John 9

Introduction:

Sight is something that I believe is taken for granted. We don’t truly appreciate it until it’s gone. This evening we are going to be looking at the difference between blindness and sight both physically and spiritually speaking.

Recap:

The religious rulers and the Pharisees continued to question Jesus’ parentage.

Supposing that He was a half breed Jew and also insane (Samaritan/ demon).

We saw last week that self-glorifying and self-honor are terrible mistakes.

What should have brought the Jewish leaders to their knees in admiration for their God, they mutilated it into some twisted form of pride.

Jesus would say the statement, “I Am” three times in chapter eight.

John 8:24 ESV

I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

John 8:28 ESV

So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

John 8:58 ESV

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

The religious rulers were so irate that they were willing to take the law into their own hands and kill Jesus.

There is an interesting symmetry here, because this is what they were already doing now it is being manifested outwardly.

Vv 1-2) A Question

The sense of flow of this text is that Jesus was not shaken by the almost deadly confrontation with the religious leaders.

Jesus was unfazed by what just happened. He would often be reviled but never ruffled.

“One of the things worthy to be noticed in our Lord’s character is His wonderful quiet of spirit, especially his marvelous calmness in the presence of those who misjudged, and insulted, and slandered Him.” (Spurgeon)

What is wrong with the disciples’ question?

They regarded this man as an unsolved puzzle. They had no interest in helping the man, they just wanted to dissect the cause for his condition.

Sometimes we can fall into the same error as the disciples. Where we are more concerned about the theological riddle, but fail to help people.

Let us not get caught up in speculations, but preform acts of mercy and love, according to the gospel we have been given. There is a time to be inquisitive however let us look to make our faith more practical.

“Less for cracking doctrinal nuts, and more for bringing forth the bread of life to the starving multitudes .” (Spurgeon)

It was widely held that suffering, and especially such a disaster as blindness, was due to sin. Rabbi Ammi laid down this general principle, “There is no death without sin, and there is no suffering without iniquity .”

What do you suppose is the motive of their question?

Some of the Jews of that time believed in the pre-existence of souls, and the possibility that those pre-existent souls could sin.

Some of the Jews of that time believed that a baby might sin in the womb.

Some of the Jews of that time believed in some kind of reincarnation, and perhaps the man sinned in a previous existence.

They thought the punishment was for a sin the man would later commit.

They were so bewildered that they threw out a wild possibility without thinking it through.

Vv 3-5) The Answer

Jesus addresses their question not in frustration, like i would do. The man’s blindness- essentially a birth defect- was not cause by some specific sin on the part of this man or his parents.

Why was this man blind?

Sometimes birth defects and other such tragedies are due to sinful behavior of the parents. In this case and most cases it is due to sin and our fallen condition in general. The sin of Adam set the principle of death and its associated destruction in the world and we have had to deal with it ever since.

“But that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Think about all the times the little blind boy asked his mother, “Why am i blind?” Perhaps she never felt she had a good answer.

Jesus explained, it is because God wants to work in and through even this.

This is important notice that Jesus moves the conversation from why to what can God do in this?

So did God deliberately cause the child to be born blind?

No that would be an aspersion on the character of God. God simply overruled the disaster of the child’s blindness so that, when the child grew up, he might, by the recovering of his sight, see the glory of God in the face of Christ. And others, seeing the work of God, might turn to the true light of the World.

“while it is still day” Instead of looking at this man as a theological problem to solve Jesus saw him as an opportunity to do the work of God.

There is an urgency to do the work. And for us in 2021 there needs to be an urgency to do the work that God has called us to do.

Because Jesus understood that opportunities for service and doing good won’t last forever.

Vv 6-7) The Healing

Jesus used what was undoubtedly one of His more unusual methods leading to a miracle.

Any thoughts on why?

There are at least two reasons.

Just as God used the dust of the ground and mud to do the work of creation in Genesis, so Jesus did a work of creation with dust and mud for this man.

Jesus found it important to change His methods of healing so one could never make a formula of the methods. This is because the power was in God, and not in the method.

The emphasis here that John is seemingly trying to get across, is the compassion rather than creation.

Also Jesus’ ministry adopted no stereotyped approach. He dealt with each man as his particular need required.

Spit seem so strange to us- using saliva as a medicine upon the eyes- was not so strange in the ancient world though.

“Spittle, and especially the spittle of some distinguished persons, was believed to possess certain curative qualities.”

Mark recored two other healings that Jesus performed with the use of saliva.

Mark 7:33 ESV

And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.

Mark 8:23 ESV

And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”

How many of us would have appreciated having mud made with spit rubbed in our eyes? Undoubtedly there would be those who would say that what Jesus did was offensive, inadequate, or even harmful.

In the same way, some feel that the gospel is inadequate. Have any of the political, psychiatric, or social programs in the world done more good then the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ?

Some feel that the Gospel is harmful. It is going to make you narrow minded, a bigot, or on the other extreme that the free grace offered in Jesus will cause people to sin that grace may abound.

The water of the pool of Siloam came through Hezekiah’s tunnel. It is called sent because the water in it had been sent through the conduit into the city.

Throughout this gospel John refers to Jesus as having been ‘sent’ by the Father. So now blindness is removed with reference to and with the aid of the “sent.”

The faith of the bind man is awesome, Jesus never said it was going to heal him by washing in the pool, yet implied. He was obedient.

This is the first time in the Biblical record a person born blind was healed of their blindness. From Genesis to John, no prophet, priest, or apostle ever gave sight to eyes born blind.

Psalm 146:8 ESV

the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.

Isaiah 35:5 ESV

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

“seeing” this word is literally, recovered sight. Sight being natural to men, the depravation of it is regarded as a loss, and the reception of it, though never enjoyed before, as a recovery.

You might be able to draw a comparison between the healing in chapter 5 with the man who had been sick for 38 years and this blind from birth man. Jews and Gentiles.

Vv 8-12) The Reaction

What are your thoughts on the reaction of the people?

It seemed too amazing to believe, but the man convinced them that he was in fact the healed from his blindness.

The transformation in his life was so significant that many found it hard to believe that he was the same man.

This man knew very little about Jesus. Didn’t know that he was from Nazareth, or that He was the Messiah, or claimed to be God, or the light of the world. He didn’t even know where Jesus was.

The man seemed to know nothing about Jesus except His name and that Jesus was the Man who healed him.

Vv 13-16) The Pharisees

Why did Jesus chose to do this miracle on the Sabbath?

He is challenging the petty traditions of the religious leaders, traditions that they lifted to the place of God.

One work specifically forbidden on the Sabbath in the tradition interpretation of the law was kneading, and the making of mud or clay.

To the Pharisees, Jesus could not be from God because He did not line up with their traditions and prejudices.

Instead of uniting everyone, Jesus often divided men. Why?

They were divided between those who accepted Him and trusted Him, and those who did not.

In choosing, they took one of two sides regarding Jesus. Jesus is a sinner and should be rejected or realizing their application of the law was wrong.

John 3:2 ESV

This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Vv 17-18) Questioning the Born Blind

Vv 19-23) Questioning of the Parents

Vv 24-25) A Simple Testimony

Vv 26-27) The Healed Man’s Reaction

Vv 28-34) Excommunication

Vv 35-38) Believing on Jesus

Vv 39-41) The Difference Between the Blind and Seeing