharisees and we did whatever they told us to do.

Yet, I can recall, once Jesus healed me, I had a certain boldness that I hadn’t possessed up to that point. The Pharisees kept pressing me about Jesus. I was pretty frustrated. It seemed rather obvious to me. How could someone heal a blind man if he were not from God? I can remember what I told them right before they kicked me out. “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” ().

Isn’t that obvious, but they just couldn’t see it.

Recap. So, I’m blind. I can’t worship and my parents are about to abandon me out of fear of the Pharisees.

John’s primary purpose in his book is to prove that Jesus is the Messiah so that unbelievers will believe in Him and have life (). John accomplishes this by offering three sets of seven, 7 signs, 7 witnesses, and 7 I AM statements. In , the apostle John introduces one of the seven I AM statements, “I am the light of the world” (). In chapter 9, John offers a physical illustration of this spiritual reality. In similar fashion to this man being born blind and receiving physical sight; all mankind was born spiritually blind, and Jesus can give us spiritual sight.

Then Jesus came into my story. He gave me sight. He allowed me truly worship for the first time and he gives me boldness to stand up for the truth instead of being driven by fear.

Now let me be really clear. You might be tempted to think this story is all about me and the kindness Jesus showed me. Honestly, I had very little to do with this whole event. I was just a blind person that God used to make a point.

I struggled processing this for a long time. My entire life of blindness. All my suffering. All the criticism and rejection I experienced. All the pain I endured. The embarrassment of begging - God had not only allowed it all but had orchestrated it all for this one moment. God wanted to be glorified as Jesus displayed his deity by healing me. I largely benefited from this event but that was secondary to God using my physical blindness as an example for all the Jews to see how Jesus would heal our spiritual blindness.

John’s primary purpose in his book is to prove that Jesus is the Messiah so that unbelievers will believe in Him and have life (). John accomplishes this by offering three sets of seven, 7 signs, 7 witnesses, and 7 I AM statements. In , the apostle John introduces one of the seven I AM statements, “I am the light of the world” (). In chapter 9, John offers a physical illustration of this spiritual reality. In similar fashion to this man being born blind and receiving physical sight; all mankind was born spiritually blind, and Jesus can give us spiritual sight.

Jesus does a mighty work in transforming this man born blind.[1] Let’s consider three transformative works accomplished in this narrative.

Blind from birth. “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth” (). We’ve already established that his blindness was not caused by some sin in him or his parents but instead was orchestrated so that God could be glorified in this moment.

However, this man was not only born physically blind but as well spiritually blind. And, while Jesus transformative work in gifting this man sight is tremendous and supernatural, this man receiving spiritual sight is even more fantastic.

This man’s spiritual blindness is as well experienced by the neighbors and pharisees that question him, yet they are oblivious to their spiritual darkness. And it is this spiritual darkness in which we are born. In 2 Corinthians, Paul acknowledges this spiritual darkness, a darkness which is the result of “the god of this world” blinding the “minds of unbelievers” so that they will be unable to see the “light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” ().

Isaiah uses the concept of blindness in characterizing rebellious Israel, and Zephaniah points to their hardened hearts as the cause of their blindness. And it is this spiritual blindness that Jesus came to address. Jesus connects his earthly ministry to Isaiah’s prophecy and proclaims, “The Spirit of the Lord . . . has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” ().[2]

Called to wash. “And said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing” (). Siloam was a pool on the south side of Jerusalem which was fed by the Gihon Springs up on the temple mount. Hezekiah had built this pool so that if the city was under a siege, this pool would offer a water supply. The name Siloam means sent. From the temple hill the water was sent to the pool of Siloam. From the temple of God, water was sent down the mountain to the pool. No wonder many people believed this water to be effective for purification. It was water sent from the temple of God. I can’t imagine that it is only coincidence that Jesus was the water of life sent down to earth from throne of God. This blind man would receive physical sight when he washed in this water sent from the temple of God, and he would receive spiritual sight when he washed in the water sent from Heaven – Jesus Christ.

