The Gospel of John - part 24
John 9 : The Man born Blind
The situation
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 9:1-5
Compare with Job, the wisdom of Christ is this: God does punish sin, and God does bless the righteous, but He also allows bad things to happen so that He can be glorified. Just because someone is going through a rough time doesn't mean they are being punished, and just because someone is having an easy living doesn't mean they are in God's favor.
"The rain falls on the just and unjust alike”
Sometimes people hurt through no fault of their own.
Likewise, consider the mentality of the disciples. They ask, “who sinned?”, putting the priority on the blind man. Jesus answers this with a call to do the work of God while there is still time to work. Rather than focusing on how someone got into the position they are in, Jesus calls us to focus on how we can help with what we have.
I know this is a hard task sometimes, because I am just as guilty.
“Well, if they hadn’t made poor choices, they wouldn’t be in this mess.”
True, but pointing out their faults doesn’t really help them. Plus, unless we actually know the extensive variables for how they got into trouble, we can’t really judge. We all make dumb choices at times. Some of us are just better at covering up our mistakes.
Jesus points us to empathy instead of blame.
Do what you can while you can.
The miracle
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 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
John 9:6-7
Why does the man have to wash? Why not just touch? Perhaps, it is an act of faith on the part of the blind man. The blind man does not seem to notice Jesus or ask for help, the disciples are the one who point him out. By following directions, the man is showing his obedience and his faith, thus opening the door to healing.
Now, it is not true that ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ That is not a saying in the Bible, nor is it true. However, what is in the Bible, threaded throughout Scripture, is that faith and action go hand in hand.
We must believe what God promises, and we must act on that belief.
Consider two farmers who prayed for rain. It had been months with no rain, but they both prayed. One farmer waited and waited for the rain praying to God. The other farmer finished his prayer, and then tilled and planted his land. Which one had faith?
Think of Abraham who was willing to sacrifice Isaac knowing what God had promised.
Think of Moses who led the Egyptians with only the promise. God told him, “the sign that you are to lead them will be when you stand on this mountain with your people.”
Think of Elijah who called fire from heaven having already prepared the sacrifice.
Think of Peter who walked on the water with Jesus after getting out of the boat.
This is why James says, ‘faith without works is dead’.
True faith is an active faith.
The Fallout
The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.”
They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 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. 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.”
The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
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.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
John 9:8-34
Confusion occurs once again, because Jesus has done a miracle, and the people all know this man.
From the neighbors
They want to know more about how the man was healed. They recognize who he is, and they see a difference. This man is obviously changed and want to know more about the power behind this miracle. In verse 11, we see an early witnessing encounter.
They are curious, because they see the positive difference.
Live in such a way that people want to know about Jesus.
From the Pharisees
The Pharisees see Jesus as a sinner so the man couldn’t have been blind. The belief is that a sinner could not actually perform miracles of God. The formerly blind man rightly sees Jesus as a prophet of God, because He was able to heal. The problem with them is the same that we find today. The teachings and truth of Jesus clash uncomfortably with many people’s worldview. Sometimes people will want to know more about Jesus by seeing your life, but sometimes they are unwilling to listen, because it goes against everything they know.
Tell your experience with Jesus, even if you can’t explain everything.
From the parents
They call for the parents to testify that the man was actually blind from birth. They believe Jesus has performed a parlor trick, but they testify he was blind...just as the townspeople had said. But they fear the Jews so they put the burden on their son to identify Jesus.
John implies the parents do believe in Jesus’ power, but they are not willing to stand against their religious superiors. Sometimes I have heard preachers condemn them for being unwilling to stand with their son. But, remember, the son is a grown man at this point. Should they have been afraid? Of course not. But they also had not had a personal encounter with Jesus. There are two lessons here:
Sometimes people who should stand with us fail when the pressure is on. Stand anyway.
Boldness comes from personal conviction—a lack of boldness is a lack of conviction.
From the man
Compare the boldness of the parents with the son. The formerly blind man is now seeing very clearly. “What I do know is I was blind, but now I see.”
No one can argue with personal experience.
The miracle may go against the Pharisees’ worldview, but it lines up with history, logic, and this man’s personal experience. They can deny the history of the event (they didn’t believe the man was actually blind). They can deny the logic (Jesus must be a sinner, even though sinners can’t do miracles). But they have nothing for this man’s experience. All they can do is revile and him and kick him out of the synagogue—which doesn’t really matter, because he has met the Son of God. He needs no synagogue.
Notice how the formerly blind man argues against them.
He reinforces the history of the event—“I was blind, and now I’m now.”
He reinforces the logic of the event—“We know God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, God listens to him.”
And these two are tied to his personal experience.
It should be an open and shut case, but they refuse to listen.
Verse 32, “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind”. Note, this miracle has only been done by the Messiah.
If you survey the many miracles in the Old Testament, you will find that no one has ever given sight to the blind. When Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would give sight to the blind (Is. 42:6-7), this became the biggest sign for the Messiah. Interestingly, Jesus healed blindness more often than any other infirmity—6 pairs of eyes on 4 separate occasions.
If the Pharisees needed proof, this was it.
Some people refuse to believe, because it means they would have to change, not for lack of evidence.
The Great Reversal
Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
John 9:35-41
Jesus explains the reversal. The blind man now sees, because he put his faith in the work of Christ. Likewise, he now sees spiritually as well, because he has placed his faith in the Son of Man. The Pharisees understand the reversal, and denounce Jesus for His claim they are blind. Their guilt remains because they claim to have sight.
For those who are willing, sight and understanding is available.
For those who are unwilling, they will remain in blindness.
Today, I ask “Are you willing to believe?”
Are you willing to put aside your blindness and receive sight?