John 9: 1,2
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”
Jesus healed more blindness than any other malady in scripture. Blindness was not only rampant in Israel at this time but almost more importantly spiritual blindness was. The farther we get from God’s word, prayer, the more we become blind, the haze of our culture, politics, and the dailiness of life blind us.
Jesus came to this 30+ year old man, he did not come to Jesus.
The question they are posing was common then as it is common now. Is this some kind of punishment for sin either from his parents for (with a little taste of the idea of reincarnation) his sin, because he was born blind the idea of sinning in some past life.
This brings us to a common question, “Why do bad things happen to God’s people?”
- We live in a world that is still ruled by the enemy. He is always working to get our eyes off of Jesus
- Sometimes bad things happen that teach us how to trust God more…..see David’s whole running away from Saul in the wilderness
- Sometimes bad things happen that God uses to cause us to grow stronger (Romans 5:3-5)
- Sometimes bad things happen and God uses them to teach angels. Ephesians 3:10,11 and 1 Peter 1:10-12
- Sometimes bad things happen because we have blown it and have walked out of God’s will and protection
All in all regardless of why bad things happen if we choose to trust the Lord with them, He makes all things work together for good for them that love God and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28)
John 9: 3-5
“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
If we will allow him, God can take any difficulty and turn it for good in a way that blesses Him and you!
Jesus takes the opportunity to use it as an example of life. Night is coming, in other words a deep darkness (blindness) is coming on the land…”WE” all of us until the darkness overwhelms, must work…..while Jesus was here he was the light and now empowered and emboldened by the Holy Spirit, we are the light of the world
John 9:6,7
Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!
This is the sabbath so Jesus once again violated man’s law and he made mud with spit also violating man’s law…..love always supersedes the law especially love of God that shows that love to man…..
Obedience to God’s word through Jesus, healed this man, he didn’t see until after he had washed…..every time Jesus opened blind eyes he did it in a way that was different because he didn’t want it to be about method but about God and his word. He healed at least 8 blind people directly with different methods and then multitudes of blind (Matthew 15: 29-31; 21:14)
John 9: 8-16
His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”
But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”
10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”
11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”
12 “Where is he now?” they asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
One point theologians are dangerous….they could not see God moving, they could not see a man oppressed for at least 30 years set free, they could not see revival wanting to break out….all they could see was a violation of their interpretation of the law
How many today say…this is the only way Jesus can work, heal, whatever…..God must do things this way (based on their narrow interpretation of God’s word) God always wants to reveal his heart to us and spending time with him keeps us humble keeps us realizing every day we have so much more to learn and every day fills us with his spirit so we can operate in the gifts of the Spirit one of which is discerning of Spirits which enables us to know what is God and what is not!
There was a deep division…remember Ephesians tells us that the purpose of the gifts to the Body of Christ, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors, and Teachers are for equipping, preparing, the saints until we all come into unity (Ephesians 4:11-13) This division shows a lack of the Holy Spirit moving at this time.
God moved people who should have known it was God were blinded to it….Jesus made one man see and showed how blind others really were.
John 9: 17
Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”
The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”
What would your opinion be? Think about it, this man never saw in his life! He had already identified Jesus….now he may not be aware of the call of Jesus to be Messiah but he certainly believes he is from God and says, “he must be a prophet”
John 9:18-23
The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”
20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
Remember up until Jesus, no prophet had ever healed the physically blind that was a sign of the Messiah (Isaiah 35:5,6).
When his parents are saying, “he is old enough,” they are saying he is at least 30 years old. Being excommunicated would have cut them off from their business, friends, buying from others as well as their worship. It was a fearful thing to be expelled from the synagogue.
In some countries around the world this is still the case and even worse. Often people will work hard to refute your theology but they will never be able to refute what Jesus has done for you…let’s see what the former blind man does…
John 9:24-34
So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”
25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” 26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”
27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” 34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
Notice how the former blind man handles the situation…..
The Pharisee’s claims Jesus to be a sinner…..his response I don’t know he is a sinner…I was blind now I see…he really sees Jesus as opposed to the leadership who is blind
Don’t agree with the enemy only walk in truth
He challenged their motive…he was not afraid to speak the truth….he fully expected with this miracle for the Pharisee’s, not to attack, but instead, to embrace but then they showed their hearts
The Pharisee’s cursed the man and they lied…they knew perfectly well where Jesus had come from they knew the story of his birth (they had just questioned the legitimacy of his birth)….Jesus challenges us always to look for the fruit in a person’s life, look at their attitude their family, their friends…watch their responses….anyone can blow it from time to time but long term reveals the fruit.
The blind man knows scripture well enough to know about Isaiah 35: 5,6 only the Messiah will open blind eyes first
John 9: 35-41
When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
Jesus once again is making it clear to all that he is God, the title son of man is a clear indication from the book of Daniel that he is God and on top of that he receives the man’s worship.
Jesus is holding the Pharisee’s accountable for what they know….if they really didn’t know God’s word they would not be accountable to denying Jesus.
When we know what God’s word has to say, when we know really who Jesus is and we do not follow him fully when we do not live as disciples then we would not be held accountable to God’s word. Paul writes in Romans that even nature reveals the glory of the Lord
There is an accountability that God is calling us to, we know what is right but we choose to live differently. We know what is right but our attitudes reflect differently. We know what we must stand for but we don’t stand we compromise. We know what should be important to us, to our children and we choose to do other things….that is blindness as the old song from 1970 by Ray Steven’s “Everything is beautiful” states “There is none so blind as he who will not see!”
Ask the Lord today to open your eyes so you can see….we have never needed sight to the blind to be given more than where our culture is right now….our children are being offered to ungodly mentalities without restraint being told lies and burdened in ways they certainly should not be and you, the church, but more importantly God’s word is the only protection they have.
As we begin to see clearly we can then help others to see clearly.