Healing of the Man Born Blind John 9
It is while he is on his way out of the temple fleeing the Jews (8:59) that Jesus meets up with the man born blind who gets in his way as he makes his escape.
Major Premise: Only the wicked suffer physical affliction. Minor Premise: This man suffers physical affliction. Conclusion: This man is wicked.
There is a sense in which every aspect of our lives, including our own suffering, is an occasion for the manifestation of God's glory and his purposes
There is an important lesson for us here as we look at the less fortunate in our community. We should see them as Jesus saw this man, not as his disciples, his neighbors, or religious leaders saw him.
The attitude of the disciples, neighbors and Pharisees dehumanizes people who are already victims of dreadful illnesses.
This is an important moment in the journey to the cross. In John 7:43 the crowd is divided over who Jesus is and now the Pharisees are not only divided but very angry not just because the man was healed on the Sabbath but because of Jesus growing popularity with the crowds.
Jesus then mixed a potion of mud and saliva, put it on the man s eyes and instructed him to wash in the pool of Siloam and in that act of cleansing, to receive his sight.
By making the spittle and mud Jesus wants to show the Pharisees that their way of keeping the Sabbath was merely superstition and contrary to the intention of God and that his disciples were not bound to their notions of what could or could not be done on such a sacred day.
Be careful you don t miss God because he doesn t show up exactly as and when you expect him too.
One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.
Pay attention to 9:39-41 where Jesus says It is for judgment I have come into this world and passages such as John 3:17; 12:47, where he says that he did not come to judge the world.
The Pharisees had already decided that anyone who acknowledges Jesus as the Christ would be thrown out of the synagogue (verse 22) and that s exactly what eventually happens to this man (verse 34).
Many people have been thrown out of the church because they don t measure up to humanly designed standards, but may not all fall short of God s standards.
Being put out of the synagogue was no small thing. If you were unsynagogued you were cut off from the religious and social life of Israel (Luke 6:22).
The most ironic truth to come out of this whole story perhaps is the assertion that the One who makes blind eyes see, is the one who makes seeing eyes blind (40-41).
I believe Lord, and he worshipped him (verse 38).
It has been said that we have as much of God as we want. If we are open to his working in our lives, he will give himself to us; if we are indifferent to him we reject the riches of heaven which are available to us through him.
First he calls him the man they call Jesus (verse 11), then he calls him a prophet (verse 17), Messiah (verse 22), a man from God (verse 31-33), and finally Son of man (verse 35), and Lord (verse 38).
Jesus points out that the physical blindness of the man born blind was not caused by sin (9:3), but the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees/Jews does make them guilty. If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains (41).
John is critical of faith that is based only on miracles and signs (John 2:23-25; 3:2-3; 4:45-48; 6:26; 7:37). The highest form of faith is that which does not see yet believes (20:29).