Transformed over time. I don’t want to over emphasize this thought because Jesus often healed people immediately. In this case, he chooses to not do so, likely because of the chaos it would have stirred immediately following the Jews trying to stone him. However, this blind man’s transformation was not immediate. (1) Instead of being immediately healed, the blind man was sent to the pool of Siloam. (2) This process of transformation as well reveals itself as his boldness increases in the increasingly dramatic conversations. Initially he refers to Jesus as a prophet (9:17). In the next heated interrogation, the MBB asks the religious leaders if they want to become his disciples (9:27), and finally he declares “if this man were not from God, he could do nothing” (9:33). (3) Jesus more fully reveals himself to the MBB and the man believes. (4) The man worships.

While this man’s experience is offered in a truncated story, it offers a picture of the normal transformation of the Spirit’s work in our lives. The Spirit transforms us gradually but certainly.

Motivated by fear of man (9:22). In verses 18-23, the Pharisees interrogate the parents. John adds a parenthetical explanation near the end of this discussion. John writes, “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.” ( ESV).

This chapter. The Pharisees held inordinate power over the Jewish people. Naturally, the average Jew remained in fear of doing anything that might draw their anger and judgment. On multiple occasions within this story itself, John reveals their power. (1) The neighbors wanted this potential issue resolved and brought the MBB to the Pharisees. Why? Because they held the power. (2) As just noted, the man’s parents stand in fear of saying anything wrong to the Pharisees so they direct the Pharisee to talk to him directly. (3) Ultimately the Pharisees display their power in that not only do they possess the authority but the use their authority to kick the MBB out of the synagogue.

John’s Gospel. Throughout John’s gospel this power is displayed. (1) In chapter 1, the Pharisees are the ones sent to question and assess John the Baptist. (2) In chapter 3, Nicodemus, a Pharisee, anxiously approaches Jesus at night out of fear of his fellow Pharisees. (3) In chapter 4, Jesus leaves Judea and goes to Galilee because the Pharisees hear that He is baptizing more than John the Baptist. (4) In chapter 7, the Jewish people won’t talk about Jesus because they fear the “Jewish authorities.” Even individual Pharisees fear the whole group and are silenced. (5) In chapter 12, following Christ’s triumphal entry, some of the rulers “believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue” ().

From these passages, we can appropriately reason that the Pharisees practically held the authority to deny access to the synagogue.

Talmudic writings speak of two, or rather, we should say, of three, kinds of ‘excommunication,’ of which the two first were chiefly disciplinary, while the third was the real ‘casting out,’ ‘un-Synagoguing,’ ‘cutting off from the congregation’ . . . The first and lightest degree was the so-called Neziphah or Neziphutha; properly, ‘a rebuke,’ an inveighing. Ordinarily, its duration extended over seven days . . . the second degree of Jewish excommunication, the so-called Niddui (from the verb to thrust, thrust out, cast out). This lasted for thirty days at the least . . . At the end of that term there was ‘a second admonition,’ which lasted other thirty days. If still unrepentant, the third, or real excommunication, was pronounced, which was called the Cherem, or ban, and of which the duration was indefinite. . . . Still more terrible was the final excommunication, or Cherem, when a ban of indefinite duration was laid on a man. Henceforth he was like one dead. He was not allowed to study with others, no intercourse was to be held with him, he was not even to be shown the road. He might, indeed, buy the necessaries of life, but it was forbidden to eat or drink with such an one.[3]

The Pharisees held extreme power. Taken to its extreme, excommunication from the synagogue consisted of both removal from Jewish society and eternal condemnation. In the mind of a Jew, the synagogue and the worship there was vital to the blessings found in their covenant relationship. In other words, the Pharisees had the ability to ruin your life, so you do what they say.

It is this fear that characterizes the MBB’s parents. Instead of affirming their sons experience, they metaphorically toss their son to his fate with the Pharisees.

Characterized by boldness (9:17, 27, 30-33). In contrast to his parents, the MBB exhibits a level of boldness that only comes through the transformative power of the Spirit. While still not fully understanding all that has occurred, the MBB sees the facts clearly enough in order to draw certain facts concerning the man who healed him. (1) His boldness begins by simply acknowledging that the man who healed him must be a prophet (9:17). (2) His boldness appears a second time as a certain level of potentially impatience if not snarkyness arises. “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” (). (3) But most clearly and most noble is the man’s response in verses 30-33. The MBB exhibits a clarity towards truth that the Pharisees obstinately reject as he acknowledges “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing” (9:33).

