Spiritual Blindness - John 9:1-41

Intro: colloquialism - word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation.

1. Turn a blind eye The phrase “turn a blind eye”—often used to refer to a willful refusal to acknowledge a particular reality—dates back to a legendary chapter in the career of the British naval hero Horatio Nelson. During 1801’s Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson’s ships were pitted against a large Danish-Norwegian fleet. When his more conservative superior officer flagged for him to withdraw, the one-eyed Nelson supposedly brought his telescope to his bad eye and blithely proclaimed, “I really do not see the signal.” He went on to score a decisive victory. Some historians have since dismissed Nelson’s famous quip as merely a battlefield myth, but the phrase “turn a blind eye” persists to this day.

2. White elephant White elephants were once considered highly sacred creatures in Thailand—the animal even graced the national flag until 1917—but they were also wielded as a subtle form of punishment. According to legend, if an underling or rival angered a Siamese king, the royal might present the unfortunate man with the gift of a white elephant. While ostensibly a reward, the creatures were tremendously expensive to feed and house, and caring for one often drove the recipient into financial ruin. Whether any specific rulers actually bestowed such a passive-aggressive gift is uncertain, but the term has since come to refer to any burdensome possession—pachyderm or otherwise.

3. Crocodile tears Modern English speakers use the phrase “crocodile tears” to describe a display of superficial or false sorrow, but the saying actually derives from a medieval belief that crocodiles shed tears of sadness while they killed and consumed their prey. The myth dates back as far as the 14th century and comes from a book called “The Travels of Sir John Mandeville.” Wildly popular upon its release, the tome recounts a brave knight’s adventures during his supposed travels through Asia. Among its many fabrications, the book includes a description of crocodiles that notes, “These serpents sley men, and eate them weeping, and they have no tongue.” While factually inaccurate, Mandeville’s account of weeping reptiles later found its way into the works of Shakespeare, and “crocodile tears” became an idiom as early as the 16th century. 4. Diehard While it typically refers to someone with a strong dedication to a particular set of beliefs, the term “diehard” originally had a series of much more literal meanings. In its earliest incarnation in the 1700s, the expression described condemned men who struggled the longest when they were executed by hanging. The phrase later became even more popular after 1811’s Battle of Albuera during the Napoleonic Wars. In the midst of the fight, a wounded British officer named William Inglis supposedly urged his unit forward by bellowing “Stand your ground and die hard … make the enemy pay dear for each of us!” Inglis’ 57th Regiment suffered 75 percent casualties during the battle, and went on to earn the nickname “the Die Hards.”

5. Resting on laurels The idea of resting on your laurels dates back to leaders and athletic stars of ancient Greece. In Hellenic times, laurel leaves were closely tied to Apollo, the god of music, prophecy and poetry. Apollo was usually depicted with a crown of laurel leaves, and the plant eventually became a symbol of status and achievement. Victorious athletes at the ancient Pythian Games received wreaths made of laurel branches, and the Romans later adopted the practice and presented wreaths to generals who won important battles. Venerable Greeks and Romans, or “laureates,” were thus able to “rest on their laurels” by basking in the glory of past achievements. Only later did the phrase take on a negative connotation, and since the 1800s it has been used for those who are overly satisfied with past triumphs. 6. Read the riot act These days, angry parents might threaten to “read the riot act” to their unruly children. But in 18th-century England, the Riot Act was a very real document, and it was often recited aloud to angry mobs. Instituted in 1715, the Riot Act gave the British government the authority to label any group of more than 12 people a threat to the peace. In these circumstances, a public official would read a small portion of the Riot Act and order the people to “disperse themselves, and peaceably depart to their habitations.” Anyone that remained after one hour was subject to arrest or removal by force. The law was later put to the test in 1819 during the infamous Peterloo Massacre, in which a cavalry unit attacked a large group of protestors after they appeared to ignore a reading of the Riot Act.

7. Paint the town red The phrase “paint the town red” most likely owes its origin to one legendary night of drunkenness. In 1837, the Marquis of Waterford—a known lush and mischief maker—led a group of friends on a night of drinking through the English town of Melton Mowbray. The bender culminated in vandalism after Waterford and his fellow revelers knocked over flowerpots, pulled knockers off of doors and broke the windows of some of the town’s buildings. To top it all off, the mob literally painted a tollgate, the doors of several homes and a swan statue with red paint. The marquis and his pranksters later compensated Melton for the damages, but their drunken escapade is likely the reason that “paint the town red” became shorthand for a wild night out. Still yet another theory suggests the phrase was actually born out of the brothels of the American West, and referred to men behaving as though their whole town were a red-light district.

