STUDY THEME: WHAT DOES JESUS DO FOR US? 3-11-07.
“JESUS OPENS OUR EYES.” JOHN 9: 8-10, 20-22, 24-25,30-33, 35-39.
JOHN 9:8-10, 20-23, 24-25, 30-33, 35-38, 39.
JOHN 9: 8-10, 20-23, 24-25, 30-33, 35-38, 39.
PLEASE OPEN YOU BIBLE TO JOHN 9.
In John 8:59 as the Jews picked up stones to kill Jesus, He was hidden and went out of the temple complex. Other Scripture translations add, “and having gone through their midst He passed by.”
You may remember that on a previous visit to Jerusalem in John 5: 9, Jesus had healed the impotent man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath. For this and His claim that He was the Son of God, they in John 8: 52-59 attempted to stone Jesus. He now proceeds in John 9 to work a more notable Sabbath miracle. In John 8: 12 Jesus was acting in accordance with the special title that He gave Himself, “The Light of the World.”
In this 9th chapter Jesus is still manifesting Himself as the light of the world, but the difference is this: In Ch. 8 we saw the light shining into the darkened hearts of those who were accusing the poor woman who had been brought in her sinful condition to Jesus that He might condemn her to death.
Jesus said to the men who brought the woman, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” And the light shined into their hearts and revealed their own personal guilt, so that not one dared to stone that poor sinner who knelt shamed at His feet.
Now in the 9th chapter of John we have light entering a darkened heart in order to give the knowledge of the great God. We have a blind man, and the light shined through his darkened lids and enlightened his natural eyes, as well as the eyes of his soul.
John in his Gospel is careful to give seven miracles or signs that Jesus was indeed the long awaited Messiah, the Son of God. The miracle in Ch. 9 is sign number six.
Very shortly after the incident recorded in Ch. 8, possibly on the same Sabbath, though we are not sure. “As Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was blind from his birth.” This man evidently occupied a special place in the courts of the temple. The people saw him from time to time as he sat there hoping to receive alms from them. Doubtless some were glad to help him.
As they were passing by, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. In John 9: 2 His disciples questioned Him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
You might say, “How could it possibly be because he had sinned?” Well, there were many of the Jews who believed that even a child in the womb could sin. In Genesis we are told of Jacob, who “took his brother by the heel in the womb.”
In John 9:3 Jesus answered, “neither this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be manifest in him.”
Why was the man born blind? Why is it that infants have to suffer? How can you account for a God of infinite love and grace allowing an infant to suffer?
When we realize that all sin, suffering and sorrow have come into the world because of sin, because man in the beginning, turned away from God, we realize that these things are the effect of man’s disobedience.
Some of our suffering, like the trials of Job, are for God’s glory, but we have God’s assurance in Rom. 8: 28 that God’s purpose is for man’s good.
And our Lord Jesus Christ makes something else clear, and it is this: “If an infant is born into the world in such a condition as mentioned here, in some way God is going to be glorified by that condition.”
Dr. Spurgeon used to tell of an aged Christian who was born blind and yet he was a happy saint. One day when speaking with another believer he said, “You know, I have so much more to give thanks for than you.” “What! More than I?” the other exclaimed. “Why I have been able to see for all my years!” The blind man looked up with those sightless eyes and said, “Oh, Yes! But you have seen so many things which have been disagreeable, and distressing, so many faces which were unkind and angry and unholy, but the first face that I shall ever see with be the face of my blessed Savior, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” So,” he said, “I have more to be thankful for than you.” It takes the grace of God to enable one to speak like that.
Having explained to His disciples that the blindness was not caused by the sins of the man or His parents, Jesus proclaimed, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
You may have said many a time, “The ways of God are hard to understand.” Let me assure you of this, if you will just settle it in your mind that God never makes any mistakes, that He is too good to afflict needlessly the children of men, and He is too loving to do anything unkind, you will then realize that as you study the Word and as you put your heart’s trust in Him, someday you will have reason to thank and praise Him even for the things that have caused you the greatest sorrow and made you weep the bitterest tears.
Did you notice this? Jesus was interested in this man long before the man was interested in Jesus. What a wonderful experience it must have been when he opened his eyes upon the beauty of the world and came and gazed upon the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There seems to be some question of the identity of the blind man when folks saw him the first time after his healing.
PLEASE READ JOHN 9: 8-10.
The first people to respond to the change in the man were his neighbors and others who had often seen the blind man begging. Vs. 8 is the first mention that he had been a beggar. This is not surprising, for in his day that was all a blind person could do to keep from starving.
They were accustomed to seeing him sitting and begging or feeling his way slowly to and from where he lived, probably with his parents.
The fact that his parents were still living shows that he was not an old man. As the neighbors saw in the distance a man who looked like the blind beggar, they asked a question that assumed a positive answer, “Isn’t that the man who sat begging?” But then a disagreement arose among them.
