Introduction In the first seven verses the blind beggar is given the gift of sight by Jesus. The miracle will result in a series of vicious attacks; the religious leaders will attack the healed man s faith, his family, and his friend (Jesus). The controversy of the miracle will lead to a confrontation by the sighted man with his neighbors (vv. 8-12); by the religious leaders (vv. 13-34) and later by Jesus himself (vv. 35-41). The contention of the miracle will lead to the controversy over the very identity of Christ. The man s restored vision results in a progressive unfolding of spiritual in-sight. Jesus is seen as a man (vv. 8-12) Jesus is seen as a Miracle Worker or Healer (vv. 13-15) Jesus is seen as a prophet (vv. 16-17) Jesus is seen as the Savior (vv. 18-27) Jesus is seen as being of God (vv. 28-34). Jesus is seen as the Son of God (vv. 35-38) The chapter ends with the lesson of Jesus and the confession of the man born blind (vv. 39-41). The Jesus controversy continues. As a child did you ever play the game, Blind Man s bluff? One person is blind-folded and the other people hide sometimes in plain sight! The object of the game is to get the person who is blind-folded to change direction by teasing them, or coaxing them or calling to them. When the blind-folded person touches the sighted person they are it. The Bible teaches that human beings are blind; in the dark about the gospel and Jesus. 2 Corinthians 4:4; whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (v.5) For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus sake. There is a huge difference between sight and seeing. Charles Spurgeon said; It is not our littleness that hinders Christ; but our bigness. It is not our weakness that hinders Christ; it is our strength. It is not our darkness that hinders Christ; it is our supposed light that holds back his hand. In order to see according to the Bible; we must admit we have been blinded. The blind man does not argue with Jesus; he acknowledges his condition and need. He submits to Jesus and the miracle; a miracle that gives him the ability to see with his eyes and his heart. Stage One Vision: Seeing Jesus As A Man (vv.8-12) John 9:8; Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind 1
said, Is not this he who sat and begged? John 9:9; Some said, This is he. Others said, He is like him. He said, I am he. Is this really the blind beggar Jesus had healed? Clearly the neighbors and later the religious leaders are reluctant to acknowledge the healing or the healer! A lot of people do not want to face the stubborn claims of Jesus. John 9:10; Therefore they said to him, How were your eyes opened? Four times in this chapter the question is asked; How were you healed? (v.10; v.15; v. 19; v.26). The neighbors ask first, the religious leaders ask second; not satisfied with the man s answer the religious leaders will later ask the man s parents. It all looks so official and efficient; but it is really a sophisticated mechanism to avoid the obvious; Jesus is someone you shouldn t ignore. The people are afraid of the truth; and the religious leaders want to make the evidence go away! John 9:11; He answered and said, A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and I received sight. The man born blind describes his experience. All he knew was A Man called Jesus. Remember what happened to the blind man; he was confronted by Jesus; he was commanded to do some things; he obeyed the commands of Jesus. He was delivered from darkness and given brand new eyes. The man experienced a miracle, even with an incomplete understanding of Jesus. Think carefully, the man was sensitive and submissive towards Jesus. The first stage in our spiritual journey must be a willingness to learn about Jesus. We must learn about Jesus if we are to enter into friendship and relationship with Jesus. The blind man could have stopped at any part of the process; and failed in his spiritual journey. There are many people just like this blind man; recipients of miracles; content to know about Jesus; but unwilling to know Jesus. They know his name; they know a little about his teaching and his claims; they have been introduced to his love and care, his power and his promises; his presence and his strength. John 9:12; Then they said to him, Where is He? He said, I do not know. At this point the beggar is ignorant of Jesus identity and does not know where Jesus has 2
gone. At least twelve times in John s gospel Jesus is called a man (John 4:29; 5:12; 8:40; 9:11); the emphasis in John s gospel is the Deity of Jesus Christ; Jesus is both God and Man. Stage Two Vision: Seeing Jesus As Helper Or Healer (vv.13-15) John 9:13; They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the gate-keepers of orthodoxy. John 9:14; Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Jesus healed the man deliberately on the Sabbath. It was illegal for mere mortals to work on the Sabbath; and by making the clay, and applying the clay and healing the man Jesus was accused of three unlawful acts. These religious leaders were looking for evidence to prosecute Jesus for unlawful acts instead of looking at Jesus as Israel s long awaited Messiah; honoring Him and praising God for the miracle. What happens when people refuse to face the evidence about Jesus honestly? It creates controversy. It creates division. People want to avoid the issues. It is impossible to come to a united conclusion. The religious leaders were judging Jesus by the standard of their own observation and interpretation of the Law of Moses. In their minds; no one could be a true prophet of God who breaks the Sabbath. In their minds Jesus was a Sabbath breaker. The religious leaders were oblivious to the fact that Jesus was offering them something much greater than a Sabbath day, Jesus was offering Himself as the true rest