Book Of John: John 9

Book Of God: I Was Blind, But Now I See

November 12th, 2023/Casey Middle School

Passage: John 9:1-41 CSB

Pray:

Background:

This is the sixth sign that Jesus performed in the Gospel of John. This is during the feast of dedication, also known as the Festival of Lights.

The theme of the book of John is seen in chapter 20 verse 31.

“But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

All of the signs and miracles we’ve studied, all of the principle and truth we’ve examined in this book are for this purpose. That you would hear and read these words, and you would believe.

Title: I was blind, but now I see

Main Points:

1. The Miracle (V1-12)

   1. As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him. 4 We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After he said these things he spit on the ground, made some mud from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he left, washed, and came back seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit begging?” 9 Some said, “He’s the one.” Others were saying, “No, but he looks like him.” He kept saying, “I’m the one.” 10 So they asked him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So when I went and washed I received my sight.” 12 “Where is he?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he said.

   2. Starting in verse 1, “He saw…”

      1. This is the Gospel. Not that we saw Jesus. Not that you found Him, but that He found us!
      2. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.” - John 6:44

      3. When I couldn’t see, He saw me. He chose me. In the crowds He found me!

         1. When I was hopeless, He saw me.
         2. When I was a beggar, He saw me.
         3. When I was suicidal, He saw me.
         4. When there was nothing I could do to get to Him, He came to me!
            3. The disciples then asked a question about the man's sin.

      4. who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

         1. Why do bad things happen to these people?
         2. This was a common understanding of Jewish culture. It was more of a theological idea. That any physical challenges were due to someone's sin.
         3. They misinterpreted Ex 20:5, Nm 14:18, & Dt 5:9. But in the NT, Luke 13:2-3, 2 Corinth 12:7, & Gal 4:13
         4. This was the same charge brought against Job. Surely it was your sin that brought you to this point. Job 4:7
         5. Application: We don’t inherit the sins of our parents. And we don’t face physical challenges as a result of heretical sin.
         6. This is a common idea we have today. When bad things happen to us or the ones we love, we might think, “It’s because of sin.”
         7. Jesus destroys this way of thinking in this passage. It’s not because of sin, but so that God’s glory may be revealed in us.
            4. The method of the miracle

      5. he spit on the ground, made some mud from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes.

      6. Now, I really don’t recommend this method of healing the blind today. That would be odd and weird, don’t do that.

      7. Why does Jesus make mud and wipe it on his eyes?

         1. Nobody knows. And I don’t know.
         2. Some say it was to demonstrate the healing power of soliva. Probably not.
         3. Some suggest it was to make it worse before it got better, but that’s not possible. The man is already blind.
         4. It could have been a metaphor for the dirt representing sin and the water at the pool representing peace, and Jesus is the only one that can bring about true healing, He is the our peace.
         5. The reality is, nobody knows. We just know that it worked.
            5. Archeology confirms the pool of Siloam in 2004

      8. One principle I see from this miracle is that this man was required to do what the Lord said, even though it didn’t make sense.

      9. This principle was true for the blind man looking to be healed, and it’s true for us today.
      10. When God calls you to something, when you are praying for healing, when you are looking for relief from the pain, God may call you to do something that does not make sense! We must respond in total obedience if we want to experience His miraculous power.

2. The Testimony (V13-34)

   1. 13 They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees.14 The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Then the Pharisees asked him again how he received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” he told them. “I washed and I can see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God,because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 Again they asked the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?” “He’s a prophet,” he said. 18 The Jews did not believe this about him—that he was blind and received sight—until they summoned the parents of the one who had received his sight. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,” his parents answered. 21 “But we don’t know how he now sees, and we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he’s of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed him as the Messiah, he would be banned from the synagogue. 23 This is why his parents said, “He’s of age; ask him.” 24 So a second time they summoned the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether or not he’s a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!” 26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 “I already told you,” he said, “and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?” 28 They ridiculed him: “You’re that man’s disciple, but we’re Moses’s disciples. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where he’s from.” 30 “This is an amazing thing!” the man told them. “You don’t know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will, he listens to him. 32 Throughout history no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.” 34 “You were born entirely in sin,” they replied, “and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.

   2. Here we see yet again, Jesus healing on the sabbath.

      1. Jesus loved doing this.
      2. There are seven sabbath miracles recorded in the Gospels. In Ex 20:10, we see that the sabbath is a day of rest, but the religious leaders added to this law that you couldn’t even heal on the sabbath because that was considered work. Jesus is tearing down their misunderstanding and legalism and is calling for everyone to really see people and to honor God by meeting those needs.
      3. Application: There is a great point to be made here, PEOPLE OVER POLICY. This was man made policy, not biblical truth. Jesus always chooses people, meeting needs. Serving, witnessing, blessing, over man made policy.
         3. The interaction with the parents
      4. These are not the best parents, first of all this man was left begging in the streets and not being provided for by his parents. Second, these parents feared their own reputation and status in the synagogue, more than their love for their son.
      5. They didn’t want to get excommunicated from the place of worship, so they turned to self preservation instead of selfless protection over their son.
      6. “He’s of age; ask him.”
      7. As much as we want to judge them for their behavior, we can’t help but see that we are often no different.

