[Transcript represents full sermon's text]

       John chapter 9, starting in verse 1: “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (ESV).

       Continuing in John 9 today, we resume at the point we departed from last time, which is the famous account of Jesus speaking with the Jews, and they were attempting to make the claim that he wasn't actually who he said he was. Belief in him was absent on their part. When Jesus told them, “before Abraham was, I am” that was the end of it. Off the ground came the stones. It’s after this scene that we come to another familiar account, and this one involves a man who was born blind. We start this discussion by noting the supposed cause—the cause that the disciples thought of anyway. It had to do with sin—and who sinned. Was it the man himself, or was it his parents? Who sinned which caused the blindness? was the question. Before we get to condemning the disciples, we need to remember that that’s the way we often think. Even in this current time. A lot of us think that if something bad happens, or something bad has happened in the past, that it was the result of someone, usually us, sinning. Bad events are viewed as demonstrations of the wrath of God. Of course, it depends on the person, but that’s the way a lot people see it. Jesus is going to tackle this aspect in our thinking today.

       Verse 3: “Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (ESV).

       In a pretty straightforward and quick action, Jesus shoots down the idea of what the disciples were purposing—that the man was born blind due to sin. A common thought process among Jews in the first century this must have been. We can assume that, since, on another occasion, he has to state the same thing. Let’s look at the account, which is found in Luke 13. We’ll go ahead and read verses 1 through 5:

“There were some present at that very time who told him [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (ESV).

We see the thought process of many at the time. The belief was that disaster for people equated to them being worse sinners, or to being sinners to begin with. In other words, disaster was thought to be resultant of the wrath of God. Death from a disaster, or something weird or bad happening to you or in you, it was God’s punishment. As was the case in Luke, it’s also the case that the blind man mentioned in John 9 was not blind because of anyone’s sin. Sure, blindedness exists due to sin being in the world, but he wasn’t blind because he or his parents specifically sinned.

       We ought to stop for a moment and consider, for we really need to consider it, that this line of thinking that the Jewish people had—the line of thinking that bad things that happen to people was a result of God’s punishment or wrath—is still particularly prevalent within the church today. It doesn’t seem to matter which sect—whether you are considering the Evangelicals, the Anabaptists, or, let’s say, the Eastern Orthodox Christians, whatever group you consider, it seems a lot of people really believe that bad things happen to people because of someone’s previous bad, or, another prevalent notion is that bad things happen for what? What do people usually say? Bad things happen for a reason. Ah, there it is. There’s that more neutral, politically correct (in the Christian realm) response. You hear that one all the time, all the time. The speaker heard it a couple weeks ago in his Bible study. But again, if we are believing that everything is predetermined, that will be the logical conclusion. However, if we are believing that there actually is a randomness involved in the world due to its complexity, even due to sin we could say, then we might suppose that bad things really do happen at random. We might even go so far as to call it bad luck. In that case, the saying of old from Solomon becomes experientially true, “It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean” (Ecclesiastes 9:2, ESV). That means God is not behind all bad things that occur.

       What about the other line of thinking that comes to us? What is that line of thinking? You know what it is. Did God have this man be born blind for this specific moment in time, where he would meet Jesus and Jesus would heal him? The text appears to imply that. Or does it? It appears unlikely that that’s the case—that this is some kind of Calvinistically preordained meeting between Jesus and the blind man. The greater likelihood appears to fall on the part that Jesus uses this opportunity at this moment to be for the glory of God. Christians will tell us that bad things—all bad things happen—in order to glorify God, to bring God glory. That again, though, presents itself as a cousin concept to the one we were just talking about, about someone’s sinning causing the blindness. Rather, isn't it more likely that, at this moment, Jesus said, “No, actually, this blindness is going to be used by me to display the works of God—that’s what I am now choosing to do with it”? No mention is made about the born part—he skips over that part. Theoretically, it is possible God did foreordain this event, and that’s why this man was born blind, but that doesn’t truly appear to line up with the character of God or what Jesus said in Luke. It wasn’t that God had to make people sick or have a disability in order to heal people—there were plenty of those people around everywhere.

       Verse 4: “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (ESV).