that comes from God (see Matt.11:28-30). John 9:15; Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see. The Pharisees are asking the wrong question! How did you receive your sight? They want to know the mechanics of the miracle! Warren Wiersbe points out; not how but who! Simply rearrange the letters! People sometimes are so interested in the details of the miracle so they don t have to trust the Savior who alone can perform the miracle. At this point; the man born blind--sees--but he doesn t see everything clearly. The light has come; but he has yet to see Jesus. Jesus is a helper and healer. Jesus put clay in his eyes; he washed and a miracle! Some confess Jesus as a great man, a great teacher, healer, helper, preacher, Law Giver, example, moralist, martyr. This is still less than the truth. The healed man still does not know Jesus in a personal way. He still has not experienced true faith, genuine salvation and worship of God. Stage Three Vision: Seeing Jesus As Prophet (vv.16-17) 3
John 9:16; Therefore some of the Pharisees said, This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath. Others said, How can a man who is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them. (v.17) They said to the blind man again, What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes? He said, He is a prophet. The former blind beggar is not persuaded by the religious leaders logic or threats. In the Old Testament prophets performed miracles; Moses, Elijah, Elisha. The prophets performed these miracles by the power of God. As far as the religious leaders were concerned, if Jesus was a prophet, he was a false prophet. Certainly the world can be broadly divided into two camps; those that see Jesus as a prophet of God and those that do not see Jesus as a prophet of God. Hindu s and Muslims and Buddhists are willing to concede Jesus is a great prophet. Some Jews also are willing to concede that Jesus is a great prophet. Certainly the office of a prophet is a great office; the prophet is the spokesperson for God. The prophets were chosen by God to walk with God; and talk for God. The prophet proclaims the message of God in the power of God. No wonder the religious conclude; This Man is not from God. To acknowledge Jesus as a prophet is to acknowledge His message. Who do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they said, Some say you are John the Baptist; some say Elijah; and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets (Mat.16:13-14). For the religious leaders their only hope was to discredit the miracle; and hope the blind man was in on the religious bait and switch. In the religious leaders minds Jesus may have switched beggars on the unsuspecting crowds. The best way to get that kind of evidence was to conduct a thorough investigation; including the interviewing the man s parents. Stage Four Vision: Seeing Jesus As Savior (vv.18-27) John 9:18; But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. The religious leaders believed Jesus and the beggar conspired together to fake the miracle in order to fool the people. There were certainly aware that false prophets could produce false miracles for their own false purposes (Deut. 13:1-5). John 9:19; And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? The religious leaders ask two questions; is this your son and how is it that he sees? 4
Notice they do not ask, Who made you see? If the parents refuse to answer either question; they are in trouble; or if they refuse to give the answer the religious leaders want; they are in trouble. When the FBI conducts a criminal investigation; respondents are required by Law to tell the truth. To lie to a Federal Agent, in the course of a criminal investigation, constitutes a violation of Federal Law and the person can be charged and prosecuted and spent years in jail. In the Jewish system; these parents could be charged and kicked out of the temple and synagogue; banned fromt he congregation. There were two kinds of excommunication. One was called cherem; the ban; which meant you were forbidden to return to the synagogue for life. The person was cursed from the presence of the people; and was to be cut off from God. There was also a type of temporary excommunication which could last a month; or some other specific period of time. The religious leaders were willing to use the power of cherim to further their wicked agenda. John 9:20; His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; (v.21) but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself. The parents answer the first question honestly; and the second somewhat evasively; or with what investigators might call prevarication, double talk; or words we use to describe those running for office; weasel words, sophistry, chicanery. In the end--how do we explain both questions and answers? The fear of man. The fear of man brings a snare (Prov.29:25). The religious leaders are trying to trap Jesus and they don t care who gets caught in the trap; they don t care how many people suffer; or how many people lose their standing in the community. Is it a serious thing to be excommunicated from the fellowship? Yes. But it is far more serious to reject the truth and be lost forever. Isaiah 51:7; Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults. Isaiah 51:12; I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? What they did not know was that Jesus came and was the fulfillment of the types and shadows; of the ceremonial Law. In Moses you have preparation, in Jesus you have consummation. 5
