Blinded By The Light

Where are we in the story? — V.59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. Jn 8:59. Multiple layers in this story — physical, spiritual blindness with physical, spiritual sight. They all come from Jesus.

Jesus is again distinguishing Himself and His Truth, dividing those who believe from those who won’t. What is often referred to as a stumbling block — the unavoidable breaking point.

Main Points:

A New Perspective on Suffering

John 9:2–3 (ESV) — 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

A Karma-like view of suffering and blessing

To be clear, there are consequences for sin, but this isn’t what they have in mind here.

Job’s friends

Faith healers - you have this problem because of your lack of faith.

It’s not what causes the suffering that matters, it’s the point of the suffering that matters.

How many sermons have been preached from John 9? How many people have been blessed through this man’s testimony?

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (ESV) — 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

With God, nothing is wasted

“I Am The Light of The World”

John 9:5 (ESV) — 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Imagine not being able to walk through a dark room. You can’t navigate because you cannot see, so you trip over everything. Jesus now becomes our Light. We can now move through our lives in His light.

We will come back to this at the end as it is a refrain in this chapter.

The Creator Renews This Man’s Sight

John 9:6–7 (ESV) — 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

Theories: Saliva was used in medicine. The unclean makes clean (Lv. 15:8), like the blood of Christ.

Genesis 2:7 (ESV) — 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Jesus is the ‘sent’ One - We are to wash in Him. Siloam was also the pool where during the Feast of Booths Jesus said:

John 7:37–38 (ESV) — 37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

Breaking The Sabbath, Again...

John 9:16–17 (ESV) — 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

Jesus is the Sabbath (Matt. 12:18)

Jesus’ intentional breaking of their rules

He is literally giving rest and healing - this in yet another element of blinding or sight giving.

The blind man is progressing in his vision “he is a prophet” to bowing down before him in worship v.38 while the religious leaders grow in their blindness.

A Simple Testimony

John 9:24–25 (ESV) — 24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

How do we authenticate our testimony? How do we know that we are genuinely saved?

The believer cannot articulate everything that goes on in our salvation, but we can resolutely proclaim the simple testimony of darkness to light.

We used to be slaves and now we are free!

We used to be orphans and now we are adopted

We used to be proud and hated authority, but now we are humbled and acknowledge our great need

We used to eat the vile dog’s breakfast of sin and lies and now we rejoice in the truth

We now have a love for Christ. We don’t love what He can give to us, but we love Him. He is our heaven.

Come taste and see that the Lord is good. Come in your darkness to the Light.

What is the point of life? What about suffering? What is our hope? Who can help us? What about all the glory in the world? — who do we thank?

Transition (Cast The Man Out of The Synagogue):

John 9:32–34 (ESV) — 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.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

The religious leaders treatment vs. Jesus’ treatment of the man

Blindness By The Light - God’s Judgement For Willing Rejection

John 9:38–41 (ESV) — 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.

Jesus has elsewhere said that He did not come for judgement

But Jesus’ grace will necessarily divide. He isn’t coming for judgement, but it will happen nonetheless because of’

Jesus agrees that if they were blind they wouldn’t be guilty, but they claim to see (to have Jesus pegged) and so have willing chosen to disbelieve, becoming blind.

John 3:19 “19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

Jesus is the rock of offense, no one steps over without tripping

Jesus As The Light

John 1:1–18 ESV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Application:

Come to Jesus and see

Do you hate the things Jesus shines a light on? Do you squirm at authority, loving the poor, mission, suffering, humility, etc?

Do you find security or pride in your alignment with Jesus? “He makes me an upstanding American - I’m not like those other sinners...”

Is Jesus the Light that we shine in the world? How bright are we here? We are told to the lamp, not hide it, but to place it somewhere that it can shine. Are we doing that at FBCT? How can we change? How can we pray for change? Let’s do that now.

Closing:

Is it clear?

Have you illustrated?

Is Christ exalted?

Have you applied this to our lives?