One group said, “This is he,” but others only said, “He is like him.” One group seemed convinced that the person was the blind man. The others conceded that the figure looked like him. Both groups must have wondered what had happened.
When the man got close enough to hear what they were saying, he assured them, I am he. Their attention was attracted by the obvious change in the man, and he spoke up to tell them that he was the same man, but now he could see. His new sight is a sign of the new sight and light of a saved sinner.
Not everyone responds the same way to one who has passed from darkness to light. Some are curious. Some are suspicious. Some are critical. Some are grateful.
The neighbors asked the man how he was healed. He recounted step by step what had happened. In this summary in Vs. 11 he referred to his healer as “a man that is called Jesus.” When they asked where Jesus was, the man said that he did not know. I like the simplicity of this man’s confession.
In vs. 13-14 some characteristics of willful unbelief: ( 1) Unbelief sets false standards; (2) Unbelief always wants more evidence but never has enough; (3) Unbelief does biased research on a purely subjective basis; (4) Unbelief rejects the facts; and (5) Unbelief is self-centered.
This dialogue in vs. 13-34 with the Pharisees carefully demonstrates the character of fixed and willful unbelief, and the story confirms the first great schism between the synagogue and Christ’s new followers.
The blind man was the first known person thrown out of the synagogue because he chose to follow Jesus. The neighbors in vs. 8 brought the blind man to the Pharisees most likely because the miracle had happened on the Sabbath, and they were aware that the Pharisees reacted negatively to those who violated the Sabbath. The people also wanted advice from the local synagogue and the religious leaders.
PLEASE READ JOHN 9: 20-23.
The neighbors took the man to the Pharisees, who considered themselves keepers of the Sabbath. Vs. 14 is the first statement in the passage that the healing had taken place on the Sabbath. These men asked the healed man how he received his sight. In vs. 15 he told them.
Rather than rejoicing, they complained that Jesus was a sinner because He ignored their Sabbath traditions. And they said that such a sinner could not do such a miracle. Vs. 16 says that some of them felt that Jesus could not have performed such a miracle if He were a sinner. Therefore there was a temporary division among the Pharisees.
So they asked the man what he thought of Jesus. The man replied in vs. 17, “He is a prophet.” But the group was unwilling to accept Jesus as a prophet, so they decided to check out the man’s story by talking with the man’s parents. In vs. 19 they asked the parents two questions: “Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see?”
This is the first mention of the man’s parents. He probably went to tell them of his new sight. Now, they were being questioned by the Pharisees; men with narrow minds and great influence.
In response to the first question, they affirmed two facts. For one thing, they said that he was their son. Second, they declared that he had been blind since his birth. They had enough courage and love to speak these truths when they knew the Pharisees waned them to deny that he was their son who was born blind.
But they said they did not know two other facts. They said they did not know how he was cured or who had been the Healer. Actually, they probably had been told by their son what he told the neighbors in vs. 11. But the parents did not add this to their testimony.
Already the word had gone around that the Jews would make trouble for anyone who bore witness to Christ. “For the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that He was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue,” and they did not to be put on the spot, as we say.
Vs. 22 says they were afraid because the Jewish leaders had threatened to cast out of the synagogue anyone who confessed that Jesus was the Messiah.
We don’t know all that was involve in such drastic action at the time of this incident, but later Jewish sources tell what was practiced in their day. A ban of definite duration from the synagogue, was laid on a man. Henceforth he was like one dead.
He was not allowed to study with others; no intercourse was to be held with him, he was not even to show anyone the road. He might, indeed, buy the necessities of life, but it was forbidden to eat or drink with such an one.
The man’s parents were poor. We know that because their blind son was a beggar. We can understand, how everyone would dread such an anathema. But when we remember, what it would involve to persons in the rank of life, and so miserably poor as the parents of the blind man, we no longer wonder at the evasion of the question. It would have been disastrous for them to be excluded from religious and social contacts.
We are not told the man’s age, but a boy had to be 13 to testify. He was a man, but young enough for his parents to still be alive. He was the only one who had experienced the opening of blind eyes, so he was the one to tell about it.
No one can rely on his or her parents to have an experience with Christ for their children. Each must have personal experience for himself, or herself.
PLEASE READ JOHN 9: 24-25.
After the parents refused to speculate as to who and how someone had given their son his sight they said, “Ask him; he is of age.” So the Pharisees for a second time summoned the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.” There seems to be no doubt that you were born blind, but do not give any credit to this Man, for He is a sinner.” I like the testimony of this one-time blind man.
Looking full upon them with those now seeing eyes of his, he said, “whether He be a sinner or no, I know not: One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.”
Oh, that is a great testimony, and I am sure that there are many of us who could give just the same witness, “This one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.”
Whereas I was once a poor sinner, having the understanding darkened, now I know that my eyes have been opened.”
The frustrated Pharisees, who were committed to denying Jesus, showed their impatience when they asked again in vs. 26 how Jesus opened the eyes of the blind man. The man was growing more confident and bold. He asked the Pharisees why they kept asking questions that he had already answered. He inquired if they too wanted to follow Jesus.
