JOHN 9:1-2 AS HE WENT ALONG, HE SAW A MAN BLIND FROM BIRTH. HIS WE RE TOLD HERE THAT THIS MAN HAD CONGENITAL BLINDNESS, OR

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2 JOHN 9:1-2 AS HE WENT ALONG, HE SAW A MAN BLIND FROM BIRTH. HIS DISCIPLES ASKED HIM, RABBI, WHO SINNED, THIS MAN OR HIS PARENTS, THAT HE WAS BORN BLIND? WE RE TOLD HERE THAT THIS MAN HAD CONGENITAL BLINDNESS, OR BLINDNESS FROM BIRTH. IN THIS DAY, A PERSON WITH THIS CONDITION WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON OTHERS TO TAKE CARE OF HIM. MOST, AS IN THE CASE OF THIS MAN, WOULD BE SENTENCED TO A LIFE OF BEGGING.

3 JOHN 9:1-2 AS HE WENT ALONG, HE SAW A MAN BLIND FROM BIRTH. HIS DISCIPLES ASKED HIM, RABBI, WHO SINNED, THIS MAN OR HIS PARENTS, THAT HE WAS BORN BLIND? JESUS SAW A MAN BLIND FROM BIRTH, BUT THE DISCIPLES WERE FIXATED ON SOMETHING ELSE. THEY WANTED TO KNOW WHOSE SIN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BLINDNESS OF THIS MAN. WAS IT HIS SIN? WAS IT THE SIN OF HIS PARENTS? UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WAS A COMMON BELIEF IN THE DAY. THOSE WHO WERE BORN WITH CONGENITAL DEFECTS WERE THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN PLAGUED WITH THEIR CONDITION BECAUSE OF THE SIN OF THEIR PARENTS, OR BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN SIN.

4 JOHN 9:3 NEITHER THIS MAN NOR HIS PARENTS SINNED, SAID JESUS, BUT THIS HAPPENED SO THAT THE WORK OF GOD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED IN HIS LIFE. JESUS ANSWER WAS NEITHER. YOU COULD SAY THAT SIN WAS ULTIMATELY THE REASON THAT PEOPLE WERE BORN WITH CONDITIONS LIKE THIS. THIS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED BEFORE THE FALL. WAS JESUS SAYING HERE THAT NEITHER THIS MAN NOR HIS PARENTS HAD EVER SINNED? WERE THEY COMPLETELY PERFECT? JESUS SAW BEYOND THE OBVIOUS, AND SAW THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE THE POWER OF GOD.

5 JOHN 9:3 NEITHER THIS MAN NOR HIS PARENTS SINNED, SAID JESUS, BUT THIS HAPPENED SO THAT THE WORK OF GOD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED IN HIS LIFE. NOTICE THAT THE MAN DOESN T APPEAR TO HAVE GONE TO JESUS TO ASK FOR HEALING. JESUS JUST SOVEREIGNLY CHOSE TO DO IT. BECAUSE HE S A SOVEREIGN GOD, HE CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS WHENEVER HE WANTS WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION.

6 JOHN 9:4 AS LONG AS IT IS DAY, WE MUST DO THE WORK OF HIM WHO SENT ME. NIGHT IS COMING, WHEN NO ONE CAN WORK. IN JESUS DAY, PEOPLE WORKED DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS AND COULDN T WORK AT NIGHT. BUT JESUS REFERENCE TO DOING THE WORK OF HIM WHO SENT JESUS, ADDS ANOTHER LAYER. HE S NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT LITERAL, PHYSICAL WORK. HE S ALSO SPEAKING OF SPIRITUAL WORK AS WELL. AS HE MAKES CLEAR HERE, THERE WILL BE A TIME WHEN NIGHT WOULD COME, AND NO ONE COULD WORK DURING THAT TIME. WHAT S HE REFERRING TO? I BELIEVE HE S REFERRING TO THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. THE DARKEST PERIOD THAT THE WORLD WILL EVER EXPERIENCE.

7 JOHN 9:5 WHILE I AM IN THE WORLD, I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. WHILE JESUS IS IN THE WORLD, HE IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. AND WHILE HIS PEOPLE ARE IN THE WORLD, HE CONTINUES TO BE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD THROUGH US. REGARDLESS OF HOW DARK AND DEPRESSING THE SITUATION OF THE WORLD MAY BE, HE S STILL THE LIGHT. AND HE S STILL ABLE TO BRING LIGHT TO OUR DARKNESS.