The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” ().

Willing to suffer consequences (9:22, 34). The man exhibits boldness in that he is as well willing to suffer the consequences of his association with Christ. This man’s excommunication surpasses in significance the modern day similarity of being removed from a church fellowship after which one could simply go a couple miles down the street to find another church to attend and within a few months have an entirely different set of friends.

Consider people with this much power. Consider the Pharisees. Wouldn’t they hate being made fun of? Wouldn’t they hate being humiliated and confronted by what they considered to be an insignificant beggar? The way John presents this story, you can’t but laugh a little at the boldness of the MBB and the dramatic, defensive response of the Pharisees. While everyone feared the Pharisees, the crowd must have at least stood in awe of the tenacity of this MBB.

Unable to worship (9:1). “So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth” (). To more fully appreciate this third work of transformation, let me take you on a quick journey through a couple Old Testament text in addition to a couple Jewish writings.[4]

(1) Moses writes in Leviticus, declaring that no blind or lame man could serve as priests ().[5] Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that a blind man couldn’t worship in the temple, but it clearly prohibits him from serving as priest within the temple.

(2) We skip forward to a statement concerning David in 2 Samual 5:8. We read a rather odd statement by David about the blind and the lame. “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” ( ESV).

The translators of the LXX included “house of the Lord,” thereby indicating that their understanding of “house” spoke specifically of the temple.

Razafiarivony, 9. In the LXX, the word as used in is translated into oikon tou kuriou, “house of the Lord.” This is significant in that the LXX translators understood it as the temple, thus, prohibiting the blind and lame from entering the temple.

Likely, David’s statement references his siege of Jerusalem when the Jebusites inhabited Jerusalem. Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that the Jebusites were so confident in their ability to hold Jerusalem that they placed the lame and blind on the walls, “in way of derision of the king; and said, that the very lame themselves would hinder his entrance into it. This they did out of contempt of his power, and as depending on the strength of their walls. David was hereby enraged.” [6]

(3) Possibly, David’s statement impacted the common Jewish view regarding the lame and blind coming into the temple. Regardless whether David was correct in this opinion, following generations of Jews reflected the same practice of forbidding the lame and blind into the temple. The authors of the Mishnah write that “all are liable for an appearance offering before the Lord except for [and they give a lengthy list which includes] the lame, the blind, the sick, the old, and one who cannot go up on foot.”[7] The Dead Sea Scrolls as well prohibit any blind person from entering the temple “throughout his whole life; he shall not defile the city in the centre of which I dwell.”[8]

(4) Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus does not reflect the common Jewish view. Matthew writes in his gospel of an event in which the blind and the lame come to Jesus in the temple and are healed. Jesus cleansed the temple, allowing for the lame and blind to come to him. Matthew informs us that the religious leaders “were indignant” ().

Worships in spirit and truth (9:38). “He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him” (). Likely, for the entirety of his life, Jewish society had prohibited this man’s ability to worship – at least in the formal sense. He likely had been unable to freely walk into the temple area, bring his own sacrifice, and engage with formal temple worship. Yet, that formal temple worship was still a shadow of a future reality. Those bloody sacrifices were just a picture of what Christ would do. Those perfect lambs ineptly pictured the perfect lamb who would forever take away sins. Those priests and their perfectly ornate robes were just a picture of the priests that Christ would establish as he transformed corrupt and sinful Jews and Gentiles.

In essence, this MBB went from never formally worshipping to truly worshipping, not the shadow, but the substance. He had been transformed by the one who was the fulfillment of all those shadows and pictures that each day loomed around him but didn’t involve him.

These three transformative works accomplished by Jesus offer us conclusive evidence. Purpose Statement. Jesus glorifies His Father as he performs the divine work of transforming those in spiritual darkness.

One aspect of that purpose statement has yet to be discussed this morning. The healing of this blind man was not primarily for the good of the blind man but instead was so that God would be glorified.

Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” ().

Therefore, Jesus transforms us for the glory of God and only secondarily for our good.

This chapter addresses and confronts two type of recipients, both unbelievers and believers. John’s purpose in his entire gospel is aimed at those who have never come to believe in Jesus and received life. Therefore, his whole book primarily addresses an unbeliever. But, in this passage, Jesus’ emphasis appears to be on his disciples and this man born blind, both of which are believers by the end of the chapter.

