Can you imagine what it's like to be blind from birth? Seeing people really have no concept. One man who has been blind from birth said, “trying to imagine what it’s like to see, is as foreign to a blind person as a seeing person trying to imagine what it’s like being blind. How would you explain your world of colors, sunrises, sunsets, and the immensity of an ocean to a blind person? I imagine it is at least possible to give someone who has never seen these things an idea of the splendor of creation but as this blind man who was interviewed said, “it’s two completely different worlds.”
In the same way, we know how difficult it can be to describe heaven to those who are spiritually blind and walking in darkness. They have no concept of the reality of the metaphysical realm and are blind to how truly lost they are. It’s two different worlds. Only when their eyes are opened by the Lord will they be able to see this. Even for those who have experienced spiritual transformation, it is difficult for us to imagine the splendors of heaven and what it will be like to live there for all of eternity.
Today we are looking at John chapter 9. In this passage Jesus and His disciples encounter a man who was both physically and spiritually blind. Let’s read John 9:1-12
1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing! 8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!” But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!” 10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?” 11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” 12 “Where is he now?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he replied.
In this passage in John 9, we see three types of people. Some are:
? Blind from birth
? Blinded by religion
? Blind by choice
Let’s look at the first point:
1. Blind from birth
Physical blindness back then was not uncommon. In reality, almost no effective treatment, no antibiotics, no effective surgical procedures were available to those who suffered from diseases of the eye and blindness. Because of their handicap, blind persons had little opportunity to earn a living and so many blind people resorted to begging.
When Jesus met this blind man, most likely he had been begging at the same spot near the temple gate for many years and many knew him and his history. Scholars surmise that many of the people seeking for alms hung out at the temple gate because it was the safest place for them and because multitudes of devout Jews, would come through these gates bringing their temple offerings with them.
Interestingly enough, Jesus saw this man and picked him out of the crowd. But the blind man obviously couldn’t see Jesus, didn’t know about Jesus, and had no idea that Jesus knew him. This is a picture of people’s spiritual blindness, being in the dark, spiritually lost, dead to God. They don’t know about Jesus and who He is, yet Jesus knows each person and their situation.
Jesus is moved by compassion when He walks up to the blind man. But the disciples start having a theological debate about this man’s condition right in front of him. They ask Jesus, “Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parent’s sins?” I wonder how the blind man was feeling about this discussion? This brings me to my second point…this man had been blind from birth but Jesus’ disciples had been:
2. Blinded by religion
The disciples had learned from tradition that there was a direct link between personal sin and suffering. Where there is sin there is suffering. Only the worst types of people would have so much sorrow and misery in life. This was the mentality of the rabbis and strangely, that is the mentality many of us have today when we go through hardship and suffering. When we are hit with any kind of hardship or calamity in our lives, it makes us question our theology and brings to surface what we really believe. What have we done to deserve this? Why would God allow this evil to happen in my life? If you or I are walking in God’s will and in a way that is pleasing to Him, everything should go smoothly, every path a highway, with no obstacles, hindrances, or relationship problems. Right?
The beliefs in Jesus’ day was that when parents sinned the children would suffer the consequences for the sins and this sin would negatively affect the next generations (Ex 20:5). Some thought that if the mother worshiped idols in a pagan temple, it would cause the baby to sin, others believed that if a baby kicked the mother in the womb, it would affect their physical condition when they are born. Even though God had clearly corrected these false beliefs in Ezek 31:30, they still held onto this false interpretation of the Word. Every religion has their own perspective on suffering. For example, the concept of good karma and bad karma?
Jesus had to address their misconceptions - even going out of his way to challenge the oral Torah of the Pharisees by bringing in a new perspective, God’s perspective. Jesus is not saying that there is never any connection between sin and suffering but in this case, his blindness has nothing to do with his parents or anything that he did to his mother in the womb. Jesus brought in a new perspective which was so infinitely higher than their limited, natural perspective. He said “no one sinned.” Rather, “the real reason this has happened is that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
What did He mean by the work of God? It means God’s purpose and intention. How often do we waste time debating the cause of some disaster or tragedy instead of discovering God’s divine purpose in suffering? If we as Christians have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and have perfect standing before God, why am I asking myself and others, “what sin are you holding to that has brought this suffering into your life?” I may not even ask this out loud but I might be thinking about it. But God wants me to see life from His perspective.