They reacted angrily at such a thought. They were disciples of Moses. They knew that God had spoken to Moses, but they didn’t know where Jesus was from. In vs. 28 the meeting degenerated into a shouting match of insults. The healed man’s wit had exposed the bias of his inquisitors.
PLEASE READ JOHN 9: 30-33.
This emotional outburst prompted the formerly blind man to make his boldest speech of the interview. He probably had a note of sarcasm when he began by saying, “This is an amazing thing. You don’t know where He is from, yet He opened my eyes!” They were muddling round in irrelevant questions and ignored the evidence and its obvious conclusion. Using the logic of common senses, he showed that their conclusion did not fit the facts.
He began his argument by agreeing with one of their premises-----we know that God heareth not sinners. He and they probably agreed with his next words to the effect that God heard the prayers of those who worship Him and do His will.
Then the man stated a point that had not previously been spelled out. He was not a blind man who had once been able to see; he was born blind. Miracles of restoration of sight were not in the same category as opening eyes that had never seen.
In vs. 30 the healed man demonstrated more spiritual insight and common sense than all of the religious authorities combined who sat in judgment of Jesus and the blind man.
In a sense the healing of a man born blind was like the resurrection of Lazarus, a man who had been dead for four days. Only God could empower either of these miracles. The man said that no one before Jesus had opened eyes that had never seen. The greatness of the miracle could only indicate that Jesus was actually from God.
The man stated clearly the conclusion from these facts. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. To state it positively, this miracle showed that Jesus was from God. He could not yet call Jesus the Son of God, but he was moving ever closer to the full light.
Vs. 34 shows that the Pharisees took another step from the light into the darkness. They had become frustrated by the man’s bold testimony, solidly grounded in the facts. Being unable to defeat him in argument, they resorted to verbal abuse and physical action. “They cast him out” may mean that they threw him out of the building, but it probably means that they excommunicated him from the synagogue.
They cast him out. That was the greatest thing that could have happened to him. Some folks are afraid of being cast out. Do you know where they cast him? Right into the arms of Jesus.
5.PLEASE READ JOHN 9: 35-38.
When Jesus heard about the man being thrown out by the Pharisees, He sought him and found him. Jesus is the seeking Savior. He went after sinners and He encouraged believers. He knows and He cares for people. He does not leave us alone in times of need. If you had been the man, how would you feel after being cast out? What would it mean for Jesus to come to you?
Jesus said to him, “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” He answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?” As much as to say, “I would believe in anyone of whom You tell me.”
Jesus said to him, “thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee.” And immediately the man worshipped and said, “Lord, I believe.” Just think of it, in the beginning of the passage he is a poor blind beggar in great need, and in the end of the passage he is a happy worshipper, looking into the face of Christ.
That is a wonderful “Pilgrim’s Progress,” from blindness and poverty to worshipping at the Savior’s feet, as one enlightened and enriched for eternity. His faith had moved from calling Jesus a prophet to claiming him as Savior and Lord, worthy to be worshipped.
PLEASE READ JOHN 9: 39.
In vs. 39 Jesus stated His purpose for coming. And Jesus said, “For judgment I am come into the world, that they which see not might see.” The blind man illustrates Jesus purpose that they which see not might see. The Pharisees represent Jesus’ purpose, that they which see might be made blind. The Pharisees were disturbed by the last part of Jesus’ purpose. They rightly suspected that Jesus was talking about them.
In vs. 40-41 they asked Jesus, “Are we blind also?” Jesus replied, “If you were blind you wouldn’t have sin. But now that you say, “We see-----your sin remains.”
As religious leaders and students of the scriptures, they should have recognized their sin and turned to the Light of the World. Instead they retreated further and further into the darkness. They failed to use their eyes to see the light and now were in the darkness.
The Lord Jesus is still the light of the world. He is still opening blinded eyes, and if there are those who never have come to Him and have not proven to themselves what He can do for the heart that trusts Him, I am glad to commend Him to you. Bring your trials, your sins, your tears, come in all your need, and be assured that He is ready to meet it in His own rich wondrous grace.
H.G. Wells wrote a story called “The Country of the Blind.” The story is about a man who found himself in an isolated valley where all the people were blind. The inhabitants considered the stranger to be different with his talk about seeing and eyes. This threatened them, and they decided to remove his eyes so he would be what they considered to be normal. The man learned of the plan and escaped with his sight.
Mr. Wells probably did not intend to write anything with Christian symbolism, but the blind people were like the Pharisees who had become blind by their repeated rejection of the Light.
John 3: 16 reads, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3; 17 reads, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 3: 18 reads, “He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
NEXT SUNDAY IN JOHN 10 WE LEARN THAT “JESUS TAKES CARE OF US.” HE EVEN SACRIFICED HIMSELF FOR US. A.V. DAUGHERTY <altav@swbell.net<