See John 9:35-41
This man in our reading was recently healed of his blindness by Jesus. Afterwards the Pharisees came to examine him, and not being able to explain the miracle, they eventually threw the man out of the Temple.
This can’t be looked at as, “Oh, he just can’t go to that church.” This is a very serious event. His neighbors will now shun him for fear they will be seen with him and expelled. Think of this man’s life now; he can see, he can now work and support himself and his family. And yet no one will hire him because they also fear excommunication. I imagine even the merchants would turn him away, afraid one of the religious leaders would see the man in their shop.
Verse 35, “Jesus heard they had thrown him out…” When we accept Jesus, he doesn’t say, “Good job,” pat us on the shoulder and walk away. You don’t accept Jesus and then have him lose interest in you and move on to someone else. Jesus knows everything you are going through, always.
Back to verse 35, “…when he found him…” Jesus went looking for him. Luke 15:4, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them? Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the lost one until he finds it?” This shows us God continues to look for and to reach out to those still without faith, but it can help us here. This man is lost in the sense he lost everything for Jesus. He is a societal outcast because of Jesus, and Jesus went to be with him.
As we become stronger in faith our lives will change because of it. We may lose family and friends who don’t understand or want to understand. When this happens there will be those who falter in their faith. The strength of this verse is we’re told Jesus is next to us to support us in these times.
Again verse 35, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” Let’s look at Revelation 3:20, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door, I will come in…” Jesus will not force himself on you. Revelation shows us he will not force you to believe. Today he shows those who have seen him, the faithful, that when you are in difficulty, he is there with you, but you must have faith, faith in his presence. You must have faith in his ability and wiliness to work in your life.
Verse 36, “Who is he sir…tell me so that I may believe in him.” Each of us has seen Jesus in our lives or we wouldn’t be here. But even for those who have faith, in our hurting we can forget the power of God. Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Our great comfort is God will always be beside you, no matter what you are going through.
In our reading Jesus opened this man’s eyes and he still doesn’t fully know who Jesus is. We may have seen Jesus work in our lives with some previous issue, and yet we forget who he is and what he does in our current predicament. This is why it is so important to fellowship with other believers. It’s so we can be reminded of Jesus and his power in our lives.
Verse 37-38, “Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him’…then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.” This man saw Jesus’ face. For us, by being in fellowship, by spending time in God’s word, we will feel Jesus with us. But as we’ve seen before, knowing isn’t enough. We must believe in his work and in his divinity. We must worship him, thank him for the cross, and live a life for him according to his commandments.
Verse 39, “For judgement I have come into the world, so the blind will see, and those who see will become blind.” Let’s look at this in two parts. First, Jesus lets the blind see. If we back up to verse 32, “Nobody has ever healed a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” From the fall, mankind has been blind to God, unable to live his way and claim salvation. Nowhere in scripture does a man accomplish gaining salvation on his own, God is always involved.
This blind man is a metaphor for mankind. He was blind until his encounter with Jesus. Men are blind to the to the truth of scripture until the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, our hearts, and our minds; opening our eyes to the truth of the cross is solely a God thing. Saving a soul is something only God can do. If we chose God solely through our free will, then the glory would be ours. God gave us salvation; Ephesians 2:5, “…it is by grace that you have been saved.” The glory is God’s. 1 Corinthians 2:31, “Therefore, let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Jesus says he comes to give the blind sight. This man was blind, he knew it. Along comes Jesus and he can see. Here we are, living out what happens to this unnamed man. We are blind, unaware of our sin and the need for God. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes allowing us to see this, then Jesus comes into our lives to offer us salvation through him and the cross.
Part two of verse 39, “…those who see will become blind.” The Pharisees believed they could “see.” They knew God and followed all his rules, so they thought. But they believed their faith put them above others. They believed it allowed them to judge others. The reality was they could not see. Therefore, they remained blind to God’s love, grace, and mercy. They used scripture to justify themselves, never seeing it is God who justifies.
I’ve heard ministers say, “Do as I tell you and you will be saved.” That is scary. There are plenty of Christians who will sat you’re going to hell because of what you do, because you failed to follow the rules, because your life doesn’t follow strict Bible scripture. They forget one thing, Romans 3:20, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law…”
Whenever we think someone is not living God’s way, we must know that neither do we. Evan as the saved, we still don’t live as God wants. When we think someone’s life goes against God, so do ours. When we think someone else can’t come to God because of what they do, we can’t either. When we say, “I sin, but Jesus saves me,” remember he saves others despite what we think. It is fearful that those “Christians” who promote disconnect, promote judgement, promote hate and prejudice in Christ’s name, may wake up on judgement day and realize Satan had blinded them and they are now separated from the sheep and counted among the goats.
These characters we look at today; Jesus, the blind man, and the Pharisees, have a lot to teach us. This unnamed man shows us that no matter who or what we lose because of our faith, live for Jesus anyway. Jesus shows us he is well aware of what we go through for him, that he is with us and just waiting for us to be aware of him. This man and his interaction with Jesus remind us to thank God for our salvation, for only God can save us, all glory is his. And the Pharisees tell us we should never place ourselves above others. We should not think we’re special because we’re saved because salvation is offered to everyone through the cross by God’s grace and mercy.
And last, they show us that if we continue to judge others for what they do, and deny them, we may find we are still the blind ones. And we may be surprised and shocked when we find ourselves among the goats.
Matthew 25:44-45, “’Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me.’” Couple this with Matthew 7:2, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” When we judge others, we are judging God’s creation. And because others are God’s creation, when we judge others, we are judging God, and that has consequences.
We will be venerating Jesus going to the cross in a few days. I’m asking all of us, as we continue this season of Lent, spend some time thinking of the enormity of how the cross affects our lives and the lives of all mankind.
God bless,
Amen