John 9:35–41 Sermon

Sermon Text

John 9:35–41 ESV

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Introduction (v.35a)

Verse 35a Jesus heard that they had cast him out

John chapter 9 begins with Jesus passing by a man who was blind from birth.

Before this, Jesus was in the temple where He had proclaimed that He was the light of the world.

He continued to speak about going away to a place where they (the religious leaders) would not be able to go.

He told them that unless they believed they would die in their sins. Thus the reason they would not be able to go. Which was where the Father would be.

Jesus continued to tell them about who He was and also who they were.

He said that they were not actually children of Abraham.

:39-41

39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.”

English Standard Version Chapter 8

39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.”

Then in verse 44 of chapter 8 He told them,

John 8:44 ESV

44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

After this they would pick up stones to throw at Him but He hid Himself and went out of the temple.

It was after this that He had then passed by the man born blind from birth.

In passing Him by the disciples asked a question.

John 9:2 ESV

2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

John 8:2 ESV

2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.

And the answer Jesus gave was that it was neither.

And the answer Jesus gave was that it was neither.

The purpose of the man being born blind was so that the works of God might be displayed in him ().

Afterwards, Jesus spat on the ground and made mud with His saliva and applied it to the blind man’s eyes.

He told him to go to the pool of Siloam (which meant sent) and the blind man came back seeing.

What follows is a series of questions and criticism.

In verse 8, we see that there were neighbors and those who had seen the blind man as a beggar questioning whether he was actually the one they knew as being blind his whole life.

In verse 13, we see them bringing the man to the pharisees.

Jesus did this miracle on the Sabbath and so as usual it caused the religious leaders to call Jesus a man who was not from God and a sinner. They believed He broke the Sabbath.

In verse 18, they refused to believe that he had been blind. So they would call for his parents to confirm that he was born blind.

They confirm, in verse 20, that he was in fact their son and because they were afraid of being put out of the synagogue (which meant that they would be banished from fellowship), they wanted them to go to their son instead so that he could answer for himself.

Question: Who really is blind here in John chapter 9?

The ones who were truly blind were the religious who refused to believe Jesus to be the Christ.

A refusal to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as:

the word that was with God in the beginning

the true light of the world

the Lamb of God

the temple in whom the fullness of God dwelt

the Son given to the world

the living water

the healer

the manna from heaven (the bread that came down from heaven)

the One sent by the Father

The I AM

A rejection of these things that were said about Jesus and from Jesus proved that one was still in need of saving.

Jesus is the light of the world. And those who are in darkness are those who refuse to see Jesus as who He said He was.

Jesus left no room for compromise on this.

Either He is who He said He was or He was a liar and a lunatic.

Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath and they would reject anything Jesus did for this man, who was born blind from birth.

After showing clearly that they did not believe the first time the man was brought to them, they would call the man a second time which would prove again their unbelief.

1. Two Questions (v.35b - 36)

Verse 35b and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

Verse 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”

2. The Work of God (v.37-38)

Verse 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”

Verse 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

3. The Judgment of God (v.39-41)

Verse 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

Verse 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”

Verse 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.