8 JOHN 9:6 HAVING SAID THIS, HE SPIT ON THE GROUND, MADE SOME MUD WITH THE SALIVA, AND PUT IT ON THE MAN'S EYES. NO DOUBT THIS MAN WAS AWARE THAT SOMETHING WAS GOING ON AROUND HIM, AS THE ACTIVITY AND NOISE AND EXCITEMENT GREW. HOW DO YOU ENVISION THIS PLAYING OUT? DID THE BLIND MAN EVER PROTEST?

9 JOHN 9:7 GO, HE TOLD HIM, WASH IN THE POOL OF SILOAM (THIS WORD MEANS SENT). SO THE MAN WENT AND WASHED, AND CAME HOME SEEING. THE POOL OF SILOAM IS EASY TO LOCATE, BECAUSE IT S THE POOL AT THE END OF HEZEKIAH S TUNNEL, ALSO CALLED THE SILOAM TUNNEL. IT WAS BUILT BY KING HEZEKIAH IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAINTAIN A WATER SUPPLY IN THE CITY WHEN THE ASSYRIANS LAID SIEGE TO THE CITY. 2 KINGS 20:20 2 CHRONICLES 32:2-6, 30 HEZEKIAH S TUNNEL WAS DISCOVERED IN 1838 BY EDWARD ROBINSON. IT IS 1750 FEET LONG, CUT THROUGH SOLID ROCK 130 FEET BELOW GROUND. THE TUNNEL IS S-SHAPED, AND SLOPES AT A CONSISTENT 0.6% GRADE.

10 GO, HE TOLD HIM, WASH IN THE POOL OF SILOAM (THIS WORD MEANS SENT). SO THE MAN WENT AND WASHED, AND CAME HOME SEEING.

11 GO, HE TOLD HIM, WASH IN THE POOL OF SILOAM (THIS WORD MEANS SENT). SO THE MAN WENT AND WASHED, AND CAME HOME SEEING.

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15 JOHN 9:7 GO, HE TOLD HIM, WASH IN THE POOL OF SILOAM (THIS WORD MEANS SENT). SO THE MAN WENT AND WASHED, AND CAME HOME SEEING. THE BLIND MAN MADE HIS WAY FROM THE TEMPLE, SOUTH, THROUGH THE CITY OF DAVID, FINALLY ARRIVING AT THE POOL OF SILOAM. WHEN HE ARRIVED THERE, HE WASHED HIS EYES OFF IN THE POOL. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE HE COULD SEE!

16 GO, HE TOLD HIM, WASH IN THE POOL OF SILOAM (THIS WORD MEANS SENT). SO THE MAN WENT AND WASHED, AND CAME HOME SEEING.

17 JOHN 9:8-9 HIS NEIGHBORS AND THOSE WHO HAD FORMERLY SEEN HIM BEGGING ASKED, ISN T THIS THE SAME MAN WHO USED TO SIT AND BEG? SOME CLAIMED THAT HE WAS. OTHERS SAID, NO, HE ONLY LOOKS LIKE HIM. BUT HE HIMSELF INSISTED, I AM THE MAN. APPARENTLY WHEN THIS MAN ARRIVED AT HOME, THERE WAS QUITE A COMMOTION. SOME RECOGNIZED HIM AS THE BLIND BEGGAR. OTHERS CONCLUDED THAT IT WASN T HIM.

18 JOHN 9:10-11 HOW THEN WERE YOUR EYES OPENED? THEY DEMANDED. HE REPLIED, THE MAN THEY CALL JESUS MADE SOME MUD AND PUT IT ON MY EYES. HE TOLD ME TO GO TO SILOAM AND WASH. SO I WENT AND WASHED, AND THEN I COULD SEE. THEY CONTINUED TO DEMAND ANSWERS FROM HIM. HOW WERE YOUR EYES OPENED? THE MAN SIMPLY RECALLS THE STORY TO THEM. HE GIVES US A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW TO WITNESS TO OTHERS.

19 JOHN 9:12 WHERE IS THIS MAN? THEY ASKED HIM. I DON T KNOW, HE SAID. MAY THIS NEVER BE THE ANSWER THAT WE GIVE TO FOLKS WHO ASK US ABOUT HOW WE RECEIVED OUR SPIRITUAL SIGHT. 1 PETER 3:15 - ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO GIVE AN ANSWER

20 CONCLUSION LIFE FOR A BELIEVER SHOULD BE A CONTINUAL EXPERIENCE OF HAVING OUR EYES OPENED. EPHESIANS 1: CORINTHIANS 13:12 1 JOHN 3:1-3