The Report Of The Miracle

John 9:1-8

This miracle of healing the blind was one of the four such miracles recorded in the Scriptures. Christ obviously healed more blind people than just four, but only four miracles are reported in the Scriptures. 1. The Passion in the Report (John 9:1) “As Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth” (John 9:1). The grace of God is most evident in this miracle. The man could not see Jesus passing by, but Christ in grace healed this man of His own initiative. The man, unaware of his opportunity, did not request the miracle. Likewise it was God’s passion (John 3:16) that provided the Gospel for us before we realized that we needed it. Apart from the passion (grace, mercy, love) of God, none of us would gain heaven.

2. The Problem in the Report (John 9:1) That which needed a miracle was a man with the problem of blindness. • The disability of the blindness. “Blind” (John 9:1). Blindness is a very serious disability. We who can see have little comprehension of the great disabling effect blindness is for the blind person. Some blind people have achieved greatly in spite of their blindness, but that does not take away from the disability of blindness. The disability of blindness is a good picture of the disability caused by sin. Sin makes it impossible for the sinner to live the kind of life needed to be acceptable to God and thus to gain heaven.

• The duration of the blindness. “Blind from his birth” (John 9:1). Some blindness is caused by disease or accident. But this man had never seen. He was born blind. His case describes the condition of mankind—all are born a sinner (Psalm 51:5). • The destitution from the blindness. The blind man “sat and begged” (John 9:8). Blindness generally produced poverty in those days. This pictures the poverty of sinners, with Christ the remedy for the poverty of sinners as He was for the blind man’s poverty. “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (II Corinthians 8:9). 3. The Perplexity in the Report (John 9:2, 3) The disciples traveling with Jesus were perplexed about the cause of the blindness of the man. • The expressing of the perplexity. “Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2). The disciples voiced their perplexity to Jesus. First, the perpetuity of the perplexity. The question asked by the disciples voiced a problem that has perplexed man from the beginning of time. Why do people suffer? On the surface there often seems to be a lot of inequity in suffering. Second, the possibilities in the perplexity. “This man, or his parents” (John 9:2). The disciples limited the possibilities. But the principle involved was current thinking. It was thought that “wherever there was a more than an ordinary sufferer, there was also a more than an ordinary sinner” (Trench). The book of Job negates that thinking, of course. Parents can indeed by their sin injure a child with birth defects. The idea that the blind man was responsible himself was from a tradition based on Jacob and Esau struggling in the womb of Rebekah (Genesis 25:22). Third, the pitilessness in the perplexity. The disciples did not beseech Christ to heal the blind man. They saw the blind man from a curiosity standpoint. To them he was the object of discussion not of deliverance. • The explanation for the perplexity. Asking Christ about perplexities is the best person to ask, for Christ gives the best answers. First, the essence of the explanation. “Neither … but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:3). The essence of the explanation was that many things happen in life simply to provide glory for God. Many have suffered for this reason. As an example Lazarus (John 11:4) and Peter (John 21:19). We cannot complain if we suffer that God may be glorified, for Christ suffered more than anyone has suffered, in order that sinners might be saved and glorified in heaven. Second, the extent of the explanation. Christ’s explanation was limited to just this case. Some suffering was indeed a result of sin in the sufferer (John 5:14). Third, the encouragement from the explanation. Sometimes the saints of God suffer much and do not know why. Such can take encouragement from this answer of Christ. The suffering is not without purpose, but it has a high and holy purpose, namely, to glorify God. 4. The Pursuit in the Report (John 9:4) “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). After explaining the affliction of this man’s blindness, Christ says He must “work the works of him [God].” That is, He will heal the blind man. Healing the blind man was part of Christ’s service in doing the will of God. The statement is a most instructive statement about Christian service. • The significance of service. “I must.” the importance of our Christian service is found in the word “must.” This gives it a very high priority. • The steadfastness in service. “I must work the works of him that sent me.” In spite of the mistreatment at the Temple, Christ continued to serve God. If we are to be steadfast in our service, it will often require us to serve in spite of the hostilities of others against our service. • The sweat in service. “I must work.” Serving God is not a vacation. It involves hard work. • The stewardship of service. “I must work … while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work.” To be a good steward in our service, we must serve when the opportunity is present to serve. Farmers say,“Make hay while the sun shines.” • The submission in service. Christ submitted to doing the work which God gave Him to do. You will not serve well if you have not learned to submit to the orders of authority. 5. The Power in the Report (John 9:5) “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). Before Christ worked the miracle, He announced He had the power to do it. The symbolic use of light to represent power is not uncommon. In our day, we especially know that light is power—solar panels remind us of this fact. 6. The Preparation in the Report (John 9:6) Christ prepared the man for the miracle of healing. Christ did three specific things, all of which seem very strange. This reminds us of the Gospel solution for the sin problem. It seems strange to the world (I Corinthians 1:18), but it works! • The spitting. “He spat on the ground” (John 9:6). Three times, in working miracles, Christ used His spit (the other two times are recorded in Mark 7:33 and Mark 8:23). In those days, spittle was considered to have medicinal properties in it. While spit did not have the medicinal benefit the ancients suppose, using spit would indicate to the person about to be healed that healing was coming. • The stirring. “Made clay of the spittle” (John 9:6). To make clay out of the dirt, Christ stirred His spit into the dirt and made the clay. The clay would be more like what we would call “mud” today. This mixture made it easy to apply to the face. • The spreading. “Anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay” (John 9:6). The word translated “anointed” means to smear. If Christ had “anointed” (the sacred meaning) the eyes it would have suggested that the mud gained healing power. 7. The Precept in the Report (John 9:7) As with many miracles, a command is associated with the miracle. This shows us the benefit of Divine commands. Satan is forever telling us that God’s commands are a burden, but the Bible shows us they are a blessing. • The specifics of the precept. The command given the blind man was threefold. First, the pursuit in the command. “Go” (John 9:7). Obedience requires energy. Too many folk want Divine blessing but do not want to lift a finger to obtain it. Second, the purifying in the command. “Wash” (John 9:7). Washing would cleanse the dirt (clay) off his eyes and face. Obedience to Divine commands is purifying. It is disobedience that defiles. Third, the pool in the command. “The pool of Siloam” (John 9:7). The meaning of the word “Siloam” means “sent” (John 9:7). Christ is often referred to in John’s Gospel as the Sent One (John 3:17, 34; 5:37, 38; 6:57; 7:29; 8:18, 29). So going to the pool of Siloam pictures going to Jesus for healing from our spiritual blindness. • The submission to the precept. The blind man obeyed the precept Christ gave Him. First, the promptness of the submission. “He went his way therefore” (John 9:7). The blind man wasted no time in going to the pool. Delay in obedience would have caused delay in blessing or even stopped the blessing altogether. Second, the product of the submission. “Washed, and came seeing” (John 9:7). The product of the blind man’s obedience was to obtain sight. Obedience brings great blessing.

John G. Butler, Analytical Bible Expositor: John (Clinton, IA: LBC Publications, 2009), 141–145.