John 9:24; So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner. The expression Give God the glory was akin to our Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God! This is the first century equivalent to swearing in at court or trial. You will remember when Joshua crossexamined Achan about the sin which brought disaster on Israel he began by saying; Give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and render praise to him; and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me (Josh.7:19). The religious leaders admit their prejudice right from the start: We know that this Man is a sinner. It would be as if you went to Court and the presiding Judge began the trial with the words We all all know this guy is guilty! The religious leaders put the former beggar, the person who was formerly blind, on notice: unless you answer our questions properly, you too will be expelled, kicked out, cut off, ejected. John 9:25; He answered and said, Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see. This is the simple testimony of Christian experience. This is the power of personal testimony. It may not contain flowery language or correct theological terminology. Even when a person fails to understand or completely communicate; a person knows in their heart that Jesus Christ has changed their life. It is better to love Jesus than to love theories about him (William Barclay). This beggar, born blind, was emboldened by a miracle. He was not going to be intimidated, bullied, threatened, coerced, pressured, extorted, frightened or terrorized by these religious hypocrites. Jesus had changed his life. Jesus had done the impossible. He was not afraid to tell the whole world what happened. The man born blind does not debate the character of Jesus; that was beyond his knowledge or experience. But it was impossible to deny the facts; he was blind, he now sees. Psalm 27:1; The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? Read the Psalm like a blind beggar. Now the man sees Jesus as Savior. He makes a strong personal confession of Jesus; he saw the hand of God in his life; the man confesses 6
His own personal experience. Jesus was Savior and deliverer from darkness into light. Like a child, he may not have the words to describe the theological nature of Jesus; Jesus was something more... John 9:26; Then they said to him again, What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes? The questioned is asked for the fourth time; How did He open your eyes? Who can blame the man of a little impatience? Blind his whole life; a great big world, ready to be seen; who wants to argue in a Jewish court? There are the faces, the angry faces, asking the same angry questions! John 9:27; 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? Stage Five Vision: Seeing Jesus As Of God (vv.28-34) John 9:28; Then they reviled him and said, You are His disciple, but we are Moses disciples. (v.29) We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from. (v.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! The man born blind presents a very Biblical argument; Jesus has done a wonderful thing. The fact that Jesus has been able to perform this miracle must mean He has heard from God. John 9:31; Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. The former beggar and former blind man has some skills! He points out--god is under no obligation to hear the prayers of bad people; therefore the blind man is hard pressed to believe Jesus is a bad man. Remember when Job; speaking of the hypocrite says; Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him? (see Job 27:9). The psalmist wrote; If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened (Psalm 66:18). Isaiah 1:15; When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Ezekiel 8:18; Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them. This is embarrassing--the man born blind--is giving the religious leaders a Bible study! 7
John 9:32; Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. (v.33) If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing. This man is from God. The blind man reasoned; no one has ever done anything like this before. Helping and delivering a blind man must be God s will. Jesus delivered him. Jesus heard from God. God heard Jesus prayer and empowered Jesus to do what was previously unheard of, unknown, impossible. How could Jesus not be from God? The works of Jesus constituted proof that he was from God ; therefore Jesus could not be a liar, a fraud, a deceiver; Jesus could not possibly be an evil man. John 9:34; They answered and said to him, You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us? And they cast him out. How do the religious leaders respond to the former beggar s argument? Then begin with abuse. They continue with insult. And then they finish with threat. They ban him. Do you have differences with people? Are you not seeing eye to eye? The moment insult, abuse and threat become your only weapons; it ceases to be an argument; and it becomes a contest in bitterness. If all you have to offer is anger, screams, and threats, its time to concede the argument. Saint John Chrysostom commenting on this passage wrote; The Jews cast him out of the temple, and the Lord of the temple found him. Stage Six Vision: Seeing Jesus As The Son Of God (vv.35-38) John 9:35; Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, Do you believe in the Son of God? Jesus will come to the man and the conversion of his soul is an even greater miracle than the transformation of sightless sockets to physical eyes. Conclusion Notice how the vision unfolds; He is Jesus (v.10); then he is called prophet (v.17); then the Christ (v.22); and from God (v.33). The Light of the World is the title of a famous picture by Holman Hunt painted in 1854. It portrays Christ, thorn-crowned, and carrying a lantern, knocking at a closed door. When the artist showed the completed picture to some friends, one pointed out what seemed to be an omission. You have put no handle on the door, he said to Holman Hunt. The artist replied, We must open to the Light--the handle is on the inside. 8