Unbeliever go and wash. The appeal to unbelievers today reflects Jesus command to the MBB. Go and wash. Jesus is the pool of Siloam and in coming to Jesus, unbeliever, your spiritual sight is removed, and you are miraculously and eternally transformed. You will have spiritual sight. You will grow in your boldness in the proclamation of Christ to others. And, you will possess the ability to worship in spirit and truth. This will be marvelous for you, but more importantly, God will be glorified in your transformation.

Believer assess and be patient. A few weeks ago, we discussed some of the benefit to believers as we discussed Jesus’ interaction with his disciples in the first few verses. As we consider the whole chapter, let me address two points of application for believers. (1) Assess whether there is evidence of these three works of transformation in your life. As you see this evidence be encouraged that Jesus has begun and will continue his work of transforming you. (2) Be patient with the process of transformation. Just like the MBB, your process of transformation will take time. There were moments when Jesus immediately healed people, and there are moments when he seems to transform believers in a quick and profound way as well. But more often, our spiritual transformation reflects this blind man’s experience and takes a little bit more time.

This gradual but certain work of transformation in the life of a believer is marvelous for you, but more importantly, God will be glorified in your transformation.

[1] Additionally, Jesus healed two blind men in Galilee (), one blind man in Bethsaida (), and a blind beggar named Bartimaeus and his friend at Jericho (; cf. ; ).

[2] Ralph E. Enlow Jr., “Blindness,” Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, 70–71.

The figure of blindness is a favorite device of Isaiah, who repeatedly announces to rebellious Israel that God has afflicted them and their apostate prophets, priests, and rules with blindness (43:8; 56:10; 59:10). Zephaniah reveals that this condition is divinely imposed upon the hardhearted (1:17). Appropriately, then, the Messiah’s ministry would be marked by opening the eyes of the spiritually blind (, , ). At the outset of his public ministry, Jesus lay claim to the messianic office by revealing that he would fulfill Isaiah’s prophetic promise to proclaim “recovery of sight to the blind” ().

[3] Alfred Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, vol. 2 (London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1886), 183–84.

[4] Two helpful articles used as resources in the study of blindness. Davidson Razafiarivony, “Exclusion of the Blind and Lame from the Temple and the Indignation of the Religious Leaders in ,” Journal of Biblical Theology 1, no. 3 (July 2018): 93–113; Thomas Hentrich, “The ‘Lame’ in , and , ,” Annual of the Japanese Biblical Institute 29, 5-30., accessed October 2, 2019, https://www.academia.edu/480201/The_Lame_in_Lev_21_17-23_and_2_Sam_5_6-8.

[5] For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, ( ESV).

[6] Flavius Josephus and William Whiston, The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987), 185. “Now the Jebusites, who were the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and were by extraction Canaanites, shut their gates, and placed the blind, and the lame, and all their maimed persons, upon the wall, in way of derision of the king; and said, that the very lame themselves would hinder his entrance into it. This they did out of contempt of his power, and as depending on the strength of their walls. David was hereby enraged, and began the siege of Jerusalem, and employed his utmost diligence and alacrity therein”

[7] Jacob Neusner, The Mishnah : A New Translation (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1988), 328. Mishnah. All are liable for an appearance offering [before the Lord] (, ) except for (1) a deaf-mute, (2) an idiot, (3) a minor, (4) one without pronounced sexual characteristics, (5) one who exhibits the sexual traits of both sexes, (6) women, (7) slaves who have not been freed, (8) the lame, (9) the blind, (10) the sick, (11) the old, (12) and one who cannot go up on foot.

[8] Dead Sea Scrolls, 11Q19 XLV.13,14. No blind person shall enter it throughout his whole life; he shall not defile the city in the centre of which I dwell because I, YHWH, dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever and always.

God’s Transformative Work (9:1-41)

First Person Narrative

Introduction

Work 1. Jesus transforms the spiritually blind into those with spiritual sight.

Work 2. Jesus transforms people motivated by fear of man into bold proclaimers of Christ.

Work 3. Jesus transforms inept worshippers into those who worship in spirit and truth.

Conclusion