       Interestingly, different opinions exist as to what Jesus is referring to in this verse. One thing we can note, first, is that it could be a reference to the fact that certain spiritual gifts, like the healings he is performing, are going to cease. Even the Twelve disciples had been given the ability to heal and cast out demons. That fact can be recalled from Matthew chapter 10. So, the statement “night is coming, when no one can work” may refer to the ceasing of these giftings. Perhaps, perhaps. The case could also be that this is a reference to the coming Tribulation Period, which we believe comes after the Rapture of the Church. That’s when the antichrist rules and reigns. In reading Revelation chapter 11, where the Two Witnesses are mentioned, it doesn’t seem they have healing power. So, once the antichrist goes into the Temple of God, that newly rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, and desecrates it, declaring himself to be God instead, when that happens, that is night. That is a dark time in world history. There's a chance Jesus is referring to that time. That would mean this verse is prophetic, and isn’t directly talking to the Twelve. The could be another interpretation.

       What does, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” mean? It points to the stark reality that without Jesus, without Jesus, there is no hope really in the world. Sure, people can still ‘feel good’ on a human level. That’s possible. But what about eternity? What about after everyone dies? Without Jesus, where’s the hope? Where will they go? Are there any other persons in the world, or in world history, who can provide that hope? Why, the Jews were hoping in Moses, remember, and even Abraham, when they state, “Abraham is our Father.” Good choices, it would seem, since they were pretty good leaders. But was that enough? We realize it’s not. What about other religions, can they provide people hope? For sure. They can provide people with hope, and certainly do—it’s just not grounded in truth—or we might say, complete or absolute truth. That’s why Jesus is the light of the world and not anyone else. Hinduism can’t provide that. Buddhism simply can’t provide it. Islam can’t provide it. There’s no real light from anywhere else. That’s why we have the words of Jesus recorded for us in the Gospels, because even though Jesus is now back in Heaven, his words remain with us, his message remains with us, and the Holy Spirit seeks to bring people into relationship with him through the use of those of us who participate in that process. Jesus’ light continues even though he’s back in Heaven.

       Verse 6: “Having said these things, he [Jesus] spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing” (ESV).

       This dramatic display of God’s power appears to allude back to the beginning—back to Genesis chapter 2. That was when God formed Adam out of the dust of the earth. At the start of his Gospel, John told us that Jesus was with God in the beginning. Therefore, Jesus here is doing what he had done back then, when he formed Adam, but with his spit and the mud, apparently the mud has transforming power to create a new set of eyes for this individual, or at least to restore the eyes he already has. An incredible display of God’s power. We’re trying to do with kind of stuff in labs today—create human body parts. And we are aware that the eyes are the most complex part of our bodies. At this moment, Jesus does this from the dust of the earth. That’s incredible. Stop and think about it for a moment. The mud is used to make them become working, or perhaps to totally turn into new eyes. Regardless, an amazing action it is. This Pool Jesus tells him to go to is the pool where the cup of water was drawn, remember, for the Jewish ritual back in John chapter 7, at the Feast of Booths.

       Verse 8: “The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know” (ESV).

       Observe the people’s general response to the situation of seeing the man healed. As appears to be the usual, some believed but some did not. Some thought he was like that man, but wasn’t really him. However, that wouldn’t explain why he would be saying it was him. Why would he go around randomly saying that? Notice, though, that those unbelieving individuals seem to want to go find Jesus and squeeze some more goods out of him. This seems to be the going rate—the common theme. People desire to find Jesus to see what they can get out of him. Let us be careful ourselves, in our day, not to have this same attitude. Why do we believe in Jesus? Why do we follow him? Why is he our Lord? Just to see what we can get out of him? To see what he will give us, what healings he will perform, or whatever else he will do? We need to be careful. We need to be careful that’s not either why we are listening to preaching, and we need to be careful not to surrounding ourselves with teachers and preachers who are only about ‘getting,’ and catering to a ‘getting’ mindset.

       Verse 13: “They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet” (ESV).

       Again, Jesus runs into trouble. His miracle had been performed on a Sabbath day. And that’s what the Pharisees focus on. A continuing in their quest to gain dirt on Jesus. It probably appears amazing to our minds that the people would be so bent out of shape over Jesus doing good on the Sabbath. There probably aren’t many of us anymore, in our time, who would object to such an action. We seem to have a problem with the reverse, where we think the any kind of ritual on the Sabbath (Sunday for us), is an issue. “You’re wearing a suit and tie on the Lord’s day—what’s wrong with you! This is twenty-first century America.” That’s the more likely response we would see today. Yet, people really thought that he wasn’t on the up and up because of his healings on the Sabbath. But his words, his words—that’s what made some of the people wonder about him. They just couldn’t justify a man speaking the things he was speaking as being a sinful person. They couldn’t justify that or reconcile that. It’s interesting how they ask the blind man his opinion. Really, it’s surprising they even cared. Perhaps this is a glimpse into the minds, that they are actually considering believing in him. Actually, they probably had an ulterior motive in mind. However, they ask him and he answers safely, “He is a prophet.” He doesn’t say, “He is the Christ,” or “He is the Messiah.”

