The Sixth Sign

The Context (v. 1)

The Place

Probably still in Jerusalem

Perhaps this picks up right at the end of chapter 8 as Jesus is leaving the temple.

The Person

Blind from birth

Beggar

The Question (v. 2)

Why was this man born blind? - their question boiled down

The problem of pain

If God exists and He is loving as you claim then why is there so much suffering in the world?

This question has caused countless people to reject Christ or lose faith.

Are you prepared to answer such a question?

There are no innocent or good people according to God’s standard.

Yes, it is an impossible standard.

Sin has permeated everything and has a wide area of effect.

Thus, there are times when even those not responsible for the sin are negatively affected by it.

Be careful what you wish for. In order for God to remove the consequences of sin He would logically have to also remove our ability to choose.

It is disingenuous to blame God for something we are responsible for.

God has not left us in our pain, rather He joined us in it.

C.S. Lewis “We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, 'Blessed are they that mourn,' and I accept it. I've got nothing that I hadn't bargained for. Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not imagination.”

An Inherent Assumption - Who sinned?

It is human nature to try to find a correlation between bad behavior and bad circumstances and, conversely, between good behavior and blessings.

There are many people still today that believe in things such as karma.

The desire to link sin to suffering is so strong that Jesus dealt with the issue at least twice.

Here in our text

Luke 13:4-5 “Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?“I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The disciples saw only two possible options

This man sinned

Or his parents

Reminiscent of Job - his so called friends were so sure that he must have grievously sinned.

The Answer (v. 3a)

Neither - unlike Job’s friends the disciples were willing to listen

Key Thought: There is not always a 1 to 1 connection between personal suffering and personal sin.

That is not to say that personal sins never have consequences. The do, and those consequences may be the chastening hand of God drawing you back not to condemnation but to Himself.

God is not waiting for you to sin, so He can punish you.

This world can certainly make us feel that way. Some of you have held jobs where you feel like your boss or co-workers are just waiting for you to mess up.

That is not how God operates.

The Purpose (v. 3b)

“That”: a greek word that denotes purpose, definition or result.

If not sin then what is the purpose of this man’s suffering?

The only answer worse than his own sin is that his suffering is meaningless.

The true purpose of this man’s suffering is the glory of God manifest in the works of Christ.

To be clear I am not saying that God caused this man to be born blind and suffer for years just so that one day Jesus could heal him.

F.F. Bruce said This does not mean that God deliberately caused the child to be born blind in order that, after many years, his glory should be displayed in the removal of the blindness; to think so would again be an aspersion on the character of God. It does mean that God overruled the disaster of the child’s blindness so that, when the child grew to manhood, he might, by recovering his sight, see the glory of God in the face of Christ, and others, seeing this work of God, might turn to the true Light of the World. (The Gospel of John [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994], 209)

What about our suffering?

First, like this blind man, there are times when God takes our suffering and retools it, reshapes it, reforms it and turns it into something that can be used for His glory.

Second, God may be using suffering to draw us back or closer to Himself.

Third, God may allow suffering into our lives to make our faith stronger. 1 Peter 1:7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Fourth, God uses suffering to remind us of and make us long for our home in heaven.

The Application (v. 4, 5)

Priority - Do the Work!

The disciples were focused on the man’s sin and what caused his blindness

Jesus was focused on the man’s heart and God’s glory.

The church needs reminded of this same priority from time to time.

We should always be willing to call sin by its name.

Abortion

Homosexuality

Transgenderism

Gluttony

Materialism

Gossip

However, we should also always be more interested in sharing Christ with people than pointing out their sin.

The gospel begins with a recognition of sin, but it doesn’t stop there.

The teenage girl who got an abortion, she needs a savior

The doctor who performed the abortion, they need a savior

The man who struggles with same sex attraction, he needs a savior

You and I, we need a savior

Urgency

While it is still day - i.e. while Jesus was still on the earth.

Night is coming - i.e. that period of time after Christ’s ascension but before the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

They had work to do.

While Christ was in the world He was the Light of the World

This does not mean that Jesus ceased to be the Light of the World after His death and ascension.

It does point out that unique Light that Jesus was while He was on the earth. Was there any greater witness for God while Jesus walked the earth? No

Jesus is still clearly the Light of the World, but now He primarily shines through us. John 8:12 Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

The Object Lesson (v. 6, 7)

Why the mud?

It is impossible to know

Perhaps to show that God can use something as mundane as mud for the glory of God.

If He can do that with mud imagine what He can do with you.

The Lesson

Background: Feeding the 5,000 = “I am the bread of life”

Healing the blind man = “I am the light of the world”

Jesus uses a man who was in physical darkness and brought into physical light as an object lesson for what He can do for our terminal spiritual darkness.

The Response (v. 8-12)

The Investigators

The Believers

The Deniers

The Blind-man

Jesus sought him out

He responded with obedience - someday you might have a mud in the eyes moment. When nothing makes sense but God is calling you anyway.

His eyes were opened