      8. We fear what others think of us because of what we have heard, seen, and experienced.

         1. We fear telling others what Christ has done in our lives because of what that will mean for our career, what that will mean for our relationships, etc.
         2. Where there is fear of God, there can be no fear of man.
         3. His parents were cowardly, but the son was courageous.
            4. The bold testimony of the healed man

      9. “Whether or not he’s a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!”

      10. He’s trying to get them to understand, “I DON’T KNOW WHO HE IS, BUT THIS IS WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR ME!”

      11. The pharisees were asking all the wrong questions… “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

          1. They should have just asked “Who did this.”
          2. When people see a change in your life they are going to want the answer to “What did you do?” or “How did you do it?”
          3. When you’ve been radically transformed by God, the question isn’t how, but who! IT’S JESUS! YOU WANT TO KNOW THE STORY? IT WAS JESUS!
          4. I WAS ADDICTED, THEN JESUS…
          5. I WAS HOPELESS, THEN JESUS…
          6. MY MARRIAGE WAS FALLING APART, THEN JESUS
          7. I HAD NO FRIEND, THEN JESUS
          8. I WAS SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS, THEN JESUS!
             5. There will be consequences for you speaking the truth

      12. 34 “You were born entirely in sin,” they replied, “and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.

      13. This may not seem like a big deal at a surface reading, but this man was excommunicated from everything he had ever known. He went from a beggar to an outcast in the community.
      14. He was misunderstood. He was publicly ridiculed. And he was rejected by his own family.
      15. Some of you may have experienced this to some degree in your life when you’ve stood up for what you believe about Jesus.
      16. Application: The benefits of following Jesus is beyond anything you could imagine. You get a personal relationship with God! But you have to count the cos. Following Jesus does not mean everything else in life is going to be easy.

3. The Purpose (V35-41)

   1. 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, and when he found him, he asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, Sir, that I may believe in him?” he asked. 37 Jesus answered, “You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 “I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and asked him, “We aren’t blind too, are we?” 41 “If you were blind,” Jesus told them, “you wouldn’t have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
   2. Jesus goes beyond simply providing a miracle and meeting a need, and He reveals a supernatural reality. We are all spiritually blind without the love and power of Jesus.

   3. Four unique reactions to this man

      1. Confusion from the disciples
      2. Skepticism from neighbors
      3. Unbelief from the Pharisees
      4. Self-preservation from the parents

      5. But accepted and restored by Jesus!

         4. It can often be challenging to accept and believe in miracles, but the reaction to the man born blind was worship and it resulted in boldness in the face of great opposition.
         5. Jesus found the man twice. Once blind, and now seeing. Once a beggar, now a bold proclaimer.

      6. The second time he was found (v35), was after he was rejected by the religious leaders and even his own family. But Jesus found him.

      7. After he had been given vision, he stepped out in faith to believe.

         6. He couldn’t see, now he can see, and he immediately starts believing in what you can’t see.

      8. This story is representative of all of us in the room who have received Christ as Lord. We were once blind, but then at some point we took a step of faith and made Jesus Lord, and now we can see. He has opened our eyes.

         7. The man went from identifying Jesus as prophet (v17), to acknowledging Him as Lord. (V38)

      9. Maybe you’ve witnessed a miracle in your life, and you may see God as capable of miracles, but you have not made Him Lord.

      10. Or maybe God has blessed you and so you acknowledge Him as provider, but you have not made Him Lord.

Walking Points:

1. Think of the unbeliever
2. Think of the lukewarm believer
3. Think of the Spirit filled believer

Invitation:

If you want to make a decision to follow Jesus. Then join me and everyone else in the building as we pray out loud together. It’s not the prayer that saves you, but your faith, making Jesus Lord of your life. We don’t let anyone go on the journey alone. If you have faith in Jesus, then let’s join together as we pray…

Prayer of Salvation:

Jesus, I acknowledge that I need you

I confess that I have sinned against you

I believe that God raised you from the dead

And right now, by faith, I say “Jesus is Lord”

Thank you for forgiving me

By your grace I am saved

And by your power I am set free

Conclusion:

If you prayed that prayer for the first time then Scripture says “anyone who acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge them before my Father”. I’m going to ask that if you prayed that prayer for the first time would you lift your hand and let me know so that I can celebrate with you.

1. God is so proud of you.

2. The angels are rejoicing.

3. And we believe God has a purpose for your life.

Would you let us know that you made a decision so that we can follow up with you and help you on your next steps?