       Verse 18: “The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

       The scene is crazy, almost comical, that anyone would be upset about another person receiving their sight. Yet, the Pharisees were more concerned with the Law being following then a person healing. That was the problem—or part of the problem. The real problem was that they didn’t like Jesus, were jealous of him, and wanted to kill him. That was the real problem. Anyway, responsibility is cleverly diverted on the part of the parents because of what the passage has told us, that if anyone confessed that Jesus was the Christ, that person would be banned or excommunicated, if you will, from the synagogue. This was the scare tactic that the Pharisees used to try to keep persons from believing in Jesus. They basically threatened them. “If you believe in Jesus, you lose you’re status in the community.” Not a good sign. And that’s something we can examine for ourselves today. If we are involved with a group that doesn’t allow freedom—freedom to choose whether one wants to be part of that group, then we know we have an issue at hand. We know that the leaders are leading based on fear. Threat to stay in a group is never good. That’s a serious red flag. That’s the tactic that, for instance, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis used during their reign. Regardless, this reaction from the Pharisees shows the influence Jesus had gained, that a lot of individuals were following after him, or at least considering it.

       Verse 24: “So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.”

       Initially, the man who was healed does not seem to understand who Jesus is. Yet, despite that, he has chosen to follow him, to become his disciple. That’s pretty cool. It’s cool when a person dives in based on faith and doesn’t even have all the answers yet. The old saying becomes useful, except that it is “Ready, fire, aim. Ready, fire, aim.” The way the Jewish leaders revile Jesus definitely conveys the disgust that they have for him, his disciples, and his ministry. They really, really don’t like the guy. And now, now, they have a new guy not to like—this blind man that was just healed. The horror of religion when it gets misapplied, when it strays away from the truth. Hopefully none of us are like the Pharisees. Hopefully none of us are nose-up-in-the-air toward those who are perceived as ‘lesser’ Christians. That’s a trap we don’t want to fall into. If we are religious, we need to remember that God works with all kinds of Christians: Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical, Anabaptist, Protestants, and others. It’s not that, say, if we are Evangelical, we are better. Or if we are old school Evangelical, we are even more better. That’s not that way it works. We don’t want to find that God is against us. We don’t want to be like the Pharisees and say, “You guys were born in utter sin, and you would teach us?” We don’t want to be like that. That’s how they paint the man—a sinner—one who either his parents sinned or he sinned.

       Verse 35: “Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him” (ESV).

       He apparently had the inclination—the man—for he quickly turns to worshipping Jesus. Understanding came forth of the truth that only God could do such a thing. Have you ever thought about that? In what other religions do healings occur? They appear to be rare, if ever. And why is that? If all gods are equal, and all should be counted as equal, as many in our day believe, then why don’t they all act equally? Why aren’t they all healing? It just doesn’t make sense. Yet, it shows the truth behind the Jewish God—that he is the real God, and all can turn to him and count on him. Notice also that Jesus isn’t concerned about the man being cast out of the synagogue. Sometimes for people it will come down to that. Sometimes they have to leave a group and the group isn’t going to like it. Jesus doesn’t even seem concerned about that fact, which should be an encouraging thing to some today. If you have to leave a religious group or any kind of group, it’s better to do that to believe than to stay accepted, stuck, and eternally condemned at the same time. One needs to do what they have to do, and Jesus will support them. There’s no doubt about that.

       Verse 39: “Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains” (ESV).

       Thus, Jesus describes two kinds of people. The first kind of person is the who initially doesn’t believe but ends up believing. This is the individual who is open minded, who isn’t already set in his religious ways. That’s the two kinds of people. In the second group, those who already think they see have a problem. We’ve been going over this all along. They think that things are going to happen a certain way—they are expecting things to happen that way. The Pharisees are expecting a Messiah who will come to the earth, be born in probably a rich family, and then come and lovingly accept them, and tell them how great they are. And then they will reign together, and get ultimate power. Probably something along those lines. Something like that. Those who repent, those who repent, are those who have no remaining guilt. They are the initial blind ones. But the Pharisees claim that they are right with God outside of Jesus, that Jesus isn’t needed or required for their righteousness. That’s their problem, they claim to already see. No person is in worse shape when he or she already claims to see, for that person is very hard to get through to. Their guilt remains, and they don’t even realize it.

- Daniel Litton