Let’s ask ourselves: What suffering, sickness, or difficulties might God be allowing in my life to accomplish or achieve His purpose? What is His intention and desire? What does God want to work into my life? What does God want to reveal through my life? And if there is a wrong concept or sin in my life, I know His desire is to deliver me from these things - so I will experience freedom and joy. Jesus wants to release me from my religious concepts about suffering and break the bondage to ungodly traditions. How does He want to open our eyes? What does He want us to see?
In vv. 4-5 He says:
We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.
Jesus wants His disciples to see that time is of the essence. As the Light of the world Jesus calls each one of us to be the light of the world, to do the work that God called us to do “while it is still day.” The day, in Jewish tradition is considered 12 hours. God wants to open our eyes to the reality of the limited time and opportunities we have on this earth.
Which brings me to the third point:
3. Blind by choice
How many of us act like we have all day, like we have all the time in the world, and waste the day on things that have no eternal value? How quickly the day has gone by and we have nothing to show for it. For some, it is already the afternoon of your life. Ask yourself this question, what have I done with my time? Have I grown in my faith or have I atrophied? Jesus is speaking to all of us. Jesus is saying don’t waste the morning, the early years - use them to walk closely with the Lord and allow Him to prepare you for your calling. As you grow older don’t waste your afternoon, use the years of your strength to accomplish what God has called you to do. Soon the evening will be upon every one of us and this is not the time to sit in your rocking chair, coast in your Christianity while the world goes by. This is a time when we use all the lessons we have learned in life to invest in and strengthen the younger generation before the night comes.
We cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening in this world today and do nothing about it. We cannot be blind to the needs of our neighbors in Ukraine. We cannot afford to be passive in our faith. Jesus said the night is coming. We cannot be spiritually blind to the attacks of the devil on young people's lives, on the erosion of marriages, families, on how the progressive, liberal agenda is challenging the authority of the Word of God, eroding the very foundations of our faith.
Jesus lived with a sense of urgency. He was saying I need to do what God has called me to do and right now I am here to heal this man from far more than his physical blindness.
In verses 6-7 Jesus took his spit, what the Jews considered to be disgusting, dirty and vile, mixed it with dirt and smeared it on the man's eyes and then asked him to walk to the pool of Siloam and wash it off. He did the same thing in the healing of the deaf and dumb man in the Decapolis (Mk. 7:33) and of the blind man in Bethsaida. Why wouldn’t the great “I Am” just heal him with a touch right there and then? Why did he make him walk through the crowds to this pool? We are not sure, but one commentator surmises that Jesus was letting everyone know that He can take anything vile and transform it for His glory. This is what Jesus does, when we place our faith in Him, He makes us clean, restores us, makes us new for our good and His glory.
As we have seen in this passage, this man was blind from birth and Jesus miraculously opened his eyes giving him a new physical perspective. His disciples were blinded by religion and Jesus also opened their spiritual eyes to a new perspective, but there are those who, despite hearing the truth, despite knowing about Jesus and seeing the messianic miracles remained blind by choice.
In vv. 8-9, John wants the reader to see that this man’s healing didn’t come from the mud, from His obedience, nor from a pool called ‘Sent’, but from the one who was ‘sent’ by God Himself. Yet the people were looking at the situation from a natural, human perspective. They knew this man and they knew his history. As we see later in the text, his so-called friends had a hard time accepting the evidence of their senses and he had tell them many times that I am that guy that used to be blind but now can see. Instead of seeing God’s hand in this man’s life, instead of seeing the glory of God through this man’s healing, they chose to be blind to this messianic miracle. Instead of accepting a new perspective of love and compassion, those who knew him and the religious establishment only wanted to find out who this Person was who had done this, of all days, on the Sabbath which from their perspective was out of order. They were fixated on doing what was according to protocol and on rightness that they missed God Almighty’s manifestation of compassion, life, and healing on the person in need. This man didn’t tell a long story he simply replied:
The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”
Notice that he only told them what He knows. He doesn’t know how the miracle worked, or even who performed it - he just gave his testimony of how he was blind but now he can see.
Is it any different for us who were transformed and healed by Christ’s life? Did your family and friends wonder what happened to your life? Did they see the change in your perspective, thinking, and direction? When they asked, did we know how to explain the Romans road to salvation to them, present the theological implications of our salvation, give them the reasons for the existence of life? No! We simply told them what we knew - Jesus saw me, he found me, He loved me and saved me. This is what the blind man did but, in their case, they chose to remain blind. But this does not have to be you.
As you get to know Jesus as the light of the World, when you hear the Word of God, when you open the scriptures, let the Spirit of God open your eyes, He will give you a new perspective - His perspective.
