THE BLIND MAN WITH 20/20 VISION
Jn. 9:1-41
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A little girl told to her parents what she had learned in Children’s Church about the creation of Man & Woman.
2. “The teacher told us how God made the man first. But he was very lonely and had nobody to talk to. So God put the man to sleep.”
3. “And while the man was asleep, God took out his brains and made the woman.” (at least according to women’s lib!)
B. TEXT
1. 9 [Jesus] 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,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 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. 8 His neighbors…asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 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.” 15 The Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. 17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him?...The man replied, “He is a prophet.” 18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 20 [His] parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know….he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because…the Jewish leaders…already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God…we know this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” 26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have told you already…why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” 28 Then they…said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29…we don’t even know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”
C. THESIS
1. Someone once said to Helen Keller, “What a pity you have no sight.” She answered, “Yes, but what a pity that so many have sight but cannot see!”
2. What did she mean by that? We’ll find out as we study “The Blind Man With 20/20 Vision.”
I. A UNIQUE HEALING
A. THE “WHYS” OF OUR PROBLEMS
1. TEACHING OF THAT DAY:
a. All suffering in this life has its origin in sin. Any unusual suffering is the result of especially bad sin.
b. “Did this man or his parents sin?” Scriptures like Ex. 20:5 do teach that children suffer for their parent’s sin. Whenever adults choose sin, there are terrible consequences that their children can’t escape reaping. The rabbis also taught (not scriptural) that children can sin while in the womb.
2. We don’t hear that charge as much today (except in Buddhism & Hinduism), but we do hear, “If you had enough faith, you wouldn’t be like this.”
3. The disciples assumed that God was behind it. When we have problems, it’s easy for us to wonder, “Is God against me?” If not, why do my troubles continue?
4. Jesus said, “No! This is not a sign of God’s disfavor, rather of HIS FAVOR!” The disciples cared more about theology, Jesus cared more about sympathy. What about you?
B. GOD’S UNUSUAL WAY OF DOING THINGS
1. As a kid, what was the most fun you had with mud? (mud patties, mud fights, mud football, mudding, just getting dirty).
2. UNUSUAL METHOD FOR RESTORING SIGHT: Jesus used spit to make mud! There were 2 other times Jesus used spit: to heal a man who couldn’t speak (Mk. 7:33) & to heal another blind man (Mk. 8:23).
3. Often Jesus had close contact while healing: touching lepers; putting his fingers in a deaf man’s ears.
4. Why spit and dirt?
a. Maybe because he knew no one would explain it away as spit having curative powers.
b. Maybe He recalled His making of Adam, and recreated this man’s eyes in symbol.
c. What if we started following Christ’s example here at church and started using spit to pray for the sick; we’d probably make the national news and lose most of our members! People certainly wouldn’t line up to get spit applied!
C. WHY DID HE SEND HIM TO THE POOL OF SILOAM?
1. It was a rock-hewn pool in Jerusalem into which the Gihon spring flowed. It was the main source of water for Jerusalem during sieges. It’s water was called the “waters of life.”
2. At the same pool, during the Feast of Tabernacles, water was drawn to be poured out at the Temple, representing the waters from the Rock smitten - the Holy Spirit (John 7:37, during which pouring Jesus cried out, “Come unto Me and drink!”) Jesus’ crucifixion – the Rock smitten – was followed by the outpouring of the Spirit, because we had been purified and could now receive the Spirit.
3. Our Lord sent the blind man there to wash. “Siloam” means “Sent,” because its waters are sent from a higher
source. John saw a symbology in it. The blind man was “sent” to the Pool of Sent!
4. Verse 8 – After his washing (a symbol of cleansing) & healing, the man was so changed that people hardly recognized him. Vss. 10-12, they asked, “How did this happen?” There was astonishment.
II. THE TRIAL OF HIS FAITH
A. A SERIOUS PROBLEM TO THE PHARISEES
1. This healing was undeniably supernatural. The healed man stood before them.
2. Never had such a miracle occurred before! A man “born blind!” Many great prophets had performed miracles, but this one eclipsed them all!
3. Not even Moses or Elijah performed such a miracle; it had been reserved for the Lord Jesus!
4. There were clear indications that THE MESSIAH WOULD HEAL LIKE THIS (Isa. 29:18; 35:5; 42:7). That’s why the Jewish leaders were afraid the people would say Jesus was the Messiah (see vss. 22-23).
B. THE PHARISEES’ TWO STRATEGIES
1. TO DISCREDIT JESUS. “He’s not of God because he healed on the Sabbath.” “He’s a sinner.”
2. TO DISPROVE THE MIRACLE. Implied the man hadn’t been born blind or that the miracle was some kind of a trick.
C. THE HEALED MAN PUT ON TRIAL
1. Has YOUR faith/experience ever been put on trial?
2. These verses show the power of your personal testimony; it can’t be denied. It’s the most authoritative thing you can say!
a. People can refute your logic;
b. They can question your theology;
c. They can disagree with your conclusions;
d. They can disregard your opinions;
e. But they can’t deny your Testimony!
3. RESULT? They “threw him out” probably out of the synagogue or Temple (vs. 22). Have you ever been excluded from a group because of your faith?
III. ONE’S FULL VISION & THE OTHER’S BLINDNESS
A. A SECOND MIRACLE FOR THIS MAN
1. This man had received a miracle from Christ, but still didn’t know Jesus. MIRACLE DOESN’T = FAITH. “I never knew you.” Take time to get to know Jesus.
2. Why did Jesus wait until the man was thrown out to reveal Himself? The man had stood his ground in defense of the miracle and Jesus – and was now ready.
3. Notice, step by step, the man’s increased vision of Jesus:
a. First, “A man called Jesus” (vs. 11).
b. Then, Vs. 17, “He’s a Prophet.”
c. Vs. 33, he says Jesus is “from God.”
d. Finally, Jesus reveals Himself as the “Son of Man,” the Messianic title from Daniel 7:13. Vs. 37 says the man “worshipped” Jesus – “proskuneo” – the same worship given to Jehovah. Clearly he understood Jesus’ title.
4. He had his physical eyes opened, but now he got his spiritual eyes opened. There is darkness other than physical darkness.
5. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” 2 Cor. 4:6. Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness - He shines on us!
6. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world, He who follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” Jn. 8:12.
B. DESCRIPTION OF THOSE IN DARKNESS
1. “39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” Jn. 9:39-41.
2. Our sin will remain until we admit our spiritual blindness – our helplessness – we can’t save ourselves!
3. The Pharisees became mad when Jesus promised them:
a. Freedom: “We are free;”
b. Sonship: “We are sons of Abraham;”
c. Sight: “We already see.” PRIDE – You are self-satisfied so you will not come to the Light.
4. They refused to admit their need of a Savior. You can’t be saved until you admit you’re a sinner. Paul pointed out, “There is no one righteous, not even one….Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law” Rom. 3:10,20.
5. We’re all blind; we all need a Savior.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: THE STORY OF JOHN NEWTON
1. John Newton, 1725-1807, was an English Anglican clergyman who wrote such great hymns as "Amazing Grace" and "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken."
2. At age 11 he went to sea. Newton later was pressed into the Royal Navy and tried to desert. He was punished with 8 dozen lashes. He was abandoned on the West African coast and became the slave of an African.
3. In 1748 he was rescued by a sea captain who knew his father and returned to England. During the voyage to England, Newton had a spiritual conversion.
4. The ship encountered a severe storm and almost sank. Newton awoke in the middle of the night and, as the ship filled with water, he called out to God. The cargo shifted and stopped up the hole, and the ship drifted to safety.
5. Newton was still involved for the next 6 years with the slave trade (rising to the rank of Captain), but in 1755 he took a job as a tax collector. He began studying for the ministry, which he entered in 1757.
6. He became an ardent abolitionist and saw slavery abolished in England before his death in 1807. His testimony was that God rescued him from being a blasphemer and “slave of slaves” to being a Child of God! What amazing grace!
B. THE CALL
1. John Newton said that one of the lines of his hymn, Amazing Grace, came from John 9:25, “I was blind but now I see.”
2. How would you score your own spiritual vision? 20/20? 20/100? Do you have ‘blind-spots’? Do you have blurry vision? Do you need better spiritual vision?
3. You might be like the blind man; you may have received a healing from God but still don’t know Him well enough. How many of you want a closer walk with God?
4. Let’s gather at the front and ask God to give us a new revelation of Himself and impart His amazing grace to our lives! Prayer.