8. Running amok “Running amok” is commonly used to describe wild or erratic behavior, but the phrase actually began its life as a medical term. The saying was popularized in the 18th and 19th centuries, when European visitors to Malaysia learned of a peculiar mental affliction that caused otherwise normal tribesmen to go on brutal and seemingly random killing sprees. Amok—derived from the “Amuco,” a band of Javanese and Malay warriors who were known for their penchant for indiscriminate violence—was initially a source of morbid fascination for Westerners. Writing in 1772, the famed explorer Captain James Cook noted that “to run amok is to … sally forth from the house, kill the person or persons supposed to have injured the Amock, and any other person that attempts to impede his passage.” Once thought to be the result of possession by evil spirits, the phenomenon later found its way into psychiatric manuals. It remains a diagnosable mental condition to this day.

9. By and large Many everyday phrases are nautical in origin— “taken aback,” “loose cannon” and “high and dry” all originated at sea—but perhaps the most surprising example is the common saying “by and large.” As far back as the 16th century, the word “large” was used to mean that a ship was sailing with the wind at its back. Meanwhile, the much less desirable “by,” or “full and by,” meant the vessel was traveling into the wind. Thus, for mariners, “by and large” referred to trawling the seas in any and all directions relative to the wind. Today, sailors and landlubbers alike now use the phrase as a synonym for “all things considered” or “for the most part.” 10. The third degree There are several tales about the origin of “the third degree,” a saying commonly used for long or arduous interrogations. One theory argues the phrase relates to the various degrees of murder in the criminal code; yet another credits it to Thomas F. Byrnes, a 19th-century New York City policeman who used the pun “Third Degree Byrnes” when describing his hardnosed questioning style. In truth, the saying is most likely derived from the Freemasons, a centuries-old fraternal organization whose members undergo rigorous questioning and examinations before becoming “third degree” members, or “master masons.” by EVAN ANDREWS

John 9:1–5 CSB

1 As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him. 4 We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Point #1: For Thousands of Years People Have Been Asking the Big Questions: WHY???

Why did this bad thing happen to this poor man?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

We live in a fallen word. Because of Adam and Eve’s sin the perfect creation that God made was defaced. Because God gave man free will, man has the capacity for disobedience and selfishness, thus, sometimes man experiences evil because of the consequences of sinfulness.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 9:1

As He went along in the city of Jerusalem, Jesus saw a man with congenital blindness. Jesus’ choice of this individual is significant (cf. 5:5–6). He is Sovereign in His works. That the man was blind from birth pointed out his seeming hopelessness. This illustrates man’s spiritual blindness from birth (9:39–41; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:1–3).

2 Corinthians 4:4 CSB

4 In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Ephesians 2:1–3 CSB

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.

Continuing in John 9:6

John 9:6–12 CSB

6 After he said these things he spit on the ground, made some mud from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he left, washed, and came back seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit begging?” 9 Some said, “He’s the one.” Others were saying, “No, but he looks like him.” He kept saying, “I’m the one.” 10 So they asked him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So when I went and washed I received my sight.” 12 “Where is he?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he said.

Point #2: Here’s Mud in Your Eye!

HERE’S MUD IN YOUR EYE is an informal/jocular drinking salutation akin to ‘Here's to you!’ ‘Good health!’ ‘Cheers!’ ‘Here’s looking at you! It is sometimes abbreviated as HERE’S MUD!, MUD IN YOUR EYE!, MUD!, etc. Two theories for the origin are: 1) It originated in the muddy trenches of WWI or in the cafes where English and American soldiers spent there leave time – perhaps better 'mud in your eye' than something more lethal. 2) It refers to the sediment which is often found in the bottom of a glass of wine. The OED lists ‘dregs’ as a colloquial meaning of

MUD. The original meaning of the toast may have been that if one drains their glass too enthusiastically, one may literally find ‘mud in their eye.’ Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang dates the term from the 1910s (no quotes provided). However, most other sources give the date of 1927. <1949 “‘Skin off your nose, Jeeves.’ ‘MUD IN YOUR EYE, sir, if I may use the expression.’”—‘Mating Season’ by P. G. Wodehouse, xxiii. page 198>

3. BTW: When Jesus healed there was no magic formula that He used!

-Sometimes He would lay on hands (Lepers)

-Sometimes He would speak a word

-Sometimes little old ladies would sneak up on him and touch the hem of his garment...

-Sometimes he would spit on the ground and make mud and put it in the persons eyes…like with this gentlemen...

