I SEE, SAID THE BLIND MAN

This manuscript is the fuller text of what I intended to preach on Sunday, due to the busy day it was abbreviated…

I SEE, SAID THE BLIND MAN John 9:5-34

Introduction: God gave us ten commandments, but honestly, we hardly get past the first before we are in trouble and fall short! Most sin amounts to some form of idolatry, that is, there is something that we set up and put in the place of God. Often, it is our minds, our “reason,” that usurps the place that belongs to Him. We think it is up to us to decide what is “reasonable” and therefore “true.” The miracle stories in the Bible make it clear that human reason is limited because our minds are corrupted, tainted by sin. That is one of the things that John is showing in his Gospel: the evidence was incontrovertible, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The miracles were clear and convincing proof that Jesus came from God and that He spoke the truth, therefore He was who He claimed to be. Yet repeatedly we see the religious leaders rejecting Him, blind to the evidence that was right before their eyes. The healing of the man born blind is the sixth miracle leading up to the cross and resurrection. The response to this sign is shown in greater detail, I believe intentionally; to give us an example of the kind of “investigation” that perhaps typically followed the reports of Jesus’ miracles. It is a story that really is a kind of “historical parable.” It shows the power of God working through Jesus as the man is healed. It also shows the contrasting responses to the “sign.” The healed man gradually is led to understand who Jesus is, and responds to Him in worship. The religious leaders have their minds made up—they will not believe, they cannot consider the possibility that Jesus is who He claimed to be. They are exposed as blind men, spiritually speaking. This story makes it clear that our mission cannot be simply the human attempt to disseminate the facts of the Gospel to as many people as possible (see Acts 1:8). Our mission has to be carried out in the power of the Spirit with the recognition that something supernatural needs to happen: People are blind and need God to open their eyes in order to believe. Light has come into the world, and… Big Idea: When our eyes are opened by God we see the truth & are led into greater light. Those who refuse to see are exposed as truly blind. The Setting (9:1-5; cf. 20:30,31): A man blind from birth: Why? It was neither sin from the parents or the man’s own sin, but the plan of God to reveal Himself in what He was about to do. The miracles were “signs” because they were revelation. Just as certainly as the words of Jesus revealed something about his identity, work, and will for humans, so did the miracles reveal His glory. Remember the words of John in chapter 1:14: “We have seen His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth… No man has seen God at any time, but the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known.”

I. The Revelation of the Light of the World: The Signs Jesus did revealed His identity (6-12).

The means: We see examples in the NT of Jesus laying on hands, sending people to the temple, healing from a distance, here, he makes clay and puts it on the man’s eyes, and, like Elisha and Naaman in 2 Kings 5, He sends him away to wash… Do you remember that story? Naaman, commander of the Syrian army contracted leprosy. He learned from a captive Israelite girl that there was a great prophet in Samaria named Elisha. So he was sent with a letter of introduction and a tremendous gift of silver and gold to Israel. Elisha sends word: go and wash seven times in the Jordan and you will be healed. At first Naaman was angry, I come all this way and you tell me to take a bath?—but finally he acquiesced and did as he was instructed, and he was healed. At some point the obedience required faith. This man has mud put in his eyes, and is told to go and wash—he believes Jesus enough to go do as he is told, and he is healed. A little faith led to the miracle. I don’t believe that the Bible teaches that if we have enough faith we can claim physical healing (in this life—ultimately God will heal as He will give us a new, glorified body!). Yet we are told to pray, including prayer for those with a physical need of healing. It seems that this healing was a “miraculous sign” intended to bring glory to God, to reveal to those who had eyes to see that Jesus is the Son of God. The message of this story and the message of this Gospel is a call to believe Jesus, a call to believe in Him as God the Son, our one and only Savior. *** When our eyes are opened by God we see the truth and are led into greater light. Those who refuse to see are exposed as truly blind.

II. Obstacles to the Faith: One obstacle is that humans are sinners blind to the truth (13-23)!

Light illuminates the way for those who will believe, it also exposes what is hidden in the darkness, our sin… o Unbelief and legalism (13-17). Another obstacle can be “religion” in the form of “legalism.” Legalism is contrary to the doctrines of God’s grace, yet we easily fall into the trap. Somehow we can forget that Christianity is all about a personal relationship with God, through faith in Jesus and his finished work. *Remember the story about the young pastor who discovered the roads were blocked and the only way he could get to church was skating on the river? The elders were angry that he would be such a bad example as to ice skate on a Sunday. Finally one asked, “Did you enjoy it?” “Not really,” he replied. “Well then, I guess it is ok.” The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath! o Unbelief and “peer pressure” (18-23). Another obstacle to faith is “peer pressure.” Most of us will admit that we like the approval and acceptance of people, the question is, how far are we willing to go to get it. The blind man’s parents knew that if they said anything favorable about Jesus it would mean excommunication—being thrown out of the synagogue. For them that would mean separation from friends, family, their community. It was a price they were unwilling to pay. We usually reserve the term “peer pressure” for teens because we remember what it was like in high school – everyone wants to fit in, to be accepted, to be popular. It doesn’t stop there… in the work place, among neighbors and acquaintances, to we try to “blend in” or are we willing, when it is appropriate, to say something about the Truth? We need boldness to speak the truth in love. *** When our eyes are opened by God we see the truth and are led into greater light. Those who refuse to see are exposed as truly blind.

III. Revelation and Reason: The “natural man” is unable to discern spiritual truth, but God is able to open our eyes to His truth (24-34).

Most often, when someone ways, “I don’t believe that God is like that…” or, “My God wouldn’t do that…” the God they are talking about is one they have fashioned in their own mind based on what seems “right” or “reasonable” to them. Should we base our understanding of God on our “reason” or on His revelation? The God who “is” has spoken. He has revealed Himself. In fact, He took upon Himself a human nature and walked for awhile among us. “Give God the glory!...” (v.24). Think about the irony of what they are saying. In the works of Jesus His glory is revealed, John 1:14b says, “…We have seen His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father…” Yet their minds and hearts are so hardened that they have decided that God would be glorified in denying Jesus, “We know this man is a sinner…” What the truth is, is that they had decided they would not believe, their idea of “religion” was so ingrained that they could not even consider the facts that were right before their eyes. The dialog here is almost comical as the man who was blind logically follows the implications of his healing, and he becomes the teacher. Read v.25, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: though I was blind, now I see.” Just the facts! He isn’t an expert, doesn’t have all the answers, but simply and in a straight forward way relates his experience. They can’t deal with the facts, John 9:26-27

“Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" 27 He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?"

The blind man sees their hearts, and he now, with maybe a little sarcasm [!], he becomes their teacher.

John 9:28-33 “Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. 29 "We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from." 30 The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 32 "Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 "If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."

Finally in V.34, The rulers can’t take it any more: How dare you teach us?! And they put him out. Who are the blind ones now?

What is God saying to me in this passage?

When our eyes are opened by God we see the truth and are led into greater light. Those who refuse to see are exposed as truly blind.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

Paul spoke of the coming of the Light of the World when he said, 2 Cor 4:6 “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Have you believed in the Light of World? It may be that as you are hearing the story of the healing of the blind man you have been feeling a tugging at your heart, you’ve been feeling a hopefulness that there is something real here, something you need, something you long for. The same God who spoke and created the universe may be shining his light on your heart at this very moment. Will you trust Him? It’s as simple as A.B.C… First, Admit that you are a sinner, because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Believe that Jesus died for your sins on cross, that He was buried and raised again the third day. And then Confess Him as the saviour and Lord of your life. The Scripture says, if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. It may be that you are a believer but you feel there is so much you don’t understand. Keep reading, praying, seeking… Light exposes our need, it also leads the way, so that we can experience the abundant life of blessing that God wants us to have. One of our men this week said he just discovered, in a new way, that God speaks to us in his Word. Hear Him today. Amen.