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 9:6–7

9:6–7. Jesus placed clay (mud with … saliva) on the man’s eyes. Interestingly man was made from this same substance—the dust of the earth (Gen. 2:7). Jesus probably used the clay as an aid to develop the man’s faith, not as a medicine. Jesus’ making of clay broke the Rabbinic regulations against kneading clay on the Sabbath (cf. John 9:14). Jesus then told the man, Wash in the pool of Siloam (this word means Sent). This is located at the southeast corner of Jerusalem (see the map), where Hezekiah’s tunnel channeled water inside the city walls from the Gihon Spring. The man was “sent” there and Jesus was the One “sent” by the Father. The man … washed and went home seeing!

Continuing in John 9:13

John 9:13–29 CSB

13 They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees. 14 The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Then the Pharisees asked him again how he received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” he told them. “I washed and I can see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 Again they asked the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?” “He’s a prophet,” he said. 18 The Jews did not believe this about him—that he was blind and received sight—until they summoned the parents of the one who had received his sight. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,” his parents answered. 21 “But we don’t know how he now sees, and we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he’s of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed him as the Messiah, he would be banned from the synagogue. 23 This is why his parents said, “He’s of age; ask him.” 24 So a second time they summoned the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether or not he’s a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!” 26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 “I already told you,” he said, “and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?” 28 They ridiculed him: “You’re that man’s disciple, but we’re Moses’s disciples. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where he’s from.”

Point #3: “You Don’t Want to Become His Disciples Too, Do You?!” (That’s a nice burn!)

The Pharisees want to get to the bottom of this so they start with the man’s parents...

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 9:21–23

But the parents … were afraid to hazard any opinions about the cure or the Healer. The Pharisees and other Jewish authorities (the Jews) had already … decided that Jesus was not the Messiah. Those who held such a heresy would be excommunicated from the synagogue. (Some scholars argue that this verse was added later by an editor, but there is nothing unthinkable about this kind of persecution during Jesus’ ministry.) The parents shifted the pressure from themselves by noting that their son was of legal age to testify for himself (vv. 21, 23).

2. Next they interview the man again…they ask the man who he believes Jesus us...

a. He responds “a prophet” = God’s man

b. The pharisees accuse Jesus of “being a sinner”

The man gives an incredible response… whether or not the man is a sinner I do not know, one thing I do know “I was blind, but know I see.”

The Pharisees what to know how?

The man says, why? Do You want to be his disciples too?

The Pharisees say they are Moses disciples…which means they missed God’s Messiah!

John 9:30–34 CSB

30 “This is an amazing thing!” the man told them. “You don’t know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will, he listens to him. 32 Throughout history no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.” 34 “You were born entirely in sin,” they replied, “and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.

Point #4: This Man Responds with What We Call in Christian Circles, Apologetics!

Apologetics defined: reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.

God doesn’t listen to sinners...

The God-fearing does God’s will and listens to him...

Throughout history no one has heard of the eyes of a person born blind opened.

The man’s conclusion: If this man were not from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything!”

So they insult him and throw him out...

John 9:35–41 CSB

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, and when he found him, he asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, Sir, that I may believe in him?” he asked. 37 Jesus answered, “You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 “I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and asked him, “We aren’t blind too, are we?” 41 “If you were blind,” Jesus told them, “you wouldn’t have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Point #5: We Have to Have Eyes to See, Ears to Hear and Heart to Understand! (Mark 8:14-21)

Matt Kyser and the Village Church of Irivine

*Come and See, Come and Follow, Come and Die

*Eyes to see, Ears to Hear, Hearts to Understand!

Mark 8:14–21 CSB

14 The disciples had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then he gave them strict orders: “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 They were discussing among themselves that they did not have any bread. 17 Aware of this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact you have no bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Do you have hardened hearts? 18 Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?” “Twelve,” they told him. 20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you collect?” “Seven,” they said. 21 And he said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?”

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 9:36–37

The beggar responded that he was willing to believe but he was ignorant. Jesus then disclosed Himself and gave the beggar the necessary knowledge for faith. Faith involves an act of the will, based on information.

9:38. After Jesus revealed that He is the Son of Man, the man responded in faith (Lord, I believe) and worshiped Him. His worship of Jesus replaced his worship in the synagogue. The Jews had cast him out of the synagogue, but Jesus does not cast out those who come to Him (6:37). One goal of salvation is worship of the One who saves (4:23).

A.W. Tozer says it this way, “The soul has eyes to see and ears for which to hear, feeble as they may be from long disuse, but by the life giving touch of Christ alive now and capable of sharpest sight and most sensitive hearing as we begin to focus on God the things of the Spirit will take shape before our inner eyes. Obedience to the Word of Christ will bring an inward